Gene Eric Salecker

Gene has written an excellent book about the worst freshwater maritime disaster in history. The explosion and sinking of the Riverboat Sultana rivals the Titanic in the sheer scope of the tragedy but has largely gone unreported because news of it was swept off the front pages by the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Severely overloaded with as many as 2,500 former POWs returning from southern prison camps, one of the Sultana's boilers exploded, setting the ship ablaze and blasting all on deck with superheated steam. Few of the prisoners had the strength to save themselves and as many as 2,000 were lost.

The only reason I'm not giving Disaster on the Mississippi a perfect 5 for this is because of one incorrect anecdote Gene included wherein my great great great grandmother purportedly gave her wedding ring to a soldier who took credit for saving her. The bottom line is that it didn't happen and I believe Gene has since acknowledged this. No harm, no foul, though as I'm sure that when researching first hand accounts of historical events it is hard to tell the honest witness from the scoundrel. I highly recommend this book.… (meer)