Historian and author John Laurence Busch will present his book “Steam Coffin” on Thursday, September 13 in the museum auditorium at 7:00 p.m. Busch presents the steamship as a watershed invention transforming the way humans perceived the world. The first steam powered transatlantic crossing by the Savannah was met with skepticism and fear on both sides of the Atlantic. Busch argues that steam-powered vessels represent the first high technology in human history, and specifically the steamship Savannah, the focus of his book, was a globalizing trailblazer. Purchase the book in the Museum Store and have it signed after the presentation.
John Laurence Busch is an independent historian who has devoted years of research to discovering the true story of Captain Moses Rogers, one of the first steamboat captains in history and the steamship Savannah. The author has scoured archives and libraries from Portland, Maine to Savannah, Georgia, and across the Atlantic Ocean to the far reaches of Europe, in search of new information on the life and career of Moses Rogers, as well as the actors and events that resulted in the formation of the Savannah Steam Ship Company, and the construction of the steamship Savannah. The book describes an abundance of new details illuminating the actions and attitudes of those who participated in, and witnessed, the creation and voyage of the Savannah.
Sea History Magazine writes “Moses Rogers, a remarkable individual, saw in steam power the capacity to…make oceanic travel reliable and predictable. Busch sets out the odyssey with the support of beautiful maps and illustrations of many of the people and places Savannah encountered on its adventure. The book, manufactured to high standards, is worth the purchase price and the time to read it.”
Busch has given over 100 presentations and was pleased that President Obama mentioned the steamship Savannah in the text of his Presidential Proclamation for National Maritime Day. For more information, visit the website at www.steamcoffin.com.
