April 27, 2021 • 9 mins
On this day in 1865, the steamboat Sultana exploded, killing an estimate of nearly 2,000 people. / On this day in 1882, writer and literary editor Jessie Redmon Fauset was born.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, everyone, it's Eves checking in here to let you
know that you're going to be hearing two different events
in history in this episode. They're both good, if I
do say so myself. On with the show. What's up everyone?
Welcome to this Day in History class, where we bring
you a new tidbit from history every day. The day
(00:25):
was a eighteen sixty five, Just weeks after the Civil
War ended and President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, a steamboat
called the Sultana exploded while it traveled along the Mississippi
River near Memphis, Tennessee. The incident was largely overshadowed by
all the news related to the war, but around eighteen
(00:49):
hundred people die because of the explosion, making it the
deadliest maritime disaster and United States history. The two hundred
and sixty foot long Sultana the side Will steamboat built
in Cincinnati, Ohio, in eighteen sixty three. The boat's main
route was from St. Louis to New Orleans, and it
(01:09):
began its career on February third, eighteen sixty three, when
it launched from Cincinnati. The Sultana was supposed to be
used in the cotton trade, but it was often contracted
for cargo and troop transport during the Civil War. On
a eighteen sixty five, the Sultana left New Orleans found
(01:29):
for St. Louis. At this point, the ship was carrying
over a hundred passengers plus livestock. Two days later, the
Sultana docked in Vicksburg, Mississippi, to deal with issues one
of its boilers was having While there, the steamboat was
contracted to carry Union prisoners of war from Confederate prisons
(01:50):
like those at Andersonville and Cahaba into the North. Union Army.
Captain George Williams, who was in charge of the operation,
worried the prisoners were going to be transferred to other boats,
so he ordered that all the POWs at the parole
camp in hospital in Vicksburg we put on the Sultana.
Captain Mason decided to do a quick repair on the boiler,
(02:13):
even though the mechanics that the boiler was not safe
and needed more extensive repairs, but Mason had to keep
the boat moving and fulfill the government contract. Even though
the boat had a carrying capacity of only three hundred
and seventy six passengers and eight five crew members, more
than two thousand people were stuffed onto the boat. That's
(02:34):
because the government was paying per head for troops that
made the trip. Each enlisted man was worth five dollars,
and each officer was worth ten dollars. The more people
on board, the more money army officials and the captain,
Jay cass Mason would get. As the Sultana went north
in the Mississippi, the boat's large load and the river's
(02:56):
fast current caused by melted snow, made the boilers work overtime.
On ap the boat docked at Memphis to get more cold,
and between midnight and one am the next day, the
Sultana left the port. At two in the morning, when
the boat was only several miles north of Memphis, the
shadily repaired boiler blew up. Soon two of the other
(03:21):
three boilers also exploded. Soldiers from Kentucky and Tennessee were
some of the first to die because they were so
close to the boilers. The Sultana burst into flames, and
the destruction continued from there. The boat's twin smokestacks gave way,
killing people. As the fire spread, people jumped into the river.
(03:42):
A lot of the people who did jump could not
swim or were too weak to do so, and they
died in the water. Many died of hypothermia. Many people
who survived the fire died later from their burns. After
a survivor reached Memphis and alerted Centuries to the disaster,
rescue vessels were sent to the scene. The steamer at
(04:03):
Bostonia two got to the Sultana around three am, and
more vessels showed up after that. Some of the people
on the Sultana managed to survive, but the death toll
is estimated at about one thousand, eight hundred people. Military
commissions were formed to investigate the disaster, and it was
found that the faulty boilers and overcrowding were the main
(04:25):
causes of the explosion. Rumors popped up that the explosion
was sabotage due to a bomb. Are still called cold
torpedo and iron casting filled with explosives and covered in
coal dust, but these stories are not verifiable. Captain Mason
died in the disaster, but Captain Frederick Speed was charged
(04:47):
with putting too many troops on the boat at Vicksburg
and found guilty of neglect, though that verdict was later overturned. Ultimately,
no one was held responsible for the catastrophe. I'm Eaves,
Jeff Coo, and hopefully you know a little more about
history today than you did yesterday. If you want to
(05:09):
learn more about the Sultana explosion, listen to the episode
of Stuff you Missed in History Class called the s
s Sultana. If there are any upcoming days in history
that you'd really like me to cover on the show,
give us a shower on social media at t d
I h C podcast. We'll be back with more history tomorrow.
(05:40):
Hi everyone, I'm Eaves and welcome to this Day History Class,
a podcast where we tear a page out of the
book of history every day. The day was April eight,
(06:00):
eight two. Writer Jesse Redman Fosette was born in Camden,
New Jersey. Fosette was the literary editor of the journal
The Crisis and an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance.
Jesse was a seventh child born to Redman and Annie Fosette.
Her mother died soon after she was born. Her father
(06:21):
then moved to Philadelphia and married Bella Huff, who had
three of her own children. Together, Redman and Bella had
three more children. Jesse graduated with honors from Philadelphia High
School for Girls Jesse got a scholarship to Cornell University,
where she majored in classical languages. She graduated from the
university in nineteen o five. Because she was black, the
(06:45):
city of Philadelphia would not hire her to teach in
the public school system, so she taught at Douglas High
School in Baltimore for a year. Then she moved to Washington,
d c. To teach French and Latin at a high
school for fourteen years. Fosette again to write for the
inn Double A CPS magazine, The Crisis in nineteen twelve.
The Double A CP or the National Association for the
(07:07):
Advancement of Colored People, is a civil rights organization that
was formed in nineteen o nine. In nineteen ten, The
Crisis was founded with W. E. B. Du Bois as
the editor and co founder. Fo Set published several short stories, poems, articles,
and book reviews in The Crisis before she became literary
editor of the journal in nineteen nineteen. She moved to
(07:30):
New York to take the position, and until ninety six
she took over a lot of do Boys's work at
The Crisis. During her time there, she lectured and traveled
around the world. As literary editor she brought a lot
of writers who were just starting off in their careers
to the spotlight. Some of those people were Langston Hughes
and Spencer, Gene Tumor, Claude McKay, and County Cullen. These
(07:54):
writers became important figures in the Harlem Renaissance, and fo
set herself continued to write for Crisis. For instance, her
essay The Gift of Laughter focused on black actors and stereotyping,
and from nineteen twenty to nineteen twenty one she wrote
hundreds of signed and unsigned stories, poems, and articles for
a monthly magazine for black children called The Brownies Book.
(08:17):
Folsette also published several novels, inspired by the lack of
fully formed depictions of black life in fiction at the time.
Her first was there As Confusion, published in nineteen twenty four.
Folsett's novels were known for their portrayals of middle class
black life. Her second novel, plum Bun, was published in
nineteen eight. Folsette left The Crisis in nineteen twenty six
(08:40):
and began teaching French at a high school in the Bronx.
She married Herbert Harris in nineteen nine. The couple later
moved to New Jersey, where they lived until his death
in nineteen fifty eight. Folsette then moved back to Philadelphia
to live with her brother, where she lived until she
died in nineteen sixty one. Over the course of her life,
opened new pathways for black literature and promoted more honest
(09:04):
and realistic depictions of black people. I'm Eves Jeff Cote
and hopefully you know a little more about history today
than you did yesterday. And if you have any comments
are suggestions, you can send them to us via social
media at t d I h C Podcast. You can
also send us a note via email at this Day
(09:24):
at iHeart media dot com. Thanks again for listening and
we'll see you tomorrow. For more podcasts for my heart Radio,
visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
Hello, everyone, it's Eves checking in here to let you
know that you're going to be hearing two different events
in history in this episode. They're both good, if I
do say so myself. On with the show. What's up everyone?
Welcome to this Day in History class, where we bring
you a new tidbit from history every day. The day
(00:25):
was a eighteen sixty five, Just weeks after the Civil
War ended and President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, a steamboat
called the Sultana exploded while it traveled along the Mississippi
River near Memphis, Tennessee. The incident was largely overshadowed by
all the news related to the war, but around eighteen
(00:49):
hundred people die because of the explosion, making it the
deadliest maritime disaster and United States history. The two hundred
and sixty foot long Sultana the side Will steamboat built
in Cincinnati, Ohio, in eighteen sixty three. The boat's main
route was from St. Louis to New Orleans, and it
(01:09):
began its career on February third, eighteen sixty three, when
it launched from Cincinnati. The Sultana was supposed to be
used in the cotton trade, but it was often contracted
for cargo and troop transport during the Civil War. On
a eighteen sixty five, the Sultana left New Orleans found
(01:29):
for St. Louis. At this point, the ship was carrying
over a hundred passengers plus livestock. Two days later, the
Sultana docked in Vicksburg, Mississippi, to deal with issues one
of its boilers was having While there, the steamboat was
contracted to carry Union prisoners of war from Confederate prisons
(01:50):
like those at Andersonville and Cahaba into the North. Union Army.
Captain George Williams, who was in charge of the operation,
worried the prisoners were going to be transferred to other boats,
so he ordered that all the POWs at the parole
camp in hospital in Vicksburg we put on the Sultana.
Captain Mason decided to do a quick repair on the boiler,
(02:13):
even though the mechanics that the boiler was not safe
and needed more extensive repairs, but Mason had to keep
the boat moving and fulfill the government contract. Even though
the boat had a carrying capacity of only three hundred
and seventy six passengers and eight five crew members, more
than two thousand people were stuffed onto the boat. That's
(02:34):
because the government was paying per head for troops that
made the trip. Each enlisted man was worth five dollars,
and each officer was worth ten dollars. The more people
on board, the more money army officials and the captain,
Jay cass Mason would get. As the Sultana went north
in the Mississippi, the boat's large load and the river's
(02:56):
fast current caused by melted snow, made the boilers work overtime.
On ap the boat docked at Memphis to get more cold,
and between midnight and one am the next day, the
Sultana left the port. At two in the morning, when
the boat was only several miles north of Memphis, the
shadily repaired boiler blew up. Soon two of the other
(03:21):
three boilers also exploded. Soldiers from Kentucky and Tennessee were
some of the first to die because they were so
close to the boilers. The Sultana burst into flames, and
the destruction continued from there. The boat's twin smokestacks gave way,
killing people. As the fire spread, people jumped into the river.
(03:42):
A lot of the people who did jump could not
swim or were too weak to do so, and they
died in the water. Many died of hypothermia. Many people
who survived the fire died later from their burns. After
a survivor reached Memphis and alerted Centuries to the disaster,
rescue vessels were sent to the scene. The steamer at
(04:03):
Bostonia two got to the Sultana around three am, and
more vessels showed up after that. Some of the people
on the Sultana managed to survive, but the death toll
is estimated at about one thousand, eight hundred people. Military
commissions were formed to investigate the disaster, and it was
found that the faulty boilers and overcrowding were the main
(04:25):
causes of the explosion. Rumors popped up that the explosion
was sabotage due to a bomb. Are still called cold
torpedo and iron casting filled with explosives and covered in
coal dust, but these stories are not verifiable. Captain Mason
died in the disaster, but Captain Frederick Speed was charged
(04:47):
with putting too many troops on the boat at Vicksburg
and found guilty of neglect, though that verdict was later overturned. Ultimately,
no one was held responsible for the catastrophe. I'm Eaves,
Jeff Coo, and hopefully you know a little more about
history today than you did yesterday. If you want to
(05:09):
learn more about the Sultana explosion, listen to the episode
of Stuff you Missed in History Class called the s
s Sultana. If there are any upcoming days in history
that you'd really like me to cover on the show,
give us a shower on social media at t d
I h C podcast. We'll be back with more history tomorrow.
(05:40):
Hi everyone, I'm Eaves and welcome to this Day History Class,
a podcast where we tear a page out of the
book of history every day. The day was April eight,
(06:00):
eight two. Writer Jesse Redman Fosette was born in Camden,
New Jersey. Fosette was the literary editor of the journal
The Crisis and an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance.
Jesse was a seventh child born to Redman and Annie Fosette.
Her mother died soon after she was born. Her father
(06:21):
then moved to Philadelphia and married Bella Huff, who had
three of her own children. Together, Redman and Bella had
three more children. Jesse graduated with honors from Philadelphia High
School for Girls Jesse got a scholarship to Cornell University,
where she majored in classical languages. She graduated from the
university in nineteen o five. Because she was black, the
(06:45):
city of Philadelphia would not hire her to teach in
the public school system, so she taught at Douglas High
School in Baltimore for a year. Then she moved to Washington,
d c. To teach French and Latin at a high
school for fourteen years. Fosette again to write for the
inn Double A CPS magazine, The Crisis in nineteen twelve.
The Double A CP or the National Association for the
(07:07):
Advancement of Colored People, is a civil rights organization that
was formed in nineteen o nine. In nineteen ten, The
Crisis was founded with W. E. B. Du Bois as
the editor and co founder. Fo Set published several short stories, poems, articles,
and book reviews in The Crisis before she became literary
editor of the journal in nineteen nineteen. She moved to
(07:30):
New York to take the position, and until ninety six
she took over a lot of do Boys's work at
The Crisis. During her time there, she lectured and traveled
around the world. As literary editor she brought a lot
of writers who were just starting off in their careers
to the spotlight. Some of those people were Langston Hughes
and Spencer, Gene Tumor, Claude McKay, and County Cullen. These
(07:54):
writers became important figures in the Harlem Renaissance, and fo
set herself continued to write for Crisis. For instance, her
essay The Gift of Laughter focused on black actors and stereotyping,
and from nineteen twenty to nineteen twenty one she wrote
hundreds of signed and unsigned stories, poems, and articles for
a monthly magazine for black children called The Brownies Book.
(08:17):
Folsette also published several novels, inspired by the lack of
fully formed depictions of black life in fiction at the time.
Her first was there As Confusion, published in nineteen twenty four.
Folsett's novels were known for their portrayals of middle class
black life. Her second novel, plum Bun, was published in
nineteen eight. Folsette left The Crisis in nineteen twenty six
(08:40):
and began teaching French at a high school in the Bronx.
She married Herbert Harris in nineteen nine. The couple later
moved to New Jersey, where they lived until his death
in nineteen fifty eight. Folsette then moved back to Philadelphia
to live with her brother, where she lived until she
died in nineteen sixty one. Over the course of her life,
opened new pathways for black literature and promoted more honest
(09:04):
and realistic depictions of black people. I'm Eves Jeff Cote
and hopefully you know a little more about history today
than you did yesterday. And if you have any comments
are suggestions, you can send them to us via social
media at t d I h C Podcast. You can
also send us a note via email at this Day
(09:24):
at iHeart media dot com. Thanks again for listening and
we'll see you tomorrow. For more podcasts for my heart Radio,
visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
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