On this day in history, February 12, 1869, the tragic fire and sinking of the sidewheel steamboat Mittie Stephens claimed 61 lives on Caddo Lake near the Texas-Louisiana border as the burning vessel sank on its way to Jefferson, the terminus of the vessels New Orleans – Jefferson run. The disaster serves as a somber reminder of the dangers faced by early riverboat travelers and the vital role these vessels played in Texas commerce during the post-Civil War era.
The Mittie Stephens began its journey as a Missouri River boat before being pressed into service by the Union during the Civil War. After serving in Admiral Porter’s fleet during the Shreveport campaign, the vessel found new life along the New Orleans-Red River route, making regular stops in Jefferson, Texas – then a bustling river port that saw hundreds of steamboats pass through its waters annually.
The fatal voyage began on February 5, 1869. After a stop in Shreveport, 107 passengers and crew were headed to Jefferson. The tragedy began when a simple spark from the boat’s torch baskets ignited bales of hay aboard the vessel. The tragedy could have been worse, but two heroic crew members, carpenter Phil Hill and deckhand Jacob Sterlin braved the flames to carry 20 kegs of gunpowder from the hold to the deck and throw it overboard before it exploded. Despite efforts to reach shore, the steamboat became grounded in shallow water, leading to catastrophic loss of life as passengers were caught in the still-turning paddle wheels while trying to escape the flames. Today, the Mittie Stephens disaster remains one of Texas’ most significant maritime tragedies, with archaeological efforts in the 1980s working to preserve this important piece of state history. The wreckage was finally located in the early 1990’s, being found on land as the lake is significantly lower today than it was in 1869.
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1913 Article Recalling Tragedy