Episode 172: The Lexington Steamship with Bill Bleyer

The Long Island History Project

On a frigid night in January 1840, the luxury steamboat Lexington burned and sank in the middle of the Long Island Sound with over 140 people on board. What followed were harrowing tales of survival, tragic deaths, and a media sensation that dominated the headlines for months.

Historian and journalist Bill Bleyer compiled all of the details in his book The Sinking of the Steamboat Lexington on Long Island Sound, out May 1st from the History Press. Today we unpack the whole history with Bill, from the ship's creation by Cornelius Vanderbilt to its glory days on the Sound, to the various attempts through the years at raising it from the deep. It is an epic story of technological progress, maritime dangers, and Long Island's transportation history.

Further Research

• Bill Bleyer History Lectures (Facebook)
• The Sinking of the Steamboat Lexington on Long Island Sound (History Press)
• Suffolk County Historical Society Events
• Lexington - National Underwater and Marine Agency
• Cornelius Vanderbilt's Railroad and Steamship Empire
• Nathaniel Currier