Ep. 196: Jerry Potter: The Sultana Tragedy: America’s Greatest Maritime Disaster

Reelfoot Forward

This spring marked the 160th anniversary of the worst maritime disaster in United States history. The Sultana left Memphis on April 27, 1865, carrying three times the number of passengers for which it was designed. Tragedy struck later that evening when the boilers ruptured, causing the steamer to explode. Many were killed immediately in the blast, while others were crushed or died from burns, hypothermia or drowning. Of the approximately 2,400 people on board, about 1,800 died. Retired Memphis lawyer and author Jerry Potter, who literally wrote the book on the Sultana, joins us to share the story of the disaster and its aftermath. Potter spent more than 20 years combing through archives and thousands of pages of documents to discover what happened and why. In 1992, he published “The Sultana Tragedy: America’s Greatest Maritime Disaster,” which is still widely considered the definitive book on the subject. Potter has also been working with others to expand The Sultana Disaster Museum in Marion, Arkansas, to better tell the story. The new 17,000-square-foot museum will feature a partial model of the steamboat, a theater, a research library and more. This episode is brought to you by NWTN Tourism.