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Name: BEN ACCORD
    Launched: 1850S?  EARLY?
    Area: U. Miss. R.
    Comments: Mentioned in this Article

1. Name: BEN BOLT
    Type: Sidewheel, wooden hull packet.  Size: 167' X 29' X 5.', 228 tons.
    Launched: 1853, California, Pa.  completed Pittsburgh.
    Destroyed: not inspected after 1858.
    Area: 1853, Pittsburgh-St. Louis
          1857, the Diary of E.F. Beadle has her in Omaha, July 4. 
    Owners: 1853, Charles f. Frisbee, 7/16 - Andrew Miller, 3/16 - both of
                  Pittsburgh; D.S.H. Gilmore, Pomeroy, Oh., and A.B. Fisher
                  of Gallipolis, Oh.
            Later, sold to Capt. Thomas W. Scott, St. Louis and others of Omaha.
    Comments: 1856, late Feb, Torn from docks and swept downstream in
              ice flow during Great Ice Gorge at St. Louis. Badly
              damaged.

Name: BEN CAMPBELL
    Area: 1847, U. Miss. R.
    Owner: Ben Campbell
    Captain: Ben Campbell
    
Name: BEN CAMPBELL


Library of Congress,
Prints and Photographs Division,
Detroit Publishing Company Collection.
Click on picture to enlarge

    Type: Sidewheel wooden hull packet.   Size: 287 tons.
    Built: 1852, Shousetown, Pa and finished at Pittsburgh.
    Destoyed: 1860, Aug. 23, while laid up at Capt. Clark's home in Buffalo, Iowa.
    Area: Later in Davenport - Keokuk trade.
    Owner: Built for Galena, Dubuque & Minnesota Packet Company
           1855, Capt. L.W. Clark, Buffalo, Iowa.
    Captains: *Piloted at one time by Oscar M. Ruby 
    Comments: Mentioned in this Article 

Name: BEN CAMPBELL
    Type: Sidewheel, wooden hull packet.  Size: 130' X 24' X 3.5'
    Power: Engines, 10's- 3-1/2.  Two Boilers, each 44" X 16'
    Launched: 1865, Buffalo, Iowa.
    Destroyed: 1870, dismantled
    Area: Red River during cotton seasons.

Name: BEN COURSION 
    Type: Sternwheel, wooden hull packet.
    Size: Originally 149 tons.  1854, rebuilt to 161 tons.
    Destroyed: 1857, *Oct. 4, 2 A.M., La Crosse, Wiss., Collision with KEY CITY
                     7 lives lost.
    Area: early, L Miss. R.
          1854, Cincinnati-Madison
          1856-57, U. Miss. R.
          *1856, U. Miss. R., tramping.
    Comments: 1853, Sept. 12, Louisville, Ky., rammed and sank U.S. MAIL
	      1854, Aug. Rising Sun Bar, was in collision with JANE FRANKLIN
              1857, La Cross, Collided with KEY CITY.  COURSIN sank.
    *Jones Worden's Steamboats and Steamboating Career by Frederick J. Worden

 
Boats Named
BEN FRANKLIN

According to my count there were at least 9 boats named BEN FRANKLIN, and
4 more that were numbered 2, 6, 7 and 8.  The numbers do not
necessarily coincide with the boat's actual place in time within this line
of boats.  For instance BEN FRANKLIN NO. 2 was named in 1923 or 4. and NO.
6, according to the dates I have, is only the 5th boat with BEN FRANKLIN
for its name, leaving open to speculation that whoever named BEN FRANKLIN
NO. 6 either couldn't count or did not do his homework, or possibly there
was another BEN FRANKLIN he knew about that we have all missed.


1. Name: BEN FRANKLIN
    Type: Sidewheel wooden hull packet.  Size: 163 tons.
    Launched 1826-27, winter, Cincinnati, Oh.
    Power: single engine, low pressure boiler.
    Area: Louisville-Cincinnati, as extra boat when trade warrented.
    Owners: Capt.Jacob Strader, Capt. James Gorman, Philip Grandon,
            James Kelly and others.
    Captains: 1826-30, masters, Jacob Strader and James Gorman 
                      John Blair Summons, mate and pilot;
                      John Wesley Brown, pilot 
              1830-32, Master, Edward Carroll

1. Name: BEN FRANKLIN
    Type: Sidewheel wooden hull packet.  Size: 89 tons.
    Power: single stiff shaft, 27" X 5 1/2 ft., 4 boilers,
           each 39" X 18'
    Launched: 1934, Cincinnati, Oh.
    Destroyed: 1836, Mar. 13, Mobile, boiler exploded with great loss of life.
    Owners: 1834-35, Fall, United States Mail Line
            1835, Fall-36, Capt. Slade and others of Mobile
    Comments: considered fast boat, Louisville-Cincinnati 00/14/12
            : under U.S. Mail Line made 200 round trips Cincinnati-Louisville.

1. Name: BEN FRANKLIN
    Type: Sidewheel, wooden hull packet.  Size: 183' X 25' X 6.5', 194 tons.
    Power:25 1/2's-7 ft., 6 boilers, each 60" X 23', 2 15" flues
    Wheels: 22' dia. 11' buckets w/ 22" dip
    Launched: 1836, Cincinnati, Oh.
    Destroyed: 1841, Mar. 13, Cincinnati, sank, lost.
    Owner: United States Mail Line
    Captains: when new, Master was John Blair Summons
    Comments: record time upriver Louisville-Cincinnati, 00/12/08
            : 1838, Mar. made special round trip Cincinnati-Pittsburgh.
            : was considered very fast.

1. Name: BEN FRANKLIN
    Type: Sidewheel wooden hull packet
    1841-46

1. Name: BEN FRANKLIN No. 6
    Type: Sidewheel wooden hull packet.  Size: 289 tons.
    Launched: 1843, Cincinnati, Oh.
    Destroyed: 1849, dismantled.
    Area: Cincinnati-Louisville w/occasional trips to St. Louis
    Owner: United States Mail Line
    Caaptain: 1843-49, John Blair Summons
    Comments: 1843, On special trip, arrived Pittsburgh, Nov.16, from
                    Cincinnati with Pres. John Q. Adams on board.
    Comments from another source: 1846, Made run Louisville - 
                                      Cincinnati 0/11/45

1. Name: BEN FRANKLIN NO. 7
    Type: sidewheel wooden hull packet
     1844-48
    Owner: United States Mail Line

1. Name: BEN FRANKLIN NO. 8
    Type: Sidewheel wooden hull packet.  Size:
	Launched: 1848, Cincinnati, Oh.
    Area: 1850, Miss. R., Ark R.
    Owner: United States Mail Line
    Comments: The article linked below claims to have a BEN FRANKLIN
              aground at Webbers Falls on the Ark. R. in 1850.
    Comments: see Article

1. Name: BEN FRANKLIN
    Type: Sidewheel wooden hull packet.   Size:145' X 24' X 5.5'
	Launched: 1854, Brownsville, Pa.
	Area: Cotton carrier out of New Orleans.
	Comments: 1861, went to Confederate registry.
			: 1863, Dec. 14, Red River, captured by U.S. tinclad ARGOSY.

1. Name: BEN FRANKLIN
    Type: sidewheel wooden hull packet
    1856-58

1. Name: BEN FRANKLIN
    Type: Sidewheel wooden hull packet.  Size: 260 tons.
	Launched: 1861, Parkersburg, W. Va.
	Destroyed: 1867, dismantled.
	Area: was in Wheeling - Cincinnati trade for several years
	Captains: 1861, May, James P. Jack

1. Name: BEN FRANKLIN
    Type: sidewheel wooden hull packet
    1869-1881 or so
    Owner: United States Mail Line

1. Name: BEN FRANKLIN NO. 2, originally the first CHRIS GREEN 
    Type: Sternwheel towboat
    1915-1922

Name: BEN HUR 

Click on picture to enlarge

    Type: Sternwheeler, wooden hull Size: 165'
    Launched: 1887 at Marrietta, Ga. 
    Destroyed: 1916, March, Duckport, Miss., sank and was lost.
    Area: Ohio R., Miss. R. : 1887, Towboat for Robinson's Floating
          Circus : 1888 - 1909, In the Pittsburg/Parkersburg trade.
    Owner: Original, Cramer Family of Clarington : 1909, Sold to interests on 
           Miss. R.
    Captain(s): 1888, Kimpel, Fred Jr.
                1904, Sims, Edward 
    Comments: Her whistle was from the GEORGE STRECKER and was passed on to the
              BESSIE SMITH, then to the LIBERTY and on to the towboat MILDRED. 
    Comments: Mentioned in this Document 

Name: BEN LEE
	Type: sternwheel, wooden hull packet.  Size: 122 tons
	Launched: 1852, Cincinnati, Oh.
	Destroyed: 1856, Dec. 13, Mobile, Ala., snagged and lost.
	Area: 1853, White R. Passed through Marion County
		  Also ran Mobile-Alabama R.
	Comments: Mentioned in this Article

Name: BEN SHARROD
    Launched: 1830s
    Destroyed: 1837, May, near 19 mi. above Ft. Adams, Miss., burned
    Area: Coosa R. and to New Orleans
    Comments:  Was racing PRAIRIE when fire broke out.  Eventually a
               keg of whiskey exploded, then her boilers exploded and a bit
               later 40 barrels of gun powder blew up.  The boat was just
               plain ment to sink.  See Bits and Pieces for the rest of the
               story.
               
 1. Name: BEN STICKNEY
    Type: Sidewheel, wood hull packet.    Size: 285 X 40 X 8
    Power: Engines, 26's- 9 ft.and 5 boilers from the BOSTONA 
    Launched: Hull: Cannelton, Ind. Completed, 1864, New Albany, Ind.
    Destroyed: 1865, Nov. 16, Island 18, Miss. R. snagged and sunk
    Area: L. Miss. R.
    Owner: Principal owner said to be Commodore David Gibson, Cincinnati
           Ran under Atlantic and Mississippi Steamboat Co banner.
    Captain: 1864, Aug, Maiden trip, Master, Sheble, E. A.; 
                   Pilots, Charles Sebastian and James Ostrander 
       1865: Master when she sank, Dravo, Charles A. 


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1. Way's Packet Directory, 1848 - 1994

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