The Cairo bulletin., 1904-08-10
The SULTANA HORROR
Another Account Of theLoss Of 1900
Lives In the Greatest OF Steam
boat Disasters.

erence TO that appalling steamboat
| disaster in print In later years. | re-
member many years ago hearing two
members Of the board of supervising
inspectors of steamboats, speak of the
disaster as one of the most fatal that
had occurred to that time. 1t certain.
ly exceeded anything even to this day
! in the number of victims claimed. The
vessel was built at Cincinnati, Ohio,
in 1863 and was about 235x35xS it,,
with two 25xSft engines. She was
chartered for time when new to
transport troops and supplies on the
| western rivers at compensation of
! 1915 per day. The reason why this
| disaster is not more freely brought to
mind is probably because 1t occurred
a few days after the assassination of
our martyred president by Wilkes
Booth. and the people of the north
ern states were so engrossed In their
national sorrow that other events of
public interest were passed by and
| forgotten
| Ii probably may be of interest to
| your readers to give some of the de-
tails regarding this disaster. from
the official record This is, perhaps,
the most frightful disaster ever re-
corded in the annals of steam naviga-
tion. 1t is stated that over 1900
lives were lost. The Sultana was of
660.3S tons burden; had accommoda-
ton for seventy-six cabin passengers
and 800 deck passengers. She had
four high pressure boilers, each IS
feet long and 46 inches in diameter,
made of iron 17-4S of an inch thick.
The vessel was inspected in April,
1865, the boilers being subjected to
hydrostatic pressure of 210 lbs, to
the square inch. and the working
steam pressure allowed was 145 lbs.
to the square inch. The explosion oc-
Cured on the eth of April, 1865,
about seven miles above Memphis,
Tenn. On this trip up from New Or
leans it was found necessary to stop
at Fioksburg and repair the port boil
er that was found on examination to
have sheets that badly bulged out
The bulged plates were not forced
back to place, but piece 26x1l inches
was cut out and hard patch rivetted
in place of one-quarter.inch iron. AT
ter these repairs the Sutana Travelled
at her usual speed. which shows that
the usual pressure of steam was used.
The boilers were imperfectly repaired
at Vicksburg for which the engineer
alone could be held responsible.
There Is another feature in this dis
aster that deserves to be mentioned
that of the large amount of human
beings crowded ON the boat. while
the law limits the number of passen-
gers that vessel is allowed to carry. |
The Sultana left New Orleans with |
about two hundred and fifty hogs |
heads of sugar At Vicksburg two |
thousand released Union prisoners, |
and sixty horses were shipped on her. |
while her certificate allowed her only
three hundred and seventy-six pass
engers all told.
There was a court martial held at
Vicksburg as to the cause of the
frightful disaster. and its findings in
part were: THE vessel left New Or
leans Friday. April 81, 1865. arrived
at vicksburg Sunday evening April
20. remaining there about thirty
three hours repairing larboard boiler,
On April "a there we're 1866 paroIed
prisoners, including thirty.fve officers
put on the boat bound for Cairo, III.
She had also on board seventy cabin
Arrived at Memphis Wednesday eve
ming about Z o'clock Left for Cairo
after coaling at a. m. on the 9th.
When about seven miles ABOVE Mem.
phis the boiler. or boilers. exploded.
Soon after the boat caught fire and
was totally destroyed AS near as
can be ascertained only about eighty
persons were saved at the time of the
The safety of the boat was not
endangered by the num-
Der of men on board. but there was
no military necessity for placing them
all upon one boat. the Pauline Carroll
being at the same time at Vicksburg.
The men should have been divided.
The cause of the explosion from the
evidence was there not being suffici-
snt water in the boilers. The evidence
fully shows that the government has
as many or more troops
On boats Of no greater capacity than
he Sultana frequently and with
safety Il
With all due respect TO the report
IF the military board II must be con
seded that the owners of vessel H.
,enseJ to carry three hundred and
,eventy-six passengers was exceeding
he provisions of her license in TAX
ng on board 1.sG6 troops. II was a
,ase of pure greed for business.
q. n. MORRISON.
River Bulletin.