User:Gatoclass/SB/SS Illinois (1851)

SS Illinois was a large passenger sidewheel steamer built in New York in 1851 for service between the United States and Central America.

From 1851 to 1859, Illinois operated between New York and Aspinwall, Panama, on the Atlantic side of the route to the Californian goldfields. She then spent about a year operating in the immigrant trade between Le Havre, France and New York, before being chartered by the United States government for use as a transport just prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War.

31 August 1857 Samuel Dalzell Died aboard the Steamer Illinois on his return home and was buried at sea in Latitude 32 degrees 31 minutes north and longitude 72 degrees 49 minutes west.

Illinois spent the war years shuttling Union troops and supplies to and from various ports along the eastern seaboard. After the war, she was retained by the government as a hospital ship, before being sold to New York's Quarantine Dept. in 1866 for use as a quarantine ship. Illinois disappears from the public record around 1870, and her final disposition is unknown.

Construction and design
Originally laid down as Louisiana, Illinois, a sister ship to Golden Gate, was built in New York by Smith & Dimon in 1851 for George Law's U.S. Mail Steamship Company, which ran a fleet of ships between New York and Panama in service to the California goldfields.

At 2,500 tons and almost 268 feet in length, Illinois was a large steamer for her day and had accommodations for 500 passengers (although she was capable of carrying considerably more). She was powered by a pair of 85-inch cylinder, 9-foot stroke oscillating engines, with steam supplied by four 12 × 13-foot return tubular boilers, two forward and two aft, each pair of boilers having its own smokestack. Both engines and boilers were supplied by the Allaire Iron Works of New York. While the cruising rpm of Illinois' engines is not known, her sister ship Golden Gate completed her trial trip at an engine speed of 15¼ rpm, and Illinois would prove herself capable of a top speed of about 13½ mph and a cruising speed of between 11 and 12½ mph.

Illinois' design was not without its critics. One passenger on an 1853 voyage compared the vessel unfavorably to another steamship of the company, Winfield Scott, observing that the Illinois "rolls more, and is less airy. Her cabins are not so spacious, and her ports are very small." In spite of such criticisms, Illinois was considered to be a fine ship for her time.

Panama service, 1851-1859
At the time Illinois entered service, the fastest route to California from New York was via the Isthmus of Panama. This route consisted of three legs: the first, along the Atlantic coast to Chagres, Panama (later to Aspinwall), the second, a land leg across the Isthmus itself, and the third, the voyage from the Pacific side of the Isthmus to California. Illinois was assigned by her owners to the first leg, from New York to Chagres.

Only a few short years previously, the second leg across the Isthmus had been both arduous and hazardous, with travellers forced to resort to inefficient river barges and muddy jungle trails, exposed for many days to tropical diseases such as yellow fever, malaria and cholera. By the time Illinois entered service however, the Panama Railroad was under construction, greatly reducing both the time of the journey and its attendant hazards. The railroad would eventually be completed in 1855.

Like all the ships of the U.S. Mail Steamship Company, Illinois was captained by an officer of the U.S. Navy, as part of a scheme to give Navy officers experience in command of large steamships. Illinois' first two regular captains were to achieve a degree of distinction themselves.

refs

 * 1851


 * sep 19 arrives. Short of coal from gales.
 * sep 19 Arrives, short of coal, 400 pass, $1,800,000 gold. CA mails.
 * sep 28 Sails with 620 passengers.
 * Oct 19 arrive ny via chagres, kingston 374 pass $1,857,358 gold. Record passage. US Senator. Panama railroad almost complete. Four pass made $100k.
 * oct 26 Sails for Havana.
 * nov 23 Arrives in ballast, 7 passengers.
 * nov 23 accident.
 * nov 18 Accident, passenger transfer.


 * 1852


 * apr 26. Leaves ny for aspinwall w/ 689 cabin passengers inc. women and children. Pass. incl. George Wilkes of Police Gazette. Late passenger loses luggage momentarily.
 * April Avert, record passages for both Illinois and GG.
 * may 17 Arrives ny from Havana w/ 320 passengers and $1.5 million in gold dust. Record passage from Asp. of 7 days 10 hours beating own prev. record of 7 days 16 hours. Best 24 hr speed of 14.45 mph.
 * may 21 Sail for Aspinwall.
 * may 22 murder aboard ship.
 * jun 3 report Arrived kingston may 26, left for Asp. 27th.
 * 13 jun Leaves Asp. jun 4, makes record passage, 7 days and five hours to NY. 525 pass., $1.5 million in gold.
 * jul 15 Arrives w/ 390 passengers and over $2 million in gold dust. Panama railroad as far as Gorgona.
 * jul 19 Just missing cholera epidemic.
 * aug 9-15 Arrives Saturday, 340 passengers, almost $2 million in gold dust. Panama epidemic almost over.
 * sep 20 "The mail steamer Illinois sailed this afternoon for Aspinwall with nearly -00 passengers". ppv.
 * sep 3-12 Arrive ny w/ 104 passengers and $1,370,000 in gold. ppv.
 * sep 20 Leaves NY with 374 passengers.
 * Sep Account of Isthmus crossing.
 * cot 2-13 Arrives NY, 280 passengers, $1,626,000 gold dust. New from California. Delayed at Kingston by weather, coaled at K.
 * Oct 20 Sails for Panama w/ 600 passengers and 150 P. Railroad laborers.
 * 4-13 nov Arrive NY, 300 passengers, $1,995,881 plus $200k passengers. 22 frenchman suicide. Railroad almost at Gorgona.
 * 13 nov and Panama Railroad robbers.

1853

 * Jan 11 Arrives Sandy Hook 11th, stops for fog, proceeds next day, cylinder breaks, snow retards passage. Jan 3 left Asp., Kingston 5th, quarantine 11th. $2,015,550 gold dust, 208 passengers. Brings Marshall and Post master of SF. New from China.
 * larboard engine
 * mar 19 Finish thorough overhaul.
 * mar 21 Sails, first ship to being weekly mail service.
 * Apr 11? Arrived last saturday, gold dust $2,095,404.
 * Apr 20, Gone to sea.
 * Apr 28 At Aspinwall. Shortest passage yet from NY to Aspinwall. 8 1/2 days.
 * may 20 Sail for Aspinwall with 254 passengers.
 * 3rd Sailed from Aspinwall.
 * jun 12 Arrives NY, $1,111,300 gold dust, 100+ cabin passengers, 211 steerage. 7 days 12 hours trip. Left Asp. 4th. To Quarantine. One fever fatality aboard, age 31.
 * jul 11 Arrives NY, left 3rd, 7 days 22 hours. 569 passengers, $1,835,714 gold. Two fatalities on board.
 * Jul 20 Leaves again.
 * Sep 20 Sails for Aspinwall, returns due to bad weather.
 * Oct 10 Arrives NY, $1,250,000 gold.
 * Nov 19 Leaves Aspinwall 19th, $1 million gold 150 passengers.
 * Nov 19 Strong winds heavy seas to NY.
 * Nov 29 ppv The steamer Illinois with the California mails and ISOO.OOO in specie on freight and $200000 in the bands of, and about 300 passengers arived at this port
 * Nov Article critical of mail ssc's.

1857

 * 31 August 1857 Passenger Samuel Dalzell Died aboard the Steamer Illinois on his return home and was buried at sea in Latitude 32 degrees 31 minutes north and longitude 72 degrees 49 minutes west.