Remarkably unseasonable temperatures below freezing were felt overnight in many of the northern states, particularly New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fruit and vegetables, along with wheat, corn, rye, and potatoes were lost. One memoir from northern Ohio related that "had a sheet of living flame passed over the earth the preceding night, the vegetation that covered its hills and valleys could not have presented a more desolate appearance." (By John Osborne)

The Indian Ocean, an Australian clipper ship carrying gold and passengers from Melbourne to Liverpool in England hit an iceberg in the southern seas losing two of her masts. The captain and a dozen members of the crew took to the boats but the second officer and the remainder refused to give up the ship. More than five weeks later, the Indian Ocean, the second officer, his crew, his forty passengers and 25,070 ounces of gold dust arrived safely at the port of Valparaiso in Chile. The men who took to the boats were lost at sea.  (By John Osborne)

The Indian Ocean, an Australian clipper ship carrying gold and passengers from Melbourne to Liverpool in England limped into the harbor at Valparaiso in Chile with a tale to tell. The vessel had hit an iceberg on the first of April, losing two of her masts in the process. The captain and a dozen members of the crew took to the boats but the second officer and the remainder refused to give up the ship. More than five weeks later, the Indian Ocean, the second officer, his crew, his forty passengers, and 25,070 ounces of gold dust arrived safely in Chile. The men who took to the boats were all lost at sea.  (By John Osborne)

Quito, on its plateau 10,000 feet up in the Andes, was struck with a massive morning earthquake. The Ecuadorian city was leveled in what observers said was seventy-six seconds and at least 5000 people were reported to have died. Interestingly, after this day Quito would remain earthquake free for the next ninety years. (By John Osborne)

A serious rail accident took the lives of seven people on the Great Western Railway line in Canada, between Hamborough and Dundas in south-central Ontario. Heavy rains had washed out a significant segment of the line where fill had been used to cross a ravine. This produced a gap that was at least 300 feet wide and fifty feet deep. When the night express arrived, the locomotive, tender, baggage car, and the first three passenger cars crashed into the ravine. (By John Osborne)

Joseph Holt of Kentucky, till then the Commissioner of Patents in the Buchanan government, was confirmed as the new Postmaster-General the day after the death of his predecessor, Aaron Brown of Tennessee. A strong supporter of the Union, Holt would serve as Secretary of War at the end of the Buchanan government, replacing the resigned secessionist John Buchanan Floyd. (By John Osborne)