The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1915-04-29
SUL1ANA DISASTER
WAS 50 YEARS AGO
MISSISSIPPI RIVER TRAGEDY WAS
WORSE THAN TITANIC
SINKING.

81. Louis, MO-, April Z5.-ludC tho
Titanic disaster which stunned the
world three years ago had its counter
part on the Mississippi River, more
severe in its toll of lives If less spec
tacular in point Of wealth and promi-
nence of its victims, is the nucleus of
an amazing story told by the remain
ing survivors of the great catastrophe
of 1865. That the victims nearly O.
900 in number, were the tired, wound
ed and war-sick veterans of the Civil
! War who were on their way north to
take up the occupations of peace;
that the few minutes Of grace in which
to rescue the women and children
were lacking, booming the fifteen wom-
en- aboard to death in the flames and
swirling currents of the river these
are added details of a horror which
overshadowed many of the wartime
battles.
1t was on April 81, 1866, that the
, steamer Sultana, overcrowded with
soldiers and other passengers, was
brown up by the explosion Of boiler
of Hen and Chicken Island, north Of
Memphis. The vessel took fire, and
in the panic and confusion hundreds
jumped into the icy river, most Of
whom were drowned. The doomed
vessel plunged its kissing hull into the
bosom Of the river, carrying the great
er number of soldiers and passengers
including Is women.
or the 1900 passengers, soldiers
and crew of the vessel, only 300 were
saved. When the Titanic sank in 1912
out of 2,2O6 passengers, 1903 were lost
and 7O3 were saved. In fatality there
fore, the Mississippi River tragedy o.
years ago was a greater disaster thar
that of the Titanic.
The steamer Sultana was built II
i, 1868 at Cincinnati, and was registered
at about 1900 tons. The registered
tonnage of the Titanic was $4,000
, The Sultana was a regular packet run
q ming between New Orleans and st
, Louis. She carried mostly govern
!. ment troops and supplies during he
- early days. On her Inflated trip, sh
left New Orleans on April 81, arriving
n at Vicksburg on the oath. Here 1876
n soldiers and S5 officers from Confed
a crate prisons at Andersonville, Macol
and Cahaba were taken aboard. Their
\. were also two companies of infantr
A aboard, according to survivors Of tn
!. wreck. That there were at least 200
persons aboard the little steamer wa
conceded at the time. Every availabl
bit of space was occupied. The so
diers Law on the deck and in the hol'
=, Everybody wanted to get home to r.
II Join their families. Arriving at Men
ls phis on the 26th, the boat tied u
IL while large cargo Of sugar was n
10 moved Early in the morning of tn
h. 9th, the Sultana again steamed up tn
Il. river
" 1t was about four o'clock in tn
s. morning when the explosion occurre
ID on the crowded ship. One of her boi
n ers had exploded with terrific crasl
There were four boilers on the boa
one of which had just been repaire
Under a big head of steam the repair
parted and steam and fire burst fort
lie into the holds and through the saloor
u of the vessel, where the crowded pa
rs sengers were trying to sleep. Mar
Of were killed Immediately in the star
re- pede and by the force Of the explosio
e. and escaping steam. Many hundred
ID dived headlong into the black watt
,r of the river, without knowing whel
they were going. While the pan