The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1865-05-04
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Shocking Steamboat
Disaster.
Explosion ofihc Steamer Sultana,
Over a Thousand Lives
Lost.

CAIRO, April 20.
The following Is the Memphis Dullc.
tins account OF the disaster;
The steamer Sultauu, Captain M,son,
arrived from New Orleans, list night
the 26th, with about 2,oOJ people on
board, 1854 of whom were exchanged
Federal prisoners from Vicksburg, the
balance being refugees and rtgular pas
sengers from various points along the
river proceeding towards 81. l. uiS. She
loft the coal pile about o'clock this
morning, aud had made somc eight or ten
mills, when an xplusion of one OF her
boilers occurred, Thc boat, with its
mass Of living freight, toJk lircin the vicni
" 1f the cngnos, aud Ia a short tins she
was burned to the water, aud now lies on
a sand bar near Fuglcmen's Llnd,ng.
nothing visible hut her charred RENAME
aud ilckstar standing erect.
The scene following the explosion vas
terrible and heart-rending in the extreme.
Hundreds at people w5rG blown into the
ar, and descending into the water, some
dead, some with broken limbs, some
scaluod, were borne under by the resist
| less current Ui the great river, never tu
rise again. The survivors represent the
scr ans os ngonlEing beyond precedent
5 me clung 10 Trail pee IS Otthe wreck
as drowning MN cling to str1ws, aud
sustained themselves for few moments
but finally became exhausted und sunk
Only the best of swimmers, aled by lrag
ments OF the wreck, were enabled IN
reach the woods, and there take refuge
until rescued by boats sent from the land.
/ Ing he;c to their assistance.
There was about fifteen women and
chldrcn aboard, and as near as car bc
ascertai ned, not more than Two or three
had been found ut The hour when this
uccount was written.
Somc OF the wretchcd people were
borne by the current as tar down us III,
lcvce at this city, ald TINS was the frs
inlimutiOn the officers of the boats IL
port received OF the terrible disaster.
lyawl was Immediately sent out from ia,
M irble City, aud in few minutes scvs,
raj persons were picked Uut of the water
And brought ashore, Two were aitcrward
found cIingingtU 10 the wheel, and they
were ais saved. Upon being brought tc
relIzaiion of the calamity, the officer,
of the boats in port, under notification u
Capt. Senior of the River Guard, steamed
up, and in a short time were at the burn
ing steamer, where hundreds OF pcopl-
were picked up aud brought 10 this laHde
ing, arriving about Daylight. Tn y were
met by a number Of citiz sns and ladies'
who supplied them with abundance uI
| dry cluthing from thr Quartermaster'i
Department and from various stores. -
At this time il is impossible to give 1
/ correct stutement of the cause OF the nc,
cdent, aud number or names of tn. losl
aud saved. Everything is In the greatest
confusion. Mr.. Rlwber!y, ,he first mate
was on the watch, anu standing in the
pilot house with Captain George Cayiun,
whu was at the wheel at the time Of the
explosion. He only remembers tho
shack, that he was blown into the air,
and was afterwards taken from the water.
He saw the lower deck in flames and
knows no more. He can give no idea Ul
the cause OF the accident and says the
boat was going at ordinary speed. aud all
seemed well up to the moment the cx.
plosiOn occurred; that the Second Engi-
necr, sober, reliable man named Clem
ems, was at the engines, and that nothing
more than common was in prOgress
Capt. CaytUn was also hurled into the
wreck among the broken boilers aud
rubbish, sustained slight injuries. lie
imme didtely jumped overheard with u
door, by which he wus enabled TO reach
the Arkansas shore three miles below,
where, striking u sapling, he seized und
-. IA l..
engineer was badly burned aud scalded
and can hardly recover. Mr.. JJhn Foglc-
man, residing on the Arkansas side on
being aroused by the noise and seeing
the burning steamer, hastily constructed
rude raft and in this way, was the
means of saving about one hundred lives.
In the woods, among the DRIFT Of the
wreck, the officers Of The Rose Hamble-
ton found a family Bible, cOntIining the
records of family nuincd spikes, OF As.
som?tion Parish, La. The names record
ed are Samuel ID. Spike and Elethiu
Spike, m rried Oatober 3lst, 1887. The
record shows there were twelve in the
family. twas subsequently learned tha
the father, mother, three dtuIhters, two
brothers, aud u niece were lost.
S,yeral ot the bodies were recovered
This family bad $4,000 in gold, all o
which was lost.
Ths bulk Of passengers were returned
prisoners from AnJersonyille, whcl
place lhey l'tl on the l7lh of last Feb
ruTy. AmOBg THIN were the remnan
at that point Of the eprisoners captured a
Chickamauga aud Gettysburg. The,
numbered altogether 1905 mon and 81
officers. A large number Of horses were
on the boat, Which prJyldentialiy becam
, unressting victims 70 the flames. Hu,
they broken loose the fate OF the swim
mer, would have been determined with
IN two hundred yards Of the boat. A
near as can be estimated without othe
. data than observation, between 200 an
800 reached the bank, while about al
, equal humber fiuited down the stream ol
doors aud furniture. ..I
A dense mass, estimated at about SOC
took refuge on the bow of the boat
while the flames were driven aft by tn
| wind. a few moments uf.erward th
wheel houses loosened by the concussioI
; aud flames leil off outward, and the boa
turned stern upstream. reversing th
|, flames. The largest part of this numbe
] must then have perished, as they had n
, material at had to throw over 10 sustai
} themselves, except few bales Of hoy
which were Immediately seized on tn
/ turning Of tho boat. The gang plank
were thrown over board, but sank ut one
: under their living freight, and rose to
: faF out ofreaeh for most. The yawi boa