Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Miller, Joseph, fl. 1819-1831 to James Mease

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06515 Author/Creator: Miller, Joseph, fl. 1819-1831 Place Written: Burlington, New Jersey Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1831/04/29 Pagination: 4 p. : Height: 25.3 cm, Width: 20.3 cm Order a Copy

Responds to Mease's query about the causes of a boiler explosion aboard the steamboat Philadelphia. Blames the accident on a combination of factors including the age of the boiler and the rust accumulated on it. Places most of the blame, however, on the engineer, who he argues was not well trained and tried to generate more steam than the engine could safely maintain. James Mease (1771-1846) was a prominent Philadelphia physician and scientific thinker. Joseph Miller was captain of the steamboat "Bristol."

Miller, Joseph, fl. 1819-1831
Mease, James, 1771-1846

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources