422: The Wreck of the Circus Ship Royal Tar w/ Jane Parks Gardner

Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

Erik Rivenes

True Crime, Education, History

4.7 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 23 January 2026

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On October 21, 1836, crowds lined the docks of Saint John, New Brunswick, to watch the steamship Royal Tar depart for Portland, Maine - this time carrying an entire circus. Cages filled with exotic birds, snakes, lions and a tiger rolled on board, along with horses, camels and the star attraction: Mogul, a massive Asian elephant, who took his place on the upper deck. Four days later, after battling fierce storms, the ship caught fire, killing many on board. In desperation, some animals were forced into the icy waters of Penobscot Bay, while others perished in their cages. My guest is Jane Parks Gardner, author of The Wreck of the Circus Ship Royal Tar: Tragedy in Penobscot Bay. She shares details on the disaster, and its impact on Maine’s maritime history. The author's website: https://janepgardner.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:57.0	... Welcome everyone to another episode of the Most Notorious podcast.
1:29.7	I'm Eric Rivenis.
1:31.4	Always and Forever, a very proud Minnesotan.
1:35.3	I'm really looking forward to speaking to my guest, Jane Parks Gardner.
1:41.9	She is the author of dozens of STEM-focused books and study guides for learners of all ages.
1:49.1	She's had many jobs in her life, professor, high school teacher, editor, curriculum developer,
1:56.2	and she is a chronicler of historical nautical disasters, as documented in her book, The Wreck of the Circus Ship Royal Tar, Tragedy in Pannabscott Bay.
2:09.2	Welcome to the show, so great to meet you.
2:12.3	Thanks for having me, Ark.
2:14.3	Absolutely. So this is quite the story. Do you remember when you first came across it?
2:21.9	My children, when they were little, they had a book called The Circus Ship, which is a book by an author from Maine named Chris Van Dusen.
2:30.9	And it's a wonderful children's picture book about a ship carrying a circus
2:37.0	that wrecks, and all the animals swim to the shore of this little island, and they live amongst
2:42.8	the people, and it's just a really sweet children's book. And then at the very end of the book,
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