The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-05-04
TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
Blowing Up Of Steamer on the Mississippi
1,400 or l,500 Lives Lost
CAIRO. ApriI q

The steamer Sultana, from New Orleans
the evening of the .21st, arrived at Pitts
bnrehi with her boilers leaking badly. She
remained there thirty hours, repairing, and
took on ], 996 Onion soldiers and 35 officers
ateIy released from the Cahawba and An.
Jacksonville prisons. She arrived at Mem
phis last evening. After coaling. she pro.
ceeded. About in the morning. when
seven miles up, she blew up immediately
taking FIRE and burning to the waters edge.
Off, 356 souls aboard, not more than zoe
have been rescued; Five hundred of the
rescued are now in hospitals Two OF
three hundred, unipjured, are at the Sol.
dier's Home. ..fa
Captain Marston, of the Sutana, is sup
posed to be lost.
At O'Clock this morning, the river in
front of Memphis was covered with soldiers
struggling for life. Many were badly
scalded. Boats Immediately went to their
rescue, and are still engaged in picking
them up.
General Washburne Immediately organ
lied board of officers to investigate the
matter They are now at work doing SO.
LATER.
@4~ CAIRO, April %.
A steamboat calamity unparalleled in the
history of navigation occurred yesterday
morning at 3 o'clock by the bursting of the
boiler of the steamer -Sultana, eight miles
above Memphis, as she was ON her way
from New Orleans to this point; 1900 peo-
pie were on the boat, and 1858 of these
were paroled soldiers on their way home
from the rebel prison at Andersonville,
Georgia Of this immense cargo of pre-
cious life only 900 are known to have been
saved. Of course, more will yet be found,
but, at the inside, the terrible margin of
1900 or ], 400 human lives will in all prob
ability, have to staud to the credit of the ca
lanfty. = y =. -
The accident occurred when all were
asleep except the officers and employers of
the boat. The boat had started out from
Memphis one hour before, with only
enoug h steam to propel her eight miles
during the hour. [ conversed with the LIST
mate of the i'll fated steamer, VIM. Row.
berry,-who in company with six others,
chung to plank from which they fell of
before they were rescued, from exhaustion
and were drowned, and he thinks there
must have been some internal machine put
in the coal, as the boat, at the time, was
running very steady, and had SO little steam
on that an explosion was impossible.
q Mr.. Rowberry describes the scene after
the explosion as terrible in tie extreme
He was standing in the pilot house, and
was blown into the river where were strug-
ling the living mass of drowning humanity,
some with limbs broken, some scalded, -
over which scene the wreck that i'm.
mediately took FIRE, commenced to throw
oh oIo NJ NJ hov
and only the beat of swimmers, aided, by
fragments of the wreck, could hope to be
saved. There were fifteen women or
board, but two of whom are known to be
saved. One was passenger on the Mar
bic City.
Some of the people Egere borne down as
far as Memphis, this being the first intima-
ton that reached that point. A yawl i'm
mediately was sent out, and picked VI
seventeen. The steamer Bostona was OF
the way down and arrived at the scene
three-quarters of an hour after the explo
sion, and deserves great praise for her ex-
ertions to rescue the people from the
water.
Captain Marston had retired from the
watch just before the explosion. He was
afterwards seen throwing doors and shutters
to the people, and here all traces of him
are lost. Clerks Gamble and Stratton are
missing George Cayton, first pilot the first
engineer and Vim. Butler, second mate
were lost. Two watchmen of the boat were
lost, and one was brought on shore in g
dying condition. Ed. Ingram, second pilot
is missing. The Body of VIM. Cruddes
from Wheeling, Va was picked up. He
had taken the precaution to label himself
,l Among the soldiers on board were thirty
six commissioned officers. The troopf
were of various regiments, but beloIgeC
principally to Indiana and Illinois.
Hon. w. D. Snow, member of Congress
from Arkansas, was on board, aid escaped
uninjured.
In twenty minutes after the explosion
the. whole boat was ii sheet of fire. /
dense mass of people, estimated at fiv
hundred, took refuge on the bow of tn
boat while the flames were driven aft b,
the wind; but the boat soon turned sterl
down the stream, reversing the flame, whel
the entire mass persisted together, man,
literally being roasted while clinging to tn
boat. T. 49,
A yawl was launched bottom up from
the hurricane deck upon the heads those q
below, and afforded support for few.
The result of this calamity will extent
throughout the entire Union, as the soldiers
represent every State even Texas.
ssssiThe wreck foated down five miles before
sinking. -A--s~
The lady that arrived on the Marble Cit,
reports that she arose when the first ALARM
was given and deliberately dressed bersel
and, when she conld stay on the boat nj
longer, jumped into thelwater and by tn
means Of her clothes, succeeded in floating
till she reached the wheel house, to which
she chung, and was the first person picke'
up by the Bostona.