Alum Chine
Cargo Steamer · United Kingdom · Lost 1913 · Annapolis & the Upper Chesapeake
Loading dynamite for the Panama Canal, the British steamer Alum Chine exploded in Baltimore's Patapsco River, killing 33 in one of the port's worst disasters.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
The British tramp steamer Alum Chine lay at anchor near Fort Carroll on March 7, 1913, loading dynamite bound for construction of the Panama Canal. A fire broke out in her hold, and as crew and stevedores fled to the tug Atlantic and other small craft, the remaining cargo detonated, destroying the ship. The tug Atlantic, which had returned to try to save men still aboard, was caught in the blast. Thirty-three people died and about 60 were injured; windows shattered as far as Philadelphia felt the shock.
Vessel
- 1905
- Not established
- Not established
- Steel
- Not established
- Not established
- 1767
- Steam
- Not established
Loss
- March 7, 1913
- Fire
- Patapsco River near Fort Carroll, Baltimore Harbor quarantine anchorage
- Patapsco River
- Baltimore, Maryland → Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone
- About 350 short tons of dynamite
- Not established
- 33
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Destroyed; debris was scattered over roughly a two-mile radius.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 39.22° N 76.56° W
- Approximate position
- Fort Carroll, Baltimore Harbor
Coordinate as published for the Alum Chine explosion site near Fort Carroll in the Patapsco River.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)
Wikipedia: Alum Chine explosion
Date, location, casualty figures, and coordinates.
Baltimore Sun retrospective, 'Explosion rocked the city,' 1997
Narrative detail and confirmation of casualty toll.
Maryland ex rel. Goralski v. General Stevedoring Co., 213 F. 51 (D. Md. 1914)
Eyewitness account of the explosion sequence and the tug Atlantic's rescue attempt.
