The Wreck of the Steamship War Eagle (article) by Andrew J Jalbert on AuthorsDen

from BIG RIVER magazine An article about North American underwater archaeology and shipwrecks would not be complete without addressing the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River basin, which is the second largest in the world (smaller only than the Amazon River drainage basin in South America), is roughly twice the size of the Nile. Its main channel is 2,350 miles in length and its tributaries span north into Canada, west to Idaho, east to New York and south to the Gulf of Mexico. "The big river" has played a vital transportation role for thousands of years and buried beneath its waters and under its shores, rest the countless vessels it has claimed. From canoes to barges to palace steamers, the Mississippi is a virtual ship graveyard. One such casualty is the War Eagle. The War Eagle was a 296-ton, side-wheel riverboat built in Fulton, Ohio in 1854. Her oak hull measured 219 feet by 27 feet and her overall length was 225 feet by 29 feet. She was powered by three 14 foot boilers and had 46 staterooms. The War Eagle was originally built for the Minnesota Packet Company at a cost of $50,000. Described as one of the finest boats on the Mississippi, the War Eagle boasted onboard barbershops, washrooms, fine velvet carpets, and expensive furniture for its passengers. In her early years, the War Eagle was used to build a river monopoly for the Galena Packet Company in Illinois. By using the swift War Eagle and implementing a rate cutting campaign, the Galena Packet Company could run rival companies out of business. During the Civil War, the War Eagle was used to transport troops and supplies from Minnesota across the river where they were loaded on trains bound for Washington D.C. The War Eagle survived its commission during the Civil War with minimal damage. In 1862 however, a stray bullet pierced her smokestack while she was leaving the mouth of the Tennessee River. In 1866 the War Eagle was acquired the by the La Crosse & St. Paul Packet Company, often referred to as the �White Collar Line�. The La Crosse & St. Paul Packet Company used her to transport passengers and goods between Galena, Illinois and St. Paul, Minnesota, averaging a time of 44 hours. The War Eagle stopped at several river ports during this route, including the Milwaukee Road Railroad Depot in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Passengers and freight could be transferred from steamships to trains at these depots, making them important transportation hubs for settlers moving to the western frontier. On the night of May 14th, 1870, the War Eagle docked at the Milwaukee Road Railroad Depot under order of Captain Thomas Cushing. They were to take on additional freight and continue on to St. Paul. Unfortunately, the War Eagle would never survive the night. It was around 11:45 p.m. when the captain, who was inspecting the ship�s cargo, noticed a leaking barrel of kerosene. He immediately ordered the ship�s carpenter, William T. Bennett to tighten the barrel bands and stop the leak. According to Bennett�s testimony his lantern caught fire and burst during the repair. The flames quickly spread to the leaking kerosene and the deck. The blaze quickly spread throughout the ship. Bennett jumped into the river and survived. Not everyone onboard the War Eagle however, was so lucky. The following account was printed in the May 17th edition of the La Crosse Evening Democrat Newspaper: Of the 30 or 40 known passengers to have been on board the War Eagle, not more than a dozen can be accounted for although it is not believed that more than 5 perished. It has been stated that there has been no passengers on the lower deck of the steamer; but the statement is contradicted by Andreas Botten, a Norwegian who was a deck passenger, who had his wife and two small children with him. They were going to Reed�s Landing, Minnesota and had all their worldly goods with them, including a cow for which Mr. Botten paid $50 the day previous. These persons barely escaped with their lives and Mr. Botten states that there were quite a number on the lower deck with him who endeavored to save their property and he says he is certain they were either drowned or burned� The official list of passengers and crewmembers was destroyed during the fire, making it difficult to account for all that perished in the blaze. Seven known fatalities however were reported subsequent to the fire. They included two children, two deck hands, James Greene, Felix Spiller (the ship�s barber) and Mary Ulrich. Ms. Ulrich was bound for Alma, Wisconsin where she was to attend her sister�s wedding. Because she was only 18 years old, Felix Spiller was hired to look after her while on the War Eagle. When fire broke out on the ship, Mary panicked and jumped into the river. Felix Spiller followed. Both bodies were later recovered. By the time the fire was out, the depot, warehouses, dock, sheds, and grain elevators had been destroyed, the nearby barge Webb was lost, and the steamers Keokuk and Mollie Mohler (also docked nearby) had sustained fire damage. The War Eagle burned to the waterline, then finally slipped beneath the river. The total loss of the fire was estimated at $366,000; a catastrophic financial loss. Although a few items were salvaged from the War Eagle immediately after her sinking, the shipwreck remained largely undisturbed until 1931 when record low Mississippi water levels exposed the upper portions of the wreck. During this time, it was possible for collectors to retrieve artifacts from the ship. Silverware, dishes, tools, and various other goods were removed from the shallow water. As the water levels returned to normal, the War Eagle was again inundated and it wasn�t until the early 1960�s, when recreational scuba gear and training became available to the general public, that the War Eagle again became accessible. A large private collection of these artifacts is on a long- term loan to the La Crosse Historical Society and is currently on display at the Riverside Museum in La Crosse. Oddly enough, until recently, reports of the wreck�s position in the river varied greatly. In the spring of 2000 a series of dock pilings were to be pulled from the river bottom near the reported location of the War Eagle. Fearing possible damage to the shipwreck, the dock owners funded an archaeological search for the War Eagle prior to pulling the large piling clusters. The river bottom in the site area was riddled with debris. During the survey, we felt our way along the zero visibility bottom through a tangled mess of wood, metal and bricks left from the burned depot. As we moved farther away from the shoreline, we began to find artifacts likely to have come from the War Eagle. China, tools, and square nails were marked, brought to the surface for identification, then returned. One broken plate was stamped with the date, 1869. Piles of unprocessed lead (one of the materials transported by the War Eagle) and animal bones discarded from the galley were also found. Finally, a large section of her keel was discovered. It had sunk into the river bottom, but was still detectable. We followed the keel and mapped out one continuous section measuring nearly 100 feet, and three other sections varying in length. In total, close to two hundred feet of the 219-foot vessel was located. During the search, it was discovered that one of the dock pilings which was to be pulled from the river bottom actually pierced the hull of the War Eagle. An alternative plan, which involved cutting the piling off above the wreck, was developed to help preserve the War Eagle. The dock owner�s responsible actions and willingness to preserve a piece of maritime history saved the wreck from certain damage. The War Eagle is only one of over 500 steamboats claimed by the Mississippi River.

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