door By Huber van Werkhoven
Together with this letter dated 19 May 1846, the distillery Pompe & Brothers Mann, located on the Lepelstraat in ’s-Hertogenbosch, sent the sum of ƒ15.12 in specie (i.e. in coins) to Schiedam. This was payment for a previously received bale of juniper berries, delivered by the Schiedam gin distiller P. Loopuyt & Co.
At that time, it was not customary to send money via the postal service. Instead, people preferred to use courier services that were well-equipped to handle the transport of valuable items. This could be by mail coach or diligence, occasionally already by train, and also—such as in this case—by steamboat.
But the most remarkable feature of this letter is the green-inked stamp ‘STEAM YACHT JAN VAN ARKEL SBOSCH’. As far as is known, this stamp was only in use for two years, in 1846 and 1847. It is rare and rather unique in its design, with its octagonal frame, quite unlike the few stamps used by other steamboat services.
Steam navigation on the Dutch rivers began to gain momentum during the 1820s. Across the country, a dense network of steamboat services emerged, governed by numerous strict regulations and permits. This met a growing need for rapid and affordable transport of both passengers and goods. By 1850, the Netherlands had 75 steamboats maintaining 40 scheduled routes.
Advertisement in the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, 17 April 1848
After the construction of the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal around 1825, ’s-Hertogenbosch secured a crucial role in waterborne transport in various directions. The city had several shipping companies, some of which operated via the Waal at Gorinchem to Rotterdam. Around 1822, Abraham van der Schuijt started a regular shipping line to Rotterdam. By the 1840s, his enterprise had developed into the ’s‑Hertogenbosch and Schiedamsche Stoomboot Maatschappij. This was under the umbrella of the United ’s-Hertogenbosch Steamboat Society, with Gerard van der Schuijt, Abraham’s son, serving as commissioner. Over the course of the 19th century, the Van der Schuijt firm would grow into the largest regular shipping company in the Netherlands.
The ’s-Hertogenbosch and Schiedam Steamboat Company operated two wooden paddle steamers: Jan van Arkel I and Jan van Arkel II, named after the local hero who built the castle of Gorinchem in the 13th century.
On Sunday morning, 28 October 1849, disaster struck at 7 a.m. during the departure of the Jan van Arkel II. With a thunderous explosion, audible as far as Sint-Michielsgestel, the steam boilers exploded. It was a massive catastrophe—the first of its kind in the Northern Netherlands—and it occurred in a matter of moments. The ship broke in two and sank. Parts of the vessel were hurled dozens of metres away. The chimney, for instance, came crashing down on a barge moored in the harbour, which immediately sank. Eleven people who were on the aft section of the ship, both passengers and crew, were thrown into the air and lost their lives. Those on the foredeck, including Captain Van der Schuijt, were spared.
Picture (ca. 1860) van the departure of a paddle steamer (Jan van Arkel?) from the landing stage of the ‘Rotterdamse boot’ at the corner of Zuid-Willemsvaart-Handelskade.
Front of a pamphlet published immediately by the Rotterdamsche Courant on October 30, 1849, describing the explosion and the damage caused.
“This sad event has already claimed several victims and leaves many more maimed.”
For two weeks, shipping on the Zuid-Willemsvaart was obstructed by the sunken wreck. It took months to recover all remnants of the vessel. A commission of three engineers conducted an investigation and discovered numerous outdated and rusted components, describing the machinery’s condition as ‘very unhygienic’. Nevertheless, the commission refrained from making strong condemnations. A few years later, however, special officials were appointed to carry out periodic nationwide inspections of steam engines.
In 2022, an exhibition was held in the coach house of the Noordbrabants Museum to mark 200 years of the Zuid-Willemsvaart. Entitled Wat Blijft (‘What Remains’), it featured filmed stories, objects, paintings, and photographs. In a small display case were a few fragments—iron debris from the steamship Jan van Arkel no. 2, shattered on 28 October 1849: two pieces of iron, a screw, and a small box. That is all that remains of an unforgettable tragedy…
