Observation
Steamer · United States · Lost 1932 · New York Harbor
A steamer ferrying ironworkers to the Rikers Island Penitentiary construction site was blown apart by a boiler explosion in the East River.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
On the morning of September 9, 1932, the steamer Observation left a Bronx dock near East 138th Street carrying more than 100 laborers, most of them ironworkers, to a construction site on Rikers Island. Minutes after departure, her boiler exploded, tearing the vessel apart and killing 72 men. A subsequent trial found that a patch on the boiler had been concealed from inspectors, and her captain and owner faced criminal charges.
Vessel
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Wood
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Steam
- Not established
Loss
- September 9, 1932
- Mechanical failure
- East River near Rikers Island, off a dock at East 138th Street, the Bronx
- East River
- East 138th Street dock, the Bronx, New York → Rikers Island, New York
- Not established
- 100
- 72
- Alexander Forsythe
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- East River near Rikers Island, the Bronx, New York
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (62/100)
The vessel's construction year, builder, and dimensions are not established in the sources reviewed; a 1934 court witness described her as a 44-year-old boat.
usdeadlyevents.com, compiling contemporary New York Times reporting
Date, location, death toll, and subsequent trial findings.
New York City Department of Correction History website (correctionhistory.org)
Narrative context of the Rikers Island construction laborers and disaster.
