Dolphin (ship, 1843)
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The steamship Delphin was a small steamer that belonged to the "United Steamship Company Zurich and Walensee". It was launched in Rapperswil SG in May 1843 and made its maiden voyage on Lake Zurich to Zurich on July 3 of the same year .
In May 1845 it came to the Walensee for the first time for two weeks . In 1846 it was acquired by the Zürichsee-Walensee-Gesellschaft. Escher-Wyss extended the ship and converted it into an 80-seater paddle steamer. In August 1850 it was finally relocated to the Walensee, where it took over regular postal routes between Weesen and Walenstadt . In the storm night from December 16 to 17, 1850, the dolphin sank . 13 people lost their lives in the process.
Technical specifications
The steamer Delphin was 22.5 meters long and 3.6 meters wide. The steam engine with 18.6 kW drove two large side paddle wheels, which could reach a speed of 16 km / h in calm water. The steamboat had a load capacity of 80 people.
Downfall
The steamship Delphin was expected in Weesen that night. The postman Beeler was woken up at half past one as usual. He saw the light of the steamboat, which was about a quarter of an hour away from the harbor. A terrible storm raged. Beeler later wrote to the St. Gallen district post office that you had to hold on if you didn't want to be swept away by the wind. Shortly afterwards the light disappeared.
The next morning two shipmen drove to Walenstadt to look for the steamer, only found a hat and a suitcase. The sinking was announced at 11 a.m. Beeler stated: ... the sure, but deeply shattering message: the steamship Delphin went down with man and mouse last night.
Salvage
On April 8, 1851, the dolphin wreck was recovered from a depth of 115 meters not far from the Standenhorn . The steam boiler had a 90 cm hole. All circumstances indicated that the boiler had exploded due to overheating and excessive stress on the two valves.
Poem for the bereaved
The sinking of the dolphin moved people far beyond the region. Felix Schneider from Basel wrote a poem about the downfall. The financial return of the poem was intended for the bereaved.
literature
- Terra plana 2/89, Paul Gubser The most spectacular event on Lake Walen is certainly the sinking of the dolphin on the night of 16./17. December 1850
- Guido Städler, 2012, "Walensee-Schifffahrt / Linth-Schifffahrt" 175 years of steam and motor navigation on the Walensee 1837–2012, Sarganserländer Verlag Mels, ISBN 3-907926-60-9
Web links
- Post and History (PDF; 708 kB)
Footnotes
- ↑ Pfälzer Zeitung, February 2, 1851, page XVI