Captain Benjamin Woodward
 

Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, Friday, 29 January 1858, page 2

EXPLOSION

Yesterday at 2 PM the steamer Fanny Fern, Captain Benjamin Woodward, bound from St Louis for Pittsburgh, with over three hundred tons of produce and twenty or thirty cabin and deck passengers, when at Bosley Bar, near North Bend, eighteen miles below Cincinnati, exploded the center boiler out of three, which passed out on the larboard side, destroying the forward part of the boat. The boat and cargo being a total loss.

We regret to announce that from thirteen to fifteen lives were lost, three lady cabin passengers, two children, three deck passengers and five firemen and deck hands.

Captain Ben Woodward, the commander of the boat, a resident of Newport, is missing, and it is feared was killed or drowned.

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Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, Saturday, 30 January 1858, page 2

Captain Woodward was undoubtedly drowned, as nothing has been heard from him since he was seen clinging to a piece of the wreck, when the accident occurred. His son in law, John Crawford, made a diligent search for him yesterday, without success. His bereaved family and friends residing in Newport Ky. have furnished us with the following description with the hope that it may lead to the recovery of the body.

He was 45 years of age, 5 feet 11 inches in height, dressed in blue jeans pants, black satin vest, and black cloth overcoat. He had on his person a valuable gold watch and notes to the amount of $800 or $1000. He was a member of North Star Lodge, IOOF, of Newport Ky. who offer a liberal reward for any information that will lead to the recovery of the body.

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Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, Thursday, 1 April 1858, page 4

A committee from North Star Lodge, IOOF of Newport, went down to Millersburg yesterday on the mail boat, after the remains of the late Capt. Ben Woodward, commander of the ill fated Fanny Fern. The funeral will take place on Sunday, from his late residence in Newport.

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