SULTANA & CAPT MASON

1864-1865: SULTANA & CAPT MASON, Part 2

February 5, 1865 - With her paddle wheels renewed, Sultana is the first boat to leave St Louis. Also new on board was first clerk W.J. Gambrel of Kansas City, family friend of Capt Mason & wife Rowena. Times were hard for all steamboats, but especially so in Sultana’s case. No trips during January meant no income. Competition for freight and passengers was heavy.

February 13, 1865 - Mason pushes Sultana hard and reaches New Orleans in 8 days, returning to St Louis by February 20.

February 23, 1865 - Capt Mason takes Sultana downstream with river levels from snow & ice melt upstream getting noticeably higher the further south she went. When Sultana reached New Orleans, river level was running unseasonably high.

March 5, 1865 - Sultana & steamboat competitor Olive Branch leave New Orleans together in a race back to St Louis. Olive Branch has older style flue type boilers, Sultana the newer tubular boilers. Race is back and forth with both boats gaining and losing the lead with Olive Branch finally gaining and holding the lead until she was detained upstream at Natchez by federal authorities, ordered to transport troops and supplies and head back downstream.
Capt Mason was having trouble with Sultana’s boilers and stayed at dock for emergency repairs, after which he then made a stop at Vicksburg for more extensive repairs. Sultana finally reached St Louis on March 18 ending the trip in 13 days that usually takes only 6 to 7.

CRITICAL NOTE: The tubular boiler design, required constant cleaning at least every 5 days under normal circumstances. The number of internal tubes running the length inside of each boiler (4 boilers in Sultana’s case) made cleaning a difficult, time consuming job. Steamboats pumped boiler water directly from the river which always contained some silt & sediments, but which was especially heavy during Spring & Fall flood seasons. Heat hardened sediment that settled to the bottom of boilers unless frequently removed, could cause serious operational problems, including explosions.

March 23, 1865 - Memphis newspapers report Mississippi River is at higher than normal flood stage, with flood waters overflowing for three miles inland onto the Arkansas side.

Late-March, 1865 - Captain Mason begins selling portions of his three-eights interest ownership in Sultana to raise money to continue to operate. By the end of March, Mason had sold all but one-sixteenth of his interest.

March 26, 1865 - After waiting for passengers and freight almost a week, Capt Mason finally left St Louis and made it to New Orleans on April 1. Two days later with just a few passengers and a little freight Sultana was headed back upstream. Because the river was at flood stage, her pilots could use flooded areas to take shortcuts across long river bends and shorten the trip considerably. Capt Mason and Sultana made it back to St Louis on April 8, thus gaining the reputation of fastest boat on the river. Mason hoped this distinction would bring him more business.

April 1, 1865 - Union & Confederate governments agree to a prisoner exchange to be staged in Vicksburg. Prisoners of both sides would be staged nearby and in a man-for-man exchange, be released. Union soldiers would be loaded on steamboats and shipped north. The Merchants & Peoples Line, of which Sultana was a member, signed an exclusive contract with the US government to transport Union troops. This was extremely good news for cash-strapped Capt Mason.s

April 5, 1865 - The steamboat Bostona was being renovated and refitted and would soon enter the river business. It is mentioned here because Bostona's first trip on the Mississippi after her renovation would have a great impact on Sultana.

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	1864-1865: SULTANA & CAPT MASON, Part 2
	February 5, 1865 - With her paddle wheels renewed, Sultana is the first boat to leave St Louis. Also new on board was first clerk W.J. Gambrel of Kansas City, family friend of Capt Mason & wife Rowena. Times were hard for all steamboats, but especially so in Sultana’s case. No trips during January meant no income. Competition for freight and passengers was heavy. February 13, 1865 - Mason pushes Sultana hard and reaches New Orleans in 8 days, returning to St Louis by February 20. February 23, 1865 - Capt Mason takes Sultana downstream with river levels from snow & ice melt upstream getting noticeably higher the further south she went. When Sultana reached New Orleans, river level was running unseasonably high. March 5, 1865 - Sultana & steamboat competitor Olive Branch leave New Orleans together in a race back to St Louis. Olive Branch has older style flue type boilers, Sultana the newer tubular boilers. Race is back and forth with both boats gaining and losing the lead with Olive Branch finally gaining and holding the lead until she was detained upstream at Natchez by federal authorities, ordered to transport troops and supplies and head back downstream. Capt Mason was having trouble with Sultana’s boilers and stayed at dock for emergency repairs, after which he then made a stop at Vicksburg for more extensive repairs. Sultana finally reached St Louis on March 18 ending the trip in 13 days that usually takes only 6 to 7. CRITICAL NOTE: The tubular boiler design, required constant cleaning at least every 5 days under normal circumstances. The number of internal tubes running the length inside of each boiler (4 boilers in Sultana’s case) made cleaning a difficult, time consuming job. Steamboats pumped boiler water directly from the river which always contained some silt & sediments, but which was especially heavy during Spring & Fall flood seasons. Heat hardened sediment that settled to the bottom of boilers unless frequently removed, could cause serious operational problems, including explosions. March 23, 1865 - Memphis newspapers report Mississippi River is at higher than normal flood stage, with flood waters overflowing for three miles inland onto the Arkansas side. Late-March, 1865 - Captain Mason begins selling portions of his three-eights interest ownership in Sultana to raise money to continue to operate. By the end of March, Mason had sold all but one-sixteenth of his interest. March 26, 1865 - After waiting for passengers and freight almost a week, Capt Mason finally left St Louis and made it to New Orleans on April 1. Two days later with just a few passengers and a little freight Sultana was headed back upstream. Because the river was at flood stage, her pilots could use flooded areas to take shortcuts across long river bends and shorten the trip considerably. Capt Mason and Sultana made it back to St Louis on April 8, thus gaining the reputation of fastest boat on the river. Mason hoped this distinction would bring him more business. April 1, 1865 - Union & Confederate governments agree to a prisoner exchange to be staged in Vicksburg. Prisoners of both sides would be staged nearby and in a man-for-man exchange, be released. Union soldiers would be loaded on steamboats and shipped north. The Merchants & Peoples Line, of which Sultana was a member, signed an exclusive contract with the US government to transport Union troops. This was extremely good news for cash-strapped Capt Mason.s April 5, 1865 - The steamboat Bostona was being renovated and refitted and would soon enter the river business. It is mentioned here because Bostona's first trip on the Mississippi after her renovation would have a great impact on Sultana.

		To include your stories and other information in this site, Email us at Webmaster.
Comments, suggestions, additional info are always welcomed., Please contact: Webmaster