| SULTANA |
"SW p wh b. Cincinnati, Oh., 1863. 660 tons. 260 x 42 (39 ft. floor) x 7. Built at the
John Litherbury yard, and machinery by Moore and Richardson. Launched Jan. 3, 1863, in a double
ceremony, the LUMINARY,--almost a duplicate, also being launched. Built for Capt. Pres Lodwick,
well known on the Upper Mississippi for his NORTHERN BELLE and NORTHERN LIGHT and
was destined for the New Orleans trade. Due to the uncertainties of war, she was entered in the trade
Cincinnati-Wheeling on February 12, which she continued until mid-March. . . . The Memphis Custom's
entries show that due to the war she was forced to return to St. Louis from that port until along in August
when she apparently went on through. On Feb. 9, 1865, Capt. J. Cass Mason, she departed Memphis for
New Orleans. She was back at Memphis February 26, and returned to New Orleans from there. On Apr.
26, 1865, she cleared Memphis upbound, Capt. Mason. A notation on the Custom record: Burned and
1600 persons perished.'
The Customs clerk used an approximation. The life-loss afterwards was set at 1,574 lives, at least 1,100 of
whom were U.S. soldiers mustered out and returning to Northern homes. A popular and widespread belief
was that Confederate spies had secreted dynamite in the coal bunkers, but three of her boilers had
exploded without any help from spies. Ture, she had been having boiler trouble at Vicksburg where the
troops came aboard. Nathan Wintringer, chief engineer, later testified that one boiler had been repaired
there to his satisfaction. Capt. Speed, U.S.A., ordered 1,886 troops aboard this SULTANA which
legally allowed 376 persons, including the crew. It was connon talk there at Vicksburg that two other large
steamers, PAULINE CARROLL and LADY GAY, both bid for portions of these troops but were
turned down. Landings were made at Helena, Ark. (where a photographer took a picture of her with the
soldiers aboard), and another at Memphis. The night leaving Memphis was described as black with a
thunderstorm gathering. A few miles above that city, in the crossing at Paddy's Hens and Chickens, the
explosion torched a ruddy glare among the cottonwoods of Tennessee and Arkansas and a dull rumble
shook the countryside. The storm broke at the same time.
On the downbound trip to New Orleans, the last made, the SULTANA carried the shocking news of
the assasination of Abraham Lincoln to towns and hamlets cut off from all communication save what
arrived by river. Now as she returned the nation's newspapers were loaded with columns of excitement: J.
Wilkes Booth had been located and killed; Lee had surrendered; the President was dead. A country
geared to appalling losses took the SULTANA disaster with seeming indifference. The explosion
happened early morning Apr. 27, 1865." (S16)
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