WASHINGTON, April 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
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FRIDAY, APRIL 27: WORST U.S. SHIP DISASTER
Profile America — Friday, April 27th. The world recently noted the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. But today is the anniversary of America's worst waterborne disaster in 1865 — one which had greater loss of life. And it happened hundreds of miles inland. Moving up the flooded Mississippi River near Memphis at night, the wooden steamboat Sultana's boilers suddenly exploded, and the boat burned and sank. It was badly overloaded with more than 2,000 passengers; up to 1,700 of them died. With President Lincoln's recent assassination, and the Civil War winding down, the disaster created little notice and is now almost forgotten. Today, Mississippi River boats carry few passengers, but each year move 622 million tons of cargo along the river. Profile America is completing its 15th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2012, p. 236
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1084
Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
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