1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: The Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. What's Up? Everyone? Welcome to this Day in 3 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:09,520 Speaker 1: History Class, where we bring you a new tidbit from 4 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:25,159 Speaker 1: history every day. Today is April. The day was a 5 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty five. Just weeks after the Civil War ended 6 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: and President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, a steamboat called the 7 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: Sultana exploded while it traveled along the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee. 8 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:45,800 Speaker 1: The incident was largely overshadowed by all the news related 9 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: to the war, but around eighteen hundred people die because 10 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:53,559 Speaker 1: of the explosion, making it the deadliest maritime disaster and 11 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: United States history. The two hundred and sixty foot long 12 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: Sultana was the side will steamboat built in Cincinnati, Ohio, 13 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: in eighteen sixty three. The boat's main route was from St. 14 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: Louis to New Orleans, and it began its career on 15 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:13,760 Speaker 1: February third, eighteen sixty three, when it launched from Cincinnati. 16 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: The Sultana was supposed to be used in the cotton trade, 17 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: but it was often contracted for cargo and troop transport 18 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 1: during the Civil War. On a eighteen sixty five, the 19 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 1: Sultana left New Orleans found for St. Louis. At this point, 20 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: the ship was carrying over a hundred passengers plus livestock. 21 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 1: Two days later, the Sultana docked in Vicksburg, Mississippi, to 22 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 1: deal with issues one of its boilers was having. While there, 23 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 1: the steamboat was contracted to carry Union prisoners of war 24 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 1: from Confederate prisons like those at Andersonville and Cahaba into 25 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: the North. Union Army. Captain George Williams, who was in 26 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: charge of the operation, worried the prisoners were going to 27 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: be transfer to other boats, so he ordered that all 28 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: the POWs at the parole camp in hospital in Vicksburg 29 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: we put on the Sultana. Captain Mason decided to do 30 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: a quick repair on the boiler, even though the mechanics 31 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: that the boiler was not safe and needed more extensive repairs, 32 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:20,640 Speaker 1: but Mason had to keep the boat moving and fulfill 33 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: the government contract. Even though the boat had a carrying 34 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,959 Speaker 1: capacity of only three hundred and seventy six passengers and 35 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: eight five crew members, more than two thousand people were 36 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: stuffed onto the boat. That's because the government was paying 37 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:39,399 Speaker 1: per head for troops that made the trip. Each enlisted 38 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: man was worth five dollars, and each officer was worth 39 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,120 Speaker 1: ten dollars. The more people on board, the more money 40 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 1: army officials and the captain, Jay cass Mason would get. 41 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: As the Sultana went north in the Mississippi, the boat's 42 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 1: large load and the river's fast current caused by melted snow, 43 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 1: made the boilers work overtime on a The boat docked 44 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 1: at Memphis to get more cold, and between midnight and 45 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: one am the next day. The Sultana left the port. 46 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: At two in the morning, when the boat was only 47 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:17,240 Speaker 1: several miles north of Memphis, the shadily repaired boiler blew up. 48 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: Soon two of the other three boilers also exploded. Soldiers 49 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 1: from Kentucky and Tennessee were some of the first to 50 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: die because they were so close to the boilers. The 51 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 1: Sultana burst into flames, and the destruction continued from there. 52 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 1: The boat's twin smokestacks gave way, killing people. As the 53 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: fire spread, people jumped into the river. A lot of 54 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 1: the people who did jump could not swim or were 55 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 1: too weak to do so, and they died in the water. 56 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: Many died of hypothermia. Many people who survived the fire 57 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: died later from their burns. After a survivor reached Memphis 58 00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: and alerted centuries to the disaster, rescue vessel were sent 59 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: to the scene. The steamer at Bostonia two got to 60 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: the Sultana around three am, and more vessels showed up 61 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: after that. Some of the people on the Sultana managed 62 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,040 Speaker 1: to survive, but the death toll is estimated at about 63 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:19,039 Speaker 1: one thousand, eight hundred people. Military commissions were formed to 64 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 1: investigate the disaster, and it was found that the faulty 65 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: boilers and overcrowding were the main causes of the explosion. 66 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:31,159 Speaker 1: Rumors popped up that the explosion was sabotage due to 67 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 1: a bomb. Are still called cold torpedo and iron casting 68 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: filled with explosives and covered in coal dust, but these 69 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 1: stories are not verifiable. Captain Mason died in the disaster, 70 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: but Captain Frederick Speed was charged with putting too many 71 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:50,560 Speaker 1: troops on the boat at Vicksburg and found the guilty 72 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: of neglect, though that verdict was later overturned. Ultimately, no 73 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: one was held responsible for the catastrophe. I'm Eve Jeff Coo, 74 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:04,720 Speaker 1: and hopefully you know a little more about history today 75 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. If you want to learn more 76 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,040 Speaker 1: about the Sultana explosion, listen to the episode of Stuff 77 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 1: You Missed in History Class called the SS Sultana. If 78 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: there are any upcoming days in history that you'd really 79 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,040 Speaker 1: like me to cover on the show, give us a 80 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:27,360 Speaker 1: shout on social media at t D I h C podcast. 81 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:38,440 Speaker 1: We'll be back with more history tomorrow. For more podcasts 82 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 1: from I Heeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 83 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:43,159 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.