Luther Fuller
Luther Augustus Fuller, better known as John Maynard, was a helmsman who sacrificed his life for staying on post during the burning of the steamship Erie. The incident inspired several literary renditions.
The burning of the Erie
On August 9, 1841 explosion of turpentine jars lead to a fire on the steamship Erie. Soon the whole ship was ablaze, some 200 people died. Among them were the helmsman on duty, Luther Fuller. The Erie's captain, Thomas J. Titus testified:
- I think Fuller remained at the wheel and never left it until burned to death; he was always a resolute man in obeying orders.
Another helmsman, James Lafferty, was picked up by the vessel De Witt Clinton, which came to the rescue. He became a notorious drunkard and died, aged 87, in the Erie County Almshouse on November 22, 1900. His story has been attributed to Fuller in some accounts.[1]
Literary renditions
On September 12, 1845, the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser published a anonymous short story: “The Helmsman of Lake Erie”. In that, a heroic helmsman is only one to die in a ship fire. With that story, the name John Maynard appears.[2]
The story reappears in John Bartholomew Gough's tale “The Pilot - A Thrilling Incident” from circa 1866. He changes the ships destination to Buffalo.
Horatio Alger, Jr. made Gough's story into a ballad, which was published as “John Maynard. A Ballad of lake Erie” in 1868, and widely reprinted. Around 1880, Theodor Fontane wrote in German language the ballad “John Maynard”, like Alger's based on Gough's story. Fontane adds a depiction of Maynard's funeral.
References
- ^ George Salomon: John Maynard of Lake Erie: The Genesis of a Legend. In: Niagara Frontier, Autumn 1964, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 73-86
- ^ Rapp, Marvin A.: John Maynard – Lake Erie Hero, In: Inland Seas, No 12/1956, pp. 3-15, as cited in Salomon, 1964.
