Celina, thing from Grace

Grace sent this to me so I thought I should put it on here.

This poem comes from one of the greatest maritime disasters in our country's history. It was shortly after the Civil War and Lincoln's assassination when all of the prisoner transfers were going on. due to greed caused by a head officer and Captain Coxely, owner of the Sultana, a riverboat that was hired to carry union soldiers up the swollen Mississippi fiver to St. Louis, many valiant was heroes of the Union were sacrificed. Captain Coxley was in debt and sinking fast as far as finances go, so when he heard that the government was paying $5,00 per enlisted man and $10,00 for every officer, he bribed Captain Gains into putting WAY too many men on his boat. This MIGHT have worked, except that one of his steam boilers was in bad condition and had a serious bulge on the side. The Mississippi river was swollen and treacherous from the weather , and with all of the added men the boilers had to work extra had. The head boiler man aboard the boat, Nathan Kendricks, was worried and notified Coxley to the problem. But all Coxley did was have a patch put over in so that he could keep going. His greed and selfishness cost the lives of nearly 1,171 soldiers, crewmen, and passengers. 2.500 had started the trip. The boilers exploded at 1:59 a.m. on April 28th 1865 Hot water sprayed everyone and scalded many. Metal was blown all over, maiming and impaling men. Fires started all over and the boat began to sink. Men died in the flames, some jumped into the river and perished from hypothermia. Others died of their wounds. Men, Women, and children were killed and dead bodies choked the river for months after the accident. Only 150 men came out unscathed and ready to go home. men who had suffered dearly for our nation and nearly died in the prison camps were killed needlessly so that a few extra dollars would make their way into greedy men's pockets.

On the day, or April 28th, of 1865,

Soldiers who had fought for our country died.

They didn't die, from war or wounds,

Or illness in filthy camps spread,

They died as a result of greed, of men who wanted more then their daily bread.

These men didn't see, the suffering and wounded humanity,

They saw dollar signs a plenty.

They packed them all, on a boat, like animals led to the slaughter,

Most of the thought they were going home, but they never again saw their sons, wives, or daughters.

A great boiler, that had long been overworked, burst like a ticking bomb.

The damage it caused, the noise it made, was the of a ringing gong.

Men were flung, high in the air,

Only to land in flames.

Men who had fought and died for our country, died as numerous as the rain.

The water spray, scalding hot, and burned there skin bright red,

Those men who had gone through plenty enough, never again got to sleep in a bed,

Some of them leapt into the swirling waters of the Mississippi river,

Only to die there, of drowning, and cold, only to make the death toll bigger.

Women and children, also were there,

And in the sufferings, they too had to bear.

The horrid sight, the choking stench, was all as a result of greed,

These men had died, who had given their lives, as quickly as the wind blows seed.