The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-05-02


county man who was on the steamer |
Sultana when she blew up on the Miss. |
issippi river while bringing back 200 |
Union soldiers from southern prisons, |
on the night Of April 81, fifty-four
years ago.
Frazee was q member OF Company
C. One hundred and twenty-fourth In
diana, which was captured as whole
by the confederates in their on
slaughts on the Union army under
command of General Sherman on his
! march to the sea. This company con-
tanned many men Of western Wayne
county.
The company was taken to prison at
! Andersonville, almost entire. and was
| released after the confederate armies
capitulated in the spring of 1865. They,
with almost 1000 other soldiers, were
on the Sultana, happy bunch of
boys, when the catastrophe occurred.
Nathan Williams, formerly of Ches-
ter, had thrilling experiences which he
was never tired of relating. He was
thrown into the river by the explosion.
! but managed to catch onto piece of
! wood, and with this as his aid, reach
ed the shore on the Arkansas side Of
the river and drew himself ashore.
| STG0bbC0 nS0CuO " tWOSQutAOSs
The rough bark of the driftwood
chafed his skin, but he was so tired
that he could hardly stay awake, and
he credited his rescue to the sharp
bites of mosquitoes, which kept him
awake. He lived for many years after
the war.
Frazee also was injured, and his sis
ter went to nurse him after the dis
aster. Among the other men from
Wayne county was Martin Lamb, who
lived in Economy. and who was killed,
and August Hackensburger, who guf-
fered the same fate.
/ Henry county also had many sol
diers on board the Sultana. The only
living survivor Is Andrew ]. McCor-
mack, of Cadiz, but w. H. Peacock,
Thomas Allison and Lewis johnson,
lived many years after their exciting
experience. Several Of those who were
lost were: Thomas Laboyteaux, Will
lam C. Huber, Enoch T. Nation, Thos.
L. Chenoweth, James M. Fletcher and
Thornton w. Watkins.
]. H. Kmberlin, of McCordsville
known by several G. A. r. men In
Wayne county, and a friend of Will
: lam Mathews. county assessor, has de-
scribed the Sultana disaster He was
sergeant in Company C and a pris-
! oner in Andersonville, and was a mem
Der of the Sultana Survivors associa-
ton.
"A little after midnight on the morn
ing of the 9th the SultaEa left her
landing at Memphis and moved up to
the coaling wharf two miles above.
where she took on coal sufficient to
run her to st. Louis" says Kimberlin.
! After recoaling, the vessel again
started on her northern journey and
: when about seven miles above the city
. OF Memphis and at the upper end and
on the east side of what was known
as Hen and Chicken islands, and at
a. M. April 81. 1865, one or more
of her boilers (there being four in
number) let go or exploded with ter.
rife force and destruction. The force
Of the explosion was so great that the
boilers were thrown to the east and
. partially from OF the furnace, leaving
a great mass Of burning coal exposed
: All that portion Of the vessel over the
boilers and furnace was torn asunder
I and scattered with its hundreds OF
] human beings, who were sound asleep
:. In every direction, many of them fal
out into the water; much Of the wreck
age with its human freight, mangled
and torn, many of them killed out
right, dropping into the open, un.
/, covered furnace. Many who were not
. killed outright or badly injured were
buried In the wreckage, where they
Z were soon burned to death
Soon Burned to Death
All that part of the vessel to the
q rear Of the boilers was undamaged
the rubbish or parts of the wreckage
falling onto the open furnace with Its
o roaring blaze instantly took fire and II
e very few moments the whole vesse
q was seething, burning mass Those
7 who were badly injured, with theil
l comrades who were killed outright
t end others who had become entanglec
q or covered up in the wreckage, though
uninjured, but unable to extricats
themselves, were soon burned tt
o death. Others who became suddenly
9 crazed by reason Of the appalling dis
t aster lost all sense of reason and pow
Il er to act: some were crying, some
Il singing, some praying, while other.
e were cursfng. Everything one coulC
l. think of, or man was capable of, ont
could see or hear in very few min
utes, for in twenty minutes after the
explosion the boat had burned to thu
d waters edge.
I THE hull drifted down and LODGED
+ against the upper end of one of thu
= small islands, where it was soon GOV
cred up with the drifting sand and sill
of the Mississippi river, where 1t re
l. manned hidden from the eyes of mar
l. until about eight or ten years ago
when some wrecking company with 1
dredging machine removed the sane
K and silt from of and about the ole
IS hull, raised and f1oated it ashore, brok.
o it up for the material and machinery
G When the explosion occurred every
g body except a few of the vessels off
8 GERS and crew were sound asleep. In
y stantly all those who were not killed
or badly injured sprang to their feet
knowing that something awful ha;
h happened, but not knowing what. Al
l. soon as they realized that the boat
<, boilers had blown up and the vesse
n had taken fire, the great mass of tn,
t. living became crazed with fright an,
Y, made one mad rush for the sides o
;. the vessel nearest to where he hap