The Sinking of the Belle Zane
from the History of Muskingum County

The "Belle Zane" was built at the California boat yard on the Monongahela river. The boat was owned at Zanesville and it was a regular packet in the Zanesville and Pittsburg trade, capacity 300 tons. It made a few trips to Cincinnati and to St. Louis. The "Belle Zane" was a fine model and one of the fastest boats at that time. In December, 1845, the boat was loaded at Zanesville with a miscellaneous cargo, consisting of flour, empty molasses barrels to be filled on the Louisiana coast with molasses for the Zanesville wholesale trade. At Marietta there were taken aboard 700 turkeys and a large number of chickens for the New Orleans market. About thirty cattle and 600 bushels of corn were added to the load at Madrid, Mo. The cabin was well filled with passengers and the boat had all the load it could carry. The rivers were very low and there was slow traveling on account of the low stage of water. John Brazure, of Cincinnati, was commander, and the other officers were Zanesville men, viz. Clerk, Edward Matthews; mate, Monroe Ayers; engineers, David Hahn and Joseph Howland. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bowen and son, and Mr. and Mrs. Wyncoop and son, were passengers from Zanesville. Mr. Bowen was a prominent citizen then engaged in the grocery trade. He had represented the county in the Ohio legislature. Mr. Wyncoop was also a well-known citizen. Many friends were at the landing when the boat lines were handed in and a large crowd were at the lock and remained waiting until the boat passed around the bend below Moxahala.

On the 17th, four sunken boats were seen that had been snagged. The night of the 18th and morning of the 19th of December the weather was very cold, the thermometer was near zero, and ice was rapidly forming. At two o'clock in the morning, soon after the first watch had left their places, there came a crash, a heavy shock, and the boat turned on its side; the boilers rolled into the river. A snag was struck, and the boat was sinking. The roof floated off, with Victor Fell, of Zanesville, on it. He was saved. David Hahn, Monroe Ayers and another man made a raft of the gang-plank and went ashore, and ran down the shore a distance and found a yawl, which they took and made for the boat, and commenced rescuing the passengers. When the snag was struck and the boat careened, there were a number drowned, and among their number were Mr. and Mrs. Bowen and their son. The crew of the boat worked like heroes. The cabin broke loose from the hull, and floated down the river several miles, with human beings clinging on the wreck. Mrs. Wyncoop and her son were rescued about two miles from the place of the disaster. Others were taken off as rapidly as the men in the yawl could relieve them. Robert Burns, of Cincinnati, a steamboat engineer, froze to death.

Miss Jane Conner was without shoes when taken off the wreck. One of the engineers pulled off his and gave them to her.

There were no other Zanesville people lost except the Bowen family. Their bodies were never found. The passengers and crew that escaped found shelter in the negro huts on the shore.

The cabin floated as far as Island 74, where it struck the ground; the people yet clinging to it were saved. Mr. Wyncoop was rescued at this place. From all obtainable information, eighteen or twenty passengers were lost, but all the crew escaped. The citizens of Napoleon, which town has itself been washed away by the "Father of Waters," had a social, and raised many things for the unfortunate victims of the wreck. Some of them went to New Orleans, others took passage for home. Mr. and Mrs. Wyncoop and son went to Vicksburg.