Yesterday, the Sultana disaster was the hour’s topic on NPR’s nationally broadcast “Diane Rehm Show” with author Alan Huffman as the featured guest. (listen to a recording here)
During the show, Rep. Victor Snyder from Arkansas called in to say that earlier this month he had introduced House Resolution 329, that would give Congressional recognition of the anniversary of the Sultana tragedy of April 27, 1865. The purpose of the resolution would be to:
(1) recognizes the 144-year anniversary of the tragic accident of the steamboat ship SS Sultana;
(2) honors the memory of the soldiers and passengers who lost their lives in this disaster;
(3) regrets the lack of military and civilian oversight that led to the explosion and tremendous loss of life; and
(4) rededicates itself to honoring all our veterans and military families with the highest level of support in quality resources, equipment and services.
This would be the first time the U.S. government officially acknowledged the lack of responsibility taken that may have prevented, or at the least limited the magnitude, of the disaster. The only additional wording I’d like to also be included would be acknowledgement that the even after the tragedy, the government didn’t take care of the soldiers to the best of their ability, or seriously hold those involved in the overloading of the boat responsible. Regardless, this resolution is long overdue, and very welcomed.
You can read the full text of the bill here, entitled “House Resolution 329: Recognizing the anniversary of the tragic accident of the steamboat ship SS Sultana.” Co-sponsors of the bill are Rep. John Boozman [R-AR], Rep. Robert Berry [D-AR], Rep. Zach Wamp [R-TN], Rep. Danny Davis [D-IL], and Rep. Mike Ross [D-AR].
A personal thanks to Alan Huffman, who mentioned me and this site by name on air. In the hours following the broadcast, this blog’s traffic spiked to over 1400 page views, above and beyond the average of 30 to 50 per day… additional coverage here.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
The wording I don’t like is:
Whereas the explosion was presumed to have been caused by a defective boiler trying to overcome the current of the Mississippi River;
Some presume it to have been caused by a defective boiler, some claim it was sabotaged. I spent many months researching for my novel, An April to Remember, released in print and e-book on April 3, 2009. Yes, my book is a NOVEL, but I stayed as true to my research as possible when it came to the ship’s demise, and could not conclude it was defective boiler, I was much more compelled to go down the sabotaged route. This is purely my opinion, and therefore for the wording of a bill, feel it should read along the lines of: Whereas the reason of the explosion remains unknown;
Sincerely,
Lauri Robinson