New-York daily tribune., 1865-05-02
Ncyvspaper Accounts.

The Memphis Buiietin gives the following par
culars OF the terrible disascr on board the steamer
Sultana, briefly reported on Saturday:
The steamer Sultana. Capt. Mason, arrived frO;l
New. Orleans last nignt April 26, with about ezra
people board 9Gl Of whom exchanged Union
prisoners from Vcksburg. the reminder being relu-
gees aud regular passengers from various points along
the river proceeding toward 81. Louis. She left iae
coal pile about o'clock on the morning of the 2Ith
ami had made some eight ar ten miles when an expo
sion OF one or her boilers occurred Tie boat. VIII III
mgss of living freight took lire In the vicinity OF The
engines, and in short time she burned 10 RE
water, aud now lies on sand bar near F0glem4ns s
Landing nothing visible but her eharred remains ari
iackstait standing erect.
The scene following the exl loson was heart rending
and terrible in the extreme. hundreds Of persons
blown into the air and descending into tie water some
deed, with broken limbs some scldod We're borne
under by the rcisiess OF the great rycT
rise again. The survivors represent the screams ~
agunZnc beyond precedent. Some cung 10 rail pieces
the wreck drov ming cling to strnws aud
ftaincd themselves for few moments but finally be
came exhausted and sank. Only tie best swimmers.
aided hv fragments OF the wreck were enabled 10
the Gods and there take refuge until rescued by boats
sent from the landing here To their assistance There
were abCut fifteen women and children aboard ana
Do Gscertalncl EOt more than TO oF iiu1
had been found at the hour when tins account We
" rttcn.
some Of tie wre.cled people were borne by the GU
rent as Tar down the leYee ~ this city, and this
the ffst .nilmaOB the officers OF the boats IN lOt
received OF The terrible disaster. yawl was imr o
atcy from the Marble City, and IN lew mA
ttts persons were picked out OF the wafer hiN
brought ashore. Two were afterNard found elm ~
Ia the wheel. and they were dlsO saved.
Air. Rawberry, the first mae. was on the watch aLd
standing IN the piothouse with Capt George tsytOa.
no az the wheel At the time of the explosion lie
lony remembers the shock that he blown iHtO ,lo
lair and aierwaId taken from the water. He
the lower deck IN fames, and knows no more. He
give Idea oi the Of the accident and The
boat going nj ordinary speed, and all seemed wei
lup 20 the moment the explosion occurred; that tie
second engineer. sober. Trustworthy man. named
Clemens, Was at the eaglneS ana that no,hng m0le
than common was in progress. Cal Csyton was li,0
rubbish sustaining slight injuries. He immediately
jumped overheard with door. 10y which lie was ea-
abeG to reach the Arkansas shore three miles bcow
here. StrkDg Sapling, he seized aud clnng o. &
until saved Clemens. the engineer was badly burned
and scaldcd and can hardly recover.
Mr. John Fogleman, residing on the Arkansas SIDE
OF being aroused by the noise and seeing the buTDus
steamer hastily constructed n rude rat ant ~ is
way was the means Of saving aOout 100 lives In Tho
woods among the dri OF the wreck the officers Of The
Rose uamblctOn found family Bible, containing lie
records OF a family named Spikes OF Assumption faL
Ls. The names recorded Samuel d. Spike and Id
thia Spke married Ociobcr3l. le3I HE record shows
There wer, twelve in the famy. l was subsequently
learned that tho father mother, three daughters tNo
nrothera and niece were lost
Seven hundred aud eighty six al those on board lHs
bceu found alive. The loss is estimated az l.0
Tho Memphis hospitals aro full Of wounded. may
being badly scalded AMI burned
The investigation ordered by Gen NashOGrie ~
|psocceding
Among the soldiers on board were thirty coDnns.
|soned officers. Tho troops were Of various regimen,
and nearly all exchanged prisoners. They belonged
principally to Western regiments
The Memphis Argus says:
Mate Parberry thinks torpedo shaped ike hIlp
lof coal must have caused the explosion B0h chgAes
lwero saved. but the sccond'engineer, Clemens VI,
probably die The guns OF Fort Pickering are repoTtei
10 have fired the boats ol tie Essex while N''ie
lup the survivors.