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Editor’s
Growing up in Coffeeville on the Tombigbee River and loving history, I have always been fascinated with steamboats and have done a lot of research on the old boats that hauled both passengers and freight on our local rivers. So, on a recent business trip to Kansas City, Missouri I was completely enthralled by the Museum of the Steamboat Arabia, the saga of how a wrecked 1856 sidewheeler was found, excavated and its artifacts—some 200 tons in all—were put on display. A fascinating collection The sheer volume of the artifacts would be enough to impress anyone. But when you add in the variety as well as the quality—some look as new as they did in 1856—the collection is one of the most fascinating I’ve ever seen. Even Smithsonian Institute professionals have expressed amazement at what is there.
Partly fueling my interest in the Arabia was the fact that it sank in 1856—the year The Clarke County Democrat started publishing. The Arabia was one of many steamboats plying the Missouri River from St. Louis to Omaha City and Logan, Nebraska, loaded with supplies for stores and pioneers, when it hit a huge snag that ripped its hull open. The 171-foot Arabia sank almost immediately. Remarkably, the 130 passengers on the boat all escaped. The only death was the drowning of a mule tied on the stern deck. Among the Arabia’s cargo were many barrels of good Kentucky bourbon whiskey and they and the many other goods on the boat lured would-be but unsuccessful salvagers. The Missouri River eventually changed course, leaving the Arabia buried 45 feet deep in a Kansas farm field a half a mile from the river. That’s where David Hawley, an amateur historian, came in. Hawley grew up on the Missouri River and loved the lore of the old boats. He researched and mapped the many wrecks along the river and in 1988 came up with the ambitious idea of excavating one. The Arabia was selected because of its immense cargo and its fame of having drawn would-be excavators for years. A family affair The venture was a family one. Hawley was joined by his father, Bob, and brother, Greg. They had been in the refrigeration business for years in Kansas City. Initially, the idea was to recover the artifacts and sell them for a nice profit. They talked to the property owner, a retired judge, Norman Sortor, who agreed to the recovery for a cut of the proceeds. In addition to digging a gigantic hole to uncover the wreckage, huge pumps had to be brought in to pump out the water that constantly flowed into it. Little by little the old hull was dug out of the muck—the remnants of the old paddlewheels were brought into the view and the boilers sitting in the center of the deck became visible. Finally, crates and barrels started to appear. The first barrel opened contained nearly 200 pieces of elegant china dishes, as perfect as the day they were packed for shipment. The cargo was a varied one: Tools, kitchen utensils, clothing preserved nearly perfectly, eye glasses, guns, pocket knives, shoes, jewelry, hats, jars and bottles of pickles and other items that looked as fresh as the day they were put up. The list goes on and on. No whiskey among the findings The much-sought after whiskey wasn’t found and it was speculated that the huge barrels floated away when the boat sank. But a case of cognac was found intact, the corks still sealing the contents. The Hawleys were so taken with the find that they decided to preserve the entire cargo and to display it in a museum. Judge Sortor also opted to give his share of the booty for a museum too, keeping only a handful of items for family members. Sortor, who had cancer, died before the excavation was completed. The family uncorked a bottle of the cognac after his funeral and drank a toast to his memory. The Hawley brothers and father admit that the project almost done them in at times. They spent $750,000 on the excavation. They say their wives nearly divorced them at times. They ended up taking on minority stockholders as a way to raise money to fund the project. They invested that much more in the museum facility and also had help from the city of Kansas City. They were all on hand to help lead newspaper editors and publishers on a tour during a private reception and their enthusiasm and love for the project was evident. They were like a bunch of kids at Christmas showing off their toys. Their efforts prove that dreams can become reality if you work hard enough at it. They are to be commended for forgoing the money they could have made from a sale and preserving the artifacts as a unit for everyone to enjoy. Full-size replica of boat’s deck The bottom deck of the steamboat is depicted in full size in the museum to give you an idea of how big it was. The rescued boilers sit where they are supposed to and one of the paddlewheels has been recreated and is hooked up so that it slowly turns as it would have paddling the boat up or down the Missouri River. This steamboat could have easily had been a steamer on the Alabama or Tombigbee rivers in south Alabama and knowing that made the display even more intriguing and more fascinating. Kansas City isn’t on the beaten path for many south Alabamians but if you ever go that way, take time to visit the Arabia Steamboat Museum. Check out the website at www.1856.com for more details. Jim Cox is editor and publisher of The Clarke County Democrat.
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