AH-WR-1066

Louise

Excursion Steamer · United States · Lost 1890 · Annapolis & the Upper Chesapeake

A summer excursion from Tolchester Beach turned deadly when the crowded steamer Louise was cut open by another liner in the Patapsco River.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Louise was a large sidewheel excursion steamer that carried Baltimoreans to the Tolchester Steamboat Company's resort on the Eastern Shore. On the evening of July 28, 1890, returning from Tolchester Beach with roughly 1,500 passengers, she collided with the steamer Virginia near Fort Carroll in the Patapsco River. The Virginia's bow tore through the Louise's guards and hull, and 14 passengers died in the resulting chaos. The collision produced years of admiralty litigation that found both steamers at fault.

Vessel

Built: 1882
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, sidewheel
Owners: Tolchester Steamboat Company

Loss

Date: July 28, 1890
Cause: Collision
Location: Patapsco River near Fort Carroll, about six miles from Baltimore
Water: Patapsco River
Voyage: Tolchester Beach, Maryland → Baltimore, Maryland
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 1500
Lives lost: 14
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Fort Carroll, Baltimore Harbor
Region: Annapolis & the Upper Chesapeake

Federal court opinions place the collision 100-200 yards southwest of the junction of the Fort McHenry and Brewerton channels, near Fort Carroll, but no surveyed position is published.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (62/100)

The precise collision coordinates and the vessel's ultimate fate after repair are not established in the sources reviewed.

The Virginia, 49 F. 84 (D. Md. 1891)
Collision date, location, passenger count, and casualty figure.
Baltimore Steam Packet Co. v. Louise, 52 F. 885 (4th Cir. 1892)
Confirmation of collision circumstances and fault finding.
Wikipedia: Louise (steamship)
Operator, route, and passenger capacity.