Explosion of the “Peacemaker”
The explosion of the "Peacemaker" refers to a tragic incident that occurred on February 28, 1844, aboard the U.S. Navy steamship Princeton during a demonstration for distinguished guests, including President John Tyler and members of his cabinet. The Princeton, notable for being the first warship powered by a screw propeller, showcased two large cannons designed by John Ericsson and Captain Robert F. Stockton. While the Oregon cannon was well-tested, Stockton insisted on adding his own cannon, the Peacemaker, which lacked proper testing and crucial reinforcing bands.
During the excursion, after several successful firings, Stockton was persuaded to fire the Peacemaker again at the request of Secretary of the Navy Thomas W. Gilmer. However, the cannon exploded, sending iron fragments into the crowd and resulting in the deaths of several high-profile guests, including two Cabinet members. The explosion shocked attendees and led to an immediate investigation, which ultimately exonerated Captain Stockton. This incident not only highlighted the dangers associated with artillery in the 19th century but also marked a significant moment in American naval history, reflecting both innovation and tragedy.
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Explosion of the “Peacemaker”
Explosion of the “Peacemaker”
The United States Navy steamship Princeton lay in the Potomac River in February 1844 waiting to be shown off. Captain Robert F. Stockton, the commander, had invited President John Tyler; his cabinet; many members of Congress; the president's fiancée, Julia Gardiner; and approximately 300 other distinguished guests to take an excursion aboard the Princeton on February 28. They would be able to inspect the first warship to be driven by a screw propeller. The ship had a steam power plant and an iron hull that made it virtually invulnerable to enemy shot and shell.
The Princeton was designed by John Ericsson, whose most famous design, the ironclad Monitor, was to make history in the Civil War. A naturalized American citizen of Swedish origin, Ericsson was to contribute greatly to the American military through his many marine designs and ordinance inventions.
One of his earliest interests was artillery. Because of the limitations of 19th-century technology, the forging and casting of cannons was a tremendous challenge. By trying a new approach, Ericsson forged a huge cannon named the Oregon. Perhaps the most enormous cannon in any navy of the time, it had a 12-inch bore, was 13 feet long, weighed 16,000 pounds, and fired 225-pound cannonballs. It was carefully designed with iron reinforcing bands. Ericsson tested his masterpiece hundreds of times at a naval testing ground at Sandy Hook, New Jersey. The cannon's breech developed a crack during the test firing, but after reinforcement it was as strong as ever, and was mounted on the Princeton's foredeck.
Captain Stockton was pleased with the Oregon, but not satisfied. He had also grown inordinately resentful of the talented Ericsson. The captain decided that he should have two great cannons instead of one, and set about the task of providing the second one himself, ignoring Ericsson's cautions about the difficulties and dangers inherent in iron forging and cannon casting. At the Hamersley Foundry in Philadelphia, far from Ericsson's interference, Stockton produced what he considered his masterpiece. The Peacemaker, bigger than the Oregon except for the equal bore, was 14 feet long, weighed 25,000 pounds, and was a foot thicker at the breech than the Oregon. But it was without reinforcing bands. And it had not been carefully tested before it was mounted alongside the Oregon.
On the day of the great excursion, the Princeton steamed down the Potomac, and the guests gathered around for the firing of the Peacemaker. The Oregon was ignored, as was the absent Ericsson, who was never invited to set foot aboard the ship he had designed. Loaded with 40 pounds of powder for each 225 -pound cannonball, the Peacemaker impressed the guests, as was intended. After three or four balls had been shot, Captain Stockton invited the guests to move to the dining room below where they would enjoy drinks, music, and a sumptuous banquet.
During the festivities, a ship's officer informed the captain that a guest was above and requested another firing of the Peacemaker. The captain refused, until he learned that the request came from Secretary of the Navy Thomas W. Gilmer. Stockton went up on deck to do the actual firing himself. A number of guests gathered around the cannon to watch. The Peacemaker was loaded with 25 pounds of powder, a smaller charge than usual. Yet when it was fired, a tremendous explosion shook the ship. The left side of the Peacemaker burst, and several thousand pounds of iron fragments went hurtling into the crowd gathered to the left of the cannon.
Among those killed were Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur; Secretary of the Navy Gilmer; Virgil Maxcy, former charge d'affaires in Belgium; Commodore Beverly Kennon, chief of the navy's Bureau of Construction; David Gardiner, father of the president's fiancée, President Tyler's personal servant of many years; and two members of the cannon crew. Among those stunned by the explosion but not seriously injured were Captain Stockton and nine sailors. Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri suffered a burst eardrum, while Mrs. Gilmer, remarkably, was unhurt.
The Princeton set forth for Alexandria, Virginia (which is across the Potomac from Washington, D.C., and was then a port town), at full speed, and anchored around 4:30 p.m. The passengers were taken back to Washington, D.C., by the steamer I. Johnson. The next day the bodies of the dead were moved to the White House, where they lay in state in the East Room until the funeral, which took place at the Capitol on Saturday, March 2, 1844. A committee appointed to investigate the tragedy exonerated Captain Stockton.