Loss of the Steamer Ship Golden Era... Tragedy strikes the Kouns Family

Loss of the Golden City made headlines around the country. 

On March 30, 1882 an event happened that would make headlines from New York to Colorado.  The "Golden City" a steamship built for and owned by Capt. Jacob D. Hegler burned over the deepest part of the Mississippi River near Memphis, TN.  At the time, the Golden City was revered as a premier ship and had valuations of close to $40,000.  In today's money that sum is close to $1 million dollars.

The Golden City was originally launched on Thursday November 23, 1876.  A day remembered by a reporter at the Cincinnati Daily Gazette on March 31, 1882, just 7 years later.  He recalled that the Golden Era had been called "One of the finest and largest sternwheel steamers ever built*." He went on to describe that it was a ship of 270' in length or 303' with the wheel.  It had 32 staterooms, 94 berths, and room for 62 deck passengers for a total carrying space of 156 passengers allowed per regulations at the time.  She was built at a cost of $47,000 and had received various upgrades, inspections, and safety measures over time.  At 7 years old, she was an old vessel, outliving the average of 5 years* before being destroyed by injury or normal wear.  

Having a steamship at the time wasn't an easy business.  The river was packed with freight moving from hubs of transportation such as Cincinnati, Louisville, Chicago and New Orleans.  Naturally, this movement became an easier way for people to travel from port to port as well.  Crashes, wrecks, sinking, and fires were a common occurrence on the river. For a family like my great uncles who were fully invested, losses were sure to happen.  My 5x great Uncle Andrew Pennel Kouns started into this business with his brothers, including George W. Kouns, and later both involved their sons and sons-in-laws in the business. Before long they were running steamers under various corporation names. One of the sons of George W. Kouns Sr, known later as Captain Louis E. Kouns found tragedy in all this family business.  

Indianapolis Sentinal

Captain Kouns, as he would later be referred to in the numerous articles, often brought his wife and children to New Orleans, where he worked as a Captain out of.  Originally from the areas of Lawrence, Ohio and Ashland, Kentucky this was a normal trip on a steamboat route.  The families would move back and forth, changing with seasons, bringing children, and family members.  On this particular trip, Captain Kouns's wife Eva, her three children, and a woman reported as her sister, Miss Nannie Campbell aged 17, all set sail back to home. Captain Kouns himself was not with them, having already returned home.

Somewhere around Memphis a fire started. Reportedly a deckhand had left a lantern open near a spool of highly flammable jute rope, catching fire and causing an flame to spread so quickly that is could not be contained. The ship burned in the water, over the deepest portion of the run. The ship, the bodies, the books, nothing could be recovered immediately. It is unclear if anything ever was. Later, that same deckhand, a black man named Wash Smith, would be brought to trial for causing the many deaths.  I do not know of the outcome of the trial, but in horrible fashion of the time, I suspect he was hanged, legally or not. 

As with most water related deaths some of the bodies were recovered, floating downstream and landing in precarious places at various time intervals.  The body of Eva took sometime and wasn't easily identified.  In the meantime, a woman, thought to be the wife of a Dr. Monohan was buried in her place.  There was much discussion about some jewelry found on the body, and eventually, the accidental imposter was exhumed and Mrs. Eva was buried in her proper place. 

Indianapolis Sentinel 

At the time of the fire, Louis and Eva had three young children who were never identified in any newspaper clippings about the disaster. One child's body was later found on the river, but the identity was not certain. I found no articles stating any of the other children were found. In later census research, I found their names to be Bonnie Lee, George, and Rachel. 

Louis Kouns would go on to remarry, but reportedly never fully recovered from the loss.  He had one more child with his new wife and named him Louis Kouns, Jr. 

If you are interested in this story and want to learn more I am including the links I researched from: If you would like to know more about this family or see the collection of newspaper articles I have collected (in PDF) just leave me a note.  

Louis Kouns, Jr. is my 2nd Cousin 4x removed. Eva's maiden name was Browning, she was from Boyd County, Kentucky. 

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References: 

• Find-A-Grave. www.find-a-grave.com. Memorial # 65521303  Eva Browning Kouns & children. Also  #65521103 Louis E. Kouns

• Steamboats of the Mississippi. (2016, July 16). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:00, August 6, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steamboats_of_the_Mississippi&oldid=730110372

• The Golden City. History of the Ill-fated Steamer since 1876.  Cincinnati Daily Gazette (Cincinnati, Ohio) Published March 31, 1882. pg 2. Newspaper Archives.
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  The Golden City the Coroner's Jury Decides the Crew of the Burned Vessel Were Guilty of Criminal Carelessness.  Published Monday April 3, 1882.  Indianapolis Sentinel, Indianapolis, Indiana.  Vol XXI, Issue 93, Page 7. Newspaper Archives. 
• One By One. Indianapolis Sentinel, Indianapolis, Indiana. April 17, 1882. Newspaper Archives.
• Doubted Identity. Question As To The Body Of Mrs. Kouns, Lost By The Golden City Disaster. Times-Picayune. New Orleans, Louisiana. Monday, May 15, 1882. pg 2. Newspaper Archives.