riverboat gambler saying meaning

Legends of America

Traveling through american history, destinations & legends since 2003., george devol – old west card sharp.

George Devol

“I don’t know just how thick my old skull is, but I do know that it is pretty thick, or it would have been cracked many years ago, for I have been struck some terrible blows on my head with iron dray-pins, pokers, clubs, stone-coal, and bowlders, which would have split any man’s skull wide open unless it was pretty thick. Doctors have often told me that my skull was nearly an inch in thickness over my forehead.”

– George Devol, Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi

George H. Devol was the greatest riverboat gambler in the history of the Mississippi River. He was also a con artist, a fighter, and a master at manipulating men and their money.

Born on August 1, 1829, in Marietta, Ohio, George Devol was the youngest of six children. His father was a ship carpenter and was often away from home. Though Devol had good opportunities for early education, he didn’t like school and spent most of his time playing hooky. The unmanageable boy was also prone to fighting, coming home almost daily with scratches and bruises from his numerous scuffles. When a teacher attempted to discipline him with a hardy whipping, he would turn on them, hitting them with stones that he carried in his pocket. While his father was away building boats much of the time, his mother would be forced to call in a neighbor or passerby to help with his punishment.

Devol ran away at the age of ten, serving as a cabin boy on a riverboat steamer called the Wacousta .  Evidently, Devol did a good job in this capacity as he soon took a better-paying job on a boat called Walnut Hills .

Another boat came soon after – the Cicero , where Devol learned to play “Seven-Up” and the art of bluffing. Seeing the high lifestyle of the professional gamblers on the boat, Devol was determined to follow in their footsteps, and by the time he was in his teens, he could deal seconds, palm cards, and recover the cut.

Fighting would continue to be a natural part of his life, and he soon developed skills with a gun, never hesitating to pull it.

By the time the Mexican War broke out, he was on a boat called the Tiago . Soon, Devol thought it a good idea to go to war and got a job as a barkeeper on the Corvette , bound for the Rio Grande and Mexico.

While aboard the Corvette, he met a man who taught him how to “stock a deck.” Upon reaching the Rio Grande and joining the forces, he quickly utilized his newly learned skills to swindle the other soldiers. But he grew bored with soldiering, and with his pockets filled with his ill-earned gains, he returned to New Orleans, although not for long.

At the tender age of 17, Devol’s pockets were filled with almost three thousand dollars as he headed back home to Ohio, laden with gifts for his family.

While back in Ohio, he mastered the games of Faro and Rondo.  Devol continued to hone his skills and made hundreds of thousands of dollars in the years before the Civil War .  Working the steamboats of the South, he joined in with other card sharps, including Canada Bill Jones , Bill Rollins, Big Alexander, and many others over the years.

Playing Faro

One trick that Devol liked to play was betting against ministers, who inevitably lost their meager wages to the professional gambler. However, Devol would always return their money, along with this advice: “Go and sin no more.” But to the many soldiers, paymasters, farmers, thieves, and businessmen, he was not so kind.

When the war was over, the railroads began to head west, with settlements sprouting up all along the way.  Many of these burgeoning towns, often filled with railroad workers, miners, and cowboys provided all manner of vices, including prostitution , numerous saloons , and the ever-present gambling halls. Supplying perfect opportunities for Devol’s operation, he followed the railroad expansion between Kansas City and Cheyenne in the early 1870s.

According to his account, Devol was working the Gold Room Saloon in Cheyenne when he encountered Wild Bill Hickok .  Devol tells the story that when Hickok placed a $50 bet, he lost.  He then placed another $50 bet, winning the hand that time; however, the dealer handed him back only $25.  When Wild Bill protested, the dealer stated that the house limit was $25. “But you took 50 when I lost,” said Hickok, to which the dealer responded, “Fifty goes when you lose.” The quick-tempered Hickok wasn’t about to accept those terms “sitting down” and quickly whacked the dealer on the head with his walking stick, turned over the table, and stuffed his pockets with the till.

On another occasion, when Devol was working the railroad route, he beat a railroad director out of $1,200.  This one-time winning game resulted in Devol’s profession being quickly curbed when the outraged official prohibited gambling on trains.  Further, the Pinkerton agency was hired to be on the lookout for the most notorious professional gamblers, including Devol.

In 1892, Devol published his autobiography, Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi , telling of his life and probably exaggerating much of it. Shortly after he published his book, the great days of railroad and riverboat gambling were over. At his new wife’s insistence, he retired from gambling for good in 1896 and spent the last years of his life selling his book.

It is estimated that Devol won over two million dollars in his forty years of gambling.  However, when he died in Hot Springs , Arkansas , in 1903, he was nearly penniless.

Reno, Nevada Gambling, 1910

©  Kathy Weiser-Alexander / Legends of America , updated November 2021.

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Riverboat Gambler

• Carly Simon

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Riverboat Gambler Lyrics as written by Carly E. Simon Jacob Brackman

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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There are various areas of the world that just seem synonymous with gambling. When people hear the name Las Vegas they picture gambling of a flashy, mass entertainment proportion. Macau ’ s gambling culture brings a real Asian flavour to gambling, with many inevitably comparing it to Vegas. Monte Carlo delivers gambling connotations of wealth and prestige. Obviously, it is not just physical areas where gambling has a strong presence, with the web and mobile space being  dominated by PartyCasino  and other big names in the industry.

Another, yet somewhat less spectacular, sight that can only be associated with gambling is the steam propelled riverboat of certain states in the USA. How did these iconic vessels come to be known for hosting casinos, and what is the current status of riverboat casinos today?

On Water, But Not Land

There is a network of rivers that penetrate inland from the Gulf of Mexico up through the United States,  most famously the Mississippi River . In the 19 th  Century the rivers provided a fantastic way to transport goods from town to town up and down the bodies of water. This in turn became a popular method of passenger transport, with travellers using the boat to socialise. One of the most popular forms of entertainment at the time was gambling, and therefore this pastime became highly popular aboard the vessels.

There were also, and still are today, laws that prohibited gambling on land. However, the proprietor s  of these boats took advantage of the loophole not extending these laws to establishments on water. Even today,  riverboats are still to be found on the Mississippi  and is still considered one of the best for cruises. Certain rivers acted as state lines, so it was sometimes argued that the gamblers could not be classified as being in one state or another while steaming down a river.

Railroads and War

As mentioned, the riverboats were first and foremost a means of transportation and enjoyed such success due to it being the quickest and most reliable means of travel and delivery of goods. However, when railroads started to spread across the country, they opened up new routes that got people around in a more direct manner. The trains also cut days off travel and therefore started to overtake the riverboats in popularity.

Around the same time the  American Civil War  broke out, a period where much of the fighting was done in the Southern States which defied the laws laid out by the North. This meant that riverboat entertainment almost came to a complete end.

The Riverboats of Today

Unlike the boats of old, which used to set off on long journeys to various destinations, the vessels of now mostly remain docked and very seldom actually take to the open waters. However, one will still be able to undergo the traditional experience that thousands enjoyed before casinos became what we are familiar with today.

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phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

Riverboat gamble

Posted by ESC on January 15, 2007

In Reply to: Riverboat gamble posted by Gareth Jenkins on January 15, 2007

: Does anyone know the origin of the phrase 'riverboat gamble'? It was mentioned on Channel 4 news last week and I can't seem to trace it back any further than a political discussion on Reaganomics.

: Cheers, : Gareth.

"It's more than a risk, it's a riverboat gamble," said Leon E. Panetta, a Democratic member of the Iraq Study Group and former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton. www.ndnblog.org

"Tom Daschle has made a riverboat gamble, and he stands to lose his political shirt." www.nationalreview.com/ kudlow/kudlow010902.shtml Accessed January 15, 2007.

I can't find it in my reference books. But I am guessing that it means the odds are stacked against you. And that in the past riverboat gambling was fixed so the house won most of the time.

• Riverboat gamble ESC 15/January/07

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Carly Simon - Riverboat Gambler Lyrics

Riverboat Gambler Lyrics

Riverboat gambler Drinking alone on the prow Chasing your Bourbon with Tennessee gin The big game's about to begin Riverboat gambler Hiding that Ave up your sleeve I can see through all that debonaire style The irony bending your smile And I won't tip your hand I won't do you in I want to stay near you I want you to win

Riverboat gambler You can defy all the odds You can draw diamonds to fill out your flush You can find someone to trust And I won't steal your chips I won't steal your pride Won't you take me on faith Won't you let me inside Riverboat gambler Under our velvet and lace You're an old vagabond, I'm a poor waif Let's make a place that's safe Riverboat gambler Come on and let me inside

Writer(s): JACOB BRACKMAN, CARLY E. SIMON Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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riverboat gambling noun

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What does the noun riverboat gambling mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun riverboat gambling . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

How common is the noun riverboat gambling ?

Where does the noun riverboat gambling come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun riverboat gambling is in the 1950s.

OED's earliest evidence for riverboat gambling is from 1953, in the Times (London).

riverboat gambling is formed within English, by compounding.

Etymons: riverboat n. , gambling n.

Nearby entries

• riverbed, n. 1781–
• river birch, n. 1846–
• river black-oak, n. 1886–98
• river-blanched, adj. 1788
• river blindness, n. 1952–
• river boar, n. 1601
• river board, n. 1823–
• riverboat, n. 1565–
• riverboat casino, n. 1958–
• riverboat gambler, n. 1920–
• riverboat gambling, n. 1953–
• river bottom, n. 1662–
• river-boy, n. 1791–
• River Brethren, n. 1849–
• river bull, n. 1639–1709
• river bullhead, n. 1763–
• river bus, n. 1929–
• river capture, n. 1890–
• river carp, n. 1653–
• river cat, n. 1770–
• river channel, n. 1629–

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Meaning & use

Entry history for riverboat gambling, n..

Originally published as part of the entry for riverboat, n.

riverboat gambling, n. was first published in 2009.

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Citation details

Factsheet for riverboat gambling, n., browse entry.

Meaning of Blue Ghosts by Riverboat Gamblers

"Blue Ghosts" by Riverboat Gamblers explores the theme of emotional baggage and the struggle to let go of past traumas and regrets. The song reflects on the protagonist's persistent battle in their mind against the memories of people who are no longer present in their life, symbolized as "blue ghosts."

This meaning interpretation was written by AI. Help improve it with your feedback

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The Riverboat Gamblers' Something to Crow About Turns 20

The album that made austin's apex punks earns anniversary vinyl remaster, by tim stegall , fri., aug. 11, 2023.

"That's the one that put the band on the map," says Riverboat Gamblers guitarist Ian MacDougall of Something to Crow About , the second full-length release from Austin's apex punk outfit. Long out of print, Crow relaunches in a special 20th anniversary edition , pressed in three different colors of vinyl, on August 18 via the band's own GFFG Records. Local genius engineer Jack Control of Enormous Door Mastering breathes new life into the Tim Kerr-produced album.

Crow was released June 3, 2003, by Gearhead Records . The A-list garage/punk indie label run by former Maximum Rocknroll contributors Mike Lavella and Michelle Haunold previously broke the Hives' motorik garage hit "Hate to Say I Told You So." Big Boys/Poison 13 legend Kerr successfully transferred the Gamblers' incendiary live sound – 1969 Detroit protopunk invested with the ballistic energy of Japan's Teengenerate – to 1-inch tape at the late Sweatbox Studio in 2002.

Meanwhile, the still-Denton-based band's buzz grew steadily . Frequent visitors to town since a late-Nineties Blue Flamingo appearance, they made Beerland their de facto Austin HQ. Then- Rolling Stone writer David Fricke became an early champion, reviewing a typically explosive Emo's South by Southwest showcase in 2003, before declaring them one of the "Top 5 bands to break out at this year's SXSW" in 2006.

"That was way outside of what we thought was possible, or what we were capable of," says guitarist Fadi El-Assad, who started the Riverboat Gamblers in Denton when he was 18 with bassist Patrick Lillard and singer/spectacle Mike Wiebe . "That's when we started getting a little bit of juice, and it started building and it felt really exciting at that time.

"None of us had stars in our eyes. There was nothing like, 'Oh yeah, we're going to make it now.' It was more of a confused flattery. Like, 'Are they really into this? All right, cool.' It was more of that kind of attitude than anything else. But we were young and ready to do it, so we were like, 'Let's give it a shot.'"

A few years earlier, Lillard, El-Assad, and Wiebe were enthralled with what the singer calls "the Gilman Gold Rush, when all the Lookout and Epitaph stuff was blowing the fuck up." Denton was alive with young bands playing an active house show circuit, everyone playing in everyone else's bands several times over. Lillard approached El-Assad about doing something "more big rock/rock & roll/garage rock." El-Assad played with Wiebe in two other bands, both desiring to rock harder. Wiebe says they bonded over discovering the source of Nineties group Teengenerate's name was a song by NYC punk pioneers the Dictators – which led them to the latter act's 1978 Bloodbrothers album and the path ultimately chosen.

Kerr produced the Gamblers' first two albums. "I have always thought that band was great," he writes via text message. "[ Crow ] was recorded how I/we did all the recordings [at Sweatbox]: Basic tracks live, no headphones."

El-Assad recalls one song during the Crow sessions not going well. Kerr told them to take a break, drink some beer, then come back and try again. They finally got it, but the guitarist remained skeptical.

"I said, 'That's not how it's supposed to go.' His reply always stuck in my head, and I think about this – about life events, about music, anything: 'What do you mean that's not the way it's supposed to go? That's the way it went.'"

Crow was the first widely distributed evidence of the band's flamethrower superiority. They still play nearly half of its 13 songs live: "What's What," "Rattle Me Bones," "Ice Water," "Save You," "Lottie Mae," "Last to Know." According to El-Assad, "Sparks & Shots" returned during recent gigs. The album also transformed them, per Wiebe, into "road dogs extraordinaire.

"I think we'd done one tour beforehand," says the lead vocalist, speaking on a break from writing new material for the Gamblers and his other project, Drakulas. "But that was the record that opened us up to really kind of living on the road for a while there."

The 2003-2005 Crow tours also brought an 18-year-old MacDougall to the band, shoving him into the tour van shortly after his high school graduation, upon guitarist Colin "Ambulance" O'Donnell's exit. Previously in '77-style punk band the Kicks, then-tour manager Bryan McClellan advised him: "No creepers, no skinny ties, no neon shirts, any of that shit." MacDougall has remained in the band's core since, alongside Wiebe, El-Assad, and bassist Rob Marchant, who replaced Lillard in 2007. Drummer Sam Keir came aboard in 2010, leaving after three years to become a firefighter, but returning in 2021. He's remained drumming since.

All that touring made a machine out of the Gamblers by the summer of 2006, the year Alternative Press magazine declared them one of the "100 Bands You Need to Know." Their van rode behind tour buses holding X and Rollins Band, as they traversed America with the L.A. punk legends in support of To the Confusion of Our Enemies , the Gamblers' first LP under their new contract with skateboard manufacturer Volcom's short-lived record label. That July, they were the first live act I got to see upon returning to town after several years away.

I honestly had no idea how either X or Henry Rollins would be able to follow them at Stubb's that night. The Gamblers clearly absorbed everything MC5 and the Clash taught them, but with more demonic energy than either in their prime. And Wiebe put life and limb on the line every night.

"I was on a real mission, back then," he acknowledges. "It had to be a more intense show than everybody else. Sometimes that was more like, 'How can I physically hurt myself rather than sing alright.' I had a lot of injuries. I was constantly in and out of the ER with some kind of new break or laceration or something."

"It was like that onstage, and honestly it was like that offstage," chuckles El-Assad. "Recklessness was sort of the engine that was powering the band at that time."

After Stubb's, it wasn't their new LP I purchased as my first Riverboat Gamblers LP. It was Crow . Such is that record's power: It defined them, even then. It led to their Austin relocation, MacDougall's membership, their road seasoning – virtually everything.

After a long absence, it's back. Control's remaster, only available on the new vinyl issue, sounds like it's had a shower, a shave, and two cups of coffee. The Riverboat Gamblers support their ultimate creation's rebirth with a to-be-announced series of shows presenting Crow live, in full, in sequence, plus other select tunes. Their first studio album since 2012's The Wolf You Feed is forthcoming, as well as a live album. But for now, the Riverboat Gamblers celebrate the album that made them.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

Support the Chronicle  

Richard Whittaker, Aug. 17, 2012

Dec. 8, 2023

June 20, 2023

The Riverboat Gamblers , Ian MacDougall , Jack Control , Tim Kerr , Gearhead Records , David Fricke , Fadi El-Assad , Patrick Lillard , Mike Wiebe

When a massive ship lost power on its way out of the Port of Baltimore and headed toward a major bridge, the pilot ordered its rudder turned hard to the left and its left anchor dropped in an effort to slow the vessel and stop it swinging to the right, according to the head of a national association for ship pilots.

The 985-foot container ship, known as the Dali, left Baltimore about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, bound for Sri Lanka. Clay Diamond, the executive director of the American Pilots’ Association, said the ship experienced a “full blackout” around 1:20 a.m., meaning it lost both engine power and electrical power to the ship’s control and communications systems.

Baltimore bridge collapse

The ship was traveling at 8 knots, a normal speed for the area that Diamond described as “ahead slow.” The ship never regained engine power, but Diamond said a diesel backup generator did kick in, restoring the electrical systems — the possible source of a puff of black smoke visible in video of the collision circulating on social media.

Unable to slow the ship, Diamond said the pilot, who had more than a decade of experience, radioed an emergency message to have the Francis Scott Key Bridge closed. That mayday call has been credited with saving lives.

The huge vessel soon struck one of the bridge’s supports, causing it to crumple and crash down into the Patapsco River. Two members of a work crew on the bridge were rescued, but another six are presumed dead, the Coast Guard said. The collision led to the closure of the Baltimore port and leaves officials facing a massive cleanup and rebuilding job.

The 22 crew members on board the Dali all survived .

Who are the people presumed dead in the Baltimore bridge collapse?

Diamond said he had been in constant communication with the Association of Maryland Pilots on Tuesday and that the pilot on board had given a statement to investigators from the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation into what went wrong. A second pilot aboard the Dali was an apprentice who had started his training last month, Diamond said.

Diamond said it is unusual for a ship to experience a total loss of power. “It’s not unheard of for a pilot to experience an engine casualty, it’s not that common to have a full blackout like this,” he said. “This is a complicated piece of equipment so it could be any number of causes.”

Foreign-flagged ships are required to have pilots aboard to guide them in and out of U.S. ports. Pilots have detailed knowledge of local shipping channels and complete an apprenticeship before becoming fully qualified. Diamond said they don’t take direct command of the vessel, but work with its crew to get it safely out to sea.

An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the body of water into which the Key Bridge collapsed. It was the Patapsco River, not the Chesapeake Bay.

Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship , sending at least eight people from a construction crew into the water. Follow live updates and see photos from the scene .

How it happened: The container ship lost power shortly before hitting the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said. Video shows the bridge collapse in under 40 seconds.

Victims: Divers recovered the bodies of two construction workers who died , while finding other vehicles trapped and probably containing the other victims, officials said. They were fathers, husbands and hard workers . The entire crew aboard the container ship Dali survived . First responders shut down most traffic on the four-lane bridge after the crew issued an urgent mayday call. It saved lives, Moore said.

Economic impact: The collapse of the bridge, which severed ocean links to the Port of Baltimore, adds a fresh headache to already struggling global supply chains . See how the collapse will disrupt the supply of cars, coal and other goods .

History: The Key Bridge was built in the 1970s and spanned the Patapsco River. Rebuilding the bridge will probably take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars, experts said.

Baltimore bridge collapse latest: Six missing workers 'presumed dead'; satellite images reveal scale of bridge damage

Officials say they are transitioning from a search and rescue mission to a recovery operation "based on the length of time" and the "temperature of the water".

Wednesday 27 March 2024 00:36, UK

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• Major bridge collapses in Baltimore after being struck by a cargo ship
• Six people still missing as two pulled from water
• Company says six workers are presumed dead
• Ship issued mayday before crash | Vessel appeared to lose power and start smoking
• Video of collapse | Satellite images reveal scale of damage
• Dali vessel involved in separate incident in 2016
• What is this bridge?
• Listen:  Expert view on the Baltimore bridge collapse

Thank you for following along. 

You can scroll down to catch up on the latest updates as happened during the day.

We'll be back with more news tomorrow. 

Officials say they are transitioning from search and rescue operation to a recovery operation.

US Coast Guard and Maryland State Police officials say that based on the frigid temperature of the water and the length of time that had elapsed since the bridge came down there was little if any chance that the six missing could be found alive.

Maryland's senator has praised the work of first responders, saying their heroism is a "ray of light on this dark day". 

Emergency workers managed to stop traffic along the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the Dali container ship put out a mayday call.

Chris Van Hollen said their actions "saved lives" and he was "thankful for them". 

A team of construction workers were repairing potholes along the bridge at the time it collapsed. 

Eight people were initially reported missing, but two people were found, with one suffering serious injuries. 

A short while ago, we heard from the executive vice president of construction company Brawner Builders, who confirmed the six workers still unaccounted for are presumed dead.

Six workers missing after the Baltimore bridge collapsed are presumed dead, the executive vice president of Brawner Builders has confirmed. 

Jeffrey Pritzker told our US partner site NBC News that there was one survivor. 

The company is not releasing names at this time.

Eight people, who were working on the bridge at the time it was struck by the Dali cargo ship, were initially reported missing. 

Two of them were found, with one suffering serious injuries. 

The other six have been missing for more than 12 hours. 

Maryland's emergency management department has raised its state activation level. 

It is now registered as 'full' - meaning an incident has occurred that may require significant resources. 

As a result, the state's emergency operations centre has been "fully staffed". 

The state's activation levels change based on a variety of factors.

The most influential factor is the occurrence of a significant incident, which is a term used to describe a single or multi-jurisdictional incident. 

A construction worker has said he was told his missing colleagues were on a break when the Dali ship crashed into the Baltimore bridge. 

Jesus Campos told the AP news agency some members of staff were sitting in their trucks when the bridge collapsed. 

The Brawner Builders employee said he learned about the disaster from a co-worker and immediately worried about colleagues he knew were working on the bridge. 

"When he told me that, they came to mind and I was praying to God that nothing had happened to them," he added.

"It is so hard for me to describe. I know that a month ago I was there, and I know what it feels like when the trailers pass.

"Imagine knowing that it is falling. It is so hard, one would not know what to do," he said. 

One person involved in the Baltimore bridge collapse has been discharged from hospital, an official at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Centre has told AP. 

Dr David Efron did not comment on the nature of the patient's injuries, and the hospital has not released their name. 

Eight people were initially reported missing after the collapse. 

Two people have been found - one was said to have serious injuries, while the other did not require hospital treatment. 

Search and rescue operations are continuing this evening to find the six construction workers still missing. 

The US transportation secretary has said the path to rebuilding the collapsed Baltimore bridge will not be quick or easy. 

Pete Buttigieg described the bridge as "one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure". 

"It has been part of the skyline for this region for longer than many of us have been alive," he said.

He has also taken the time to thank first responders and offered comfort to those "who woke up today to the news that no one wants to receive". 

"This is an excruciating day for several families," he said. 

Clearer satellite images have emerged of the moment the Dali container ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The vessel crashed into the structure after issuing a mayday call and losing power.

Earlier, Maryland governor Wes Moore said the ship was travelling at a speed of eight knots at the time it sent out its distress call.

Within minutes of departure on Tuesday, the faltering container ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Here is a timeline of the Singapore-flagged vessel's collision, in local time (four hours behind British time).

1.04am: Loaded with shipping containers, Dali departs from Baltimore's port, heading to Colombo, Sri Lanka.

1.24am: Dali slowly approaches the Key Bridge, according to video captured by StreamTime Live.

1.24am and 33 seconds: The ship appears to suffer a total power failure as all its lights go out.

1.25am and 31 seconds: About a minute later, the ship's lights flicker back on. Black smoke starts rising from somewhere aboard the ship.

1.26am and 37 seconds: The ship's lights go dark again.

1.27am: Dali appears to be colliding with one of the Key Bridge's piers. The US Coast Guard receives the first report of a collision.

1.27am and 10 seconds: The ship's lights come back on.

1.28am and 48 seconds: The roadway of the Key Bridge begins collapsing.

1.29am: Most of the bridge's span has plunged beneath the water.

1.40am: Baltimore City Fire Department has dispatched rescue teams for the Patapsco River, with reports of multiple people in the water.

1.50am: The first fire unit arrives on the scene.

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