George Steer

• Death Notes

  From ROMAN CITIZEN newspaper, Rome, Oneida County, New York, Wednesday, October 8, 1856
  
  Mr. GEORGE STEERS, a ship-builder, of this city, met with an accident yesterday afternoon, from which he died at about 10 minutes past 9 last night.  He was in a Rockaway wagon on his way to Little Rock, L. I., to see his wife and family, who have been residing there during the summer season, and who were to have returned with him to their home in the city.  When near Calvary Cemetery his horses became frightened and ran away.  Mr. Steers, having lost control of them, jumped out of the wagon and fell to the ground striking upon his head and receiving other very serious injury.  Councilman Boole and Messrs. R. H. Bishop and Bernard Kelly, of this city, who knew him well, were riding in the same direction, and discovered him lying insensible upon the road a few minutes after the accident.
  A farmer who was near had hurried to his assistance, and when his friends arrived the stranger had raised his head and was doing all in his power to aid him.  As soon as he was lifted up he vomited, first the contents from his stomach, and afterwards, quantities of blood.  He was taken immediately into his friend's  coach and drove rapidly to his residence, No. 91 Cannon street, where all possible aid was soon at hand.  His relatives in the city were soon beside him.  A courier was dispatched to inform his wife who arrived as soon as could be, but all their efforts were unavailing. New York Times.     (RC Oct 08/1856)
  
  Death of George Steers - from the New York Times  
  
  It is with a feeling of profound sorrow that we announce the death of GEORGE STEERS, the celebrated naval architect, the builder of the Yacht America, of the steam frigate Niagara, and of the Collins steamer Adriatic.  Mr STEERS, it seems, was thrown from a carriage yesterday afternoon, on Long Island, when on his way to Little Neck, where his family had been staying during the hot weather.    He was discovered lying on the road by two of his personal friends and neighbours, who happened to be driving out near Calvary Cemetery, but he was so much bruised that they did not at first recognise him.   He was taken immediately to his residence in Cannon-street, surgical aid was sought, but his case was at once pronounced hopeless, and he died at about 10 minutes past 9 o’clock last night.
  Mr STEERS was about thirty-five years of age.   He was born in Washington City, but had lived in New-York since his boyhood, and learned his trade of ship-building at one of our shipyards.   He was a man of rare genius, of the noblest instincts and of incorruptible integrity of character.    He had enjoyed but slender opportunities for improving his mind by study, but out of his noble art he had but small acquirements.   His knowledge of ship-building seemed to be an inspiration.   Probably no man who ever achieved so great a reputation by his works owed so little to book learning.   At the time of his making the model of the world-renowned yacht America he was a journeyman in the employment of the late WILLIAM H. BROWN, in whose service he assisted in building the Arctic and another of the Collins steamers.   Since the victory achieved by the America at Cowes he has built a great number of yachts, and some of the most beautiful of those belonging to the Yacht Squadron were of his modelling.   But he had a genius for greater works than these, and he had but just completed those magnificent specimens of naval architecture, the Niagara and Adriatic, which he has not lived to see fulfil the promise of their superb models.   Mr STEERS was anxiously awaiting for these noble vessels to make their first sea voyage before he made new arrangements for building other vessels.   A brilliant career of usefulness was opening before him; he had many staunch friends; he had already achieved a higher reputation than any other American mechanic could boast of; but he has been suddenly cut down in the midst of his labours, and his untimely death will be felt as a national loss.   He leaves a widow and a family of young children.
  
  New-York City.   Funeral Sermon - George Steers  
  
  The funeral sermon upon the death of the late GEORGE STEERS was delivered on Sunday afternoon at the Church in Beekman-street, corner of Cliff, by Rev. Dr. PARKER, and drew together a very crowded congregation.  Rev. Mr. PECK, assisted by Rev. B. EVANS, conducted the devotional part of the service.
  The preacher took for his text those words in the sixth verse of the book of Job : ‘Although affliction cometh not forth from the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground, yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.‘   There was no injustice in God¹s dispensations.    There was the same consistency, wisdom and goodness in his moral providence, as in those natural laws by which the physical world is framed, sustained and directed.   And every event, however individually painful, will finally demonstrate his equally infinite goodness, justice and wisdom.   Death and suffering are to be regarded as the consequences of the introduction of sins, and there is no form of apparent evil which is not wisely ordained for human beings considered as passing through a state of probation.   This sudden bereavement was not accidental.    There are no accidents in this world.
    After proceeding at some length, forcibly illustrating the topics suggested by the text, the reverend gentleman passed rapidly in review the principal features which distinguished the life of the deceased.   These are already before the public.   He then said : GEORGE STEERS was one of Nature’s noblemen, the pride of this great commercial emporium, this State, yes, this whole Western hemisphere.   He had reflected honour on the name of a mechanic, on the profession of a shipbuilder, on the name of a man.   His death is a national loss, a public calamity.   From a poor boy, he became an eminent, brilliant and useful man and shed more renown on our Country among other nations than all the legislators, statesmen and philosophers who have lived since the days of WASHINGTON.
    One trait in his personal character was given by the preacher which we will not omit.   He had engaged to build a small boat for the son of a lady who was urgent that it should be ready on a certain day.   The work was put into the hands of his brother.   On inquiring of him, if it would be finished on the day agreed upon ‘not unless’ said his brother ‘Not unless I work on it next Sunday.   Then said the deceased ‘don’t do it’.   He was inflexible in the sacred regard he paid to the observance of the Sabbath, and in the punctual attendance upon divine worship, frequently expressing to Dr. PARKER how delighted he felt to hear plain truths addressed in plain words to plain people.     On the Sunday before his unexpected death he was engaged in intense interesting reading a religious tract and his Bible, and told his wife that he had never during her absence in the country retired for the night without reference to its pages.   He, at all events, did not profane the Sabbath, and, being dead, yet speaketh from the open grave.   He says, as he did to his brother, ‘Don’t do it.’   God has honoured him and made him the instrument of usefulness.   Such honour will be put upon the men who reverence the day he calls his own, and the authority which has appointed it.
    The practical deductions forming the close of the discourse were exceedingly forcible.