John Maynard

DESCRIPTION: "It was on Lake Erie's broad expanse one bright midsummer's day" that the Ocean Queen catches fire. The captain orders her to make for the nearest shore. Helmsman John Maynard holds her on course even though he dies in the flames
AUTHOR: Horatio Alger Jr. (source: Grand'ther Baldwin's Thanksgiving)
EARLIEST DATE: 1875 (Grand'ther Baldwin's Thanksgiving)
KEYWORDS: death ship disaster fire
FOUND IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Lane/Gosbee-SongsOfShipsAndSailors, pp. 106-107, "John Maynard" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: Horatio Anger, Jr., _Grand'ther Baldwin's Thanksgiving: with Other Ballads and Poems_, Loring (Boston), 1875 (available on Google Books), pp. 45-50, "John Maynard" (1 text)
Roud #15894
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Jim Bluedsoe" (theme of a heroic crewman on a burning ship)
NOTES [152 words]: Lane/Gosbee-SongsOfShipsAndSailors claim that this is based on an actual event of August 9, 1841, in which the steamer Eriecaught fire and Augustus Fuller brought her to shore but died on the way. Given how many changes took place in the story, I would hardly consider the song to be "based on" anything other than folklore, but maybe it could be said to be "inspired by" that event.
This appeared just four years after John Hay published "Jim Bludsoe," which is almost identical in plot although with a slightly different emphasis. I wonder if that wasn't as much of an inspiration as the 1841 disaster.
Yes, this is the Horatio Alger who was responsible for "Horatio Alger stories." He obviously wrote enough poetry to publish a book of it (although it's only 125 pages in rather large type). This, however, is the only poem of his which was reprinted enough to have an entry in Granger's Index to Poetry - RBW
Last updated in version 6.4
File: LaGo106

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