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January 3, 1844
At least 40 people were killed when the steamboat Sheperdess struck a pair of snags and sank three miles south of St. Louis. The newspapers reported that Robert Bulloch of Mayfield, Kentucky rescued many women and children including Colonel Woods’ “Ohio Fat Girl,” a member of a carnival troupe. The newspapers reports vary on her weight. One reported she weighed 250 pounds another put it at 450.
