This shot was taken "pre dslr" with a 4mp Minolta.  The postwork is not well done but the story is interesting.  There was a paddle wheel steamship on the Mississippi River following the end of the War Between the States or the Civil War which happened in mid 1800's.   This steamer was at the docks with other paddle boats on the southern Mississippi to take released Union(northern) prisoners home.   The Sultana had boiler problems. And the captain had problems...he crammed as many ex-prisoners on the ship as possible, perhaps because he would not pay the bribe of Union soldiers taking care of prisoner release or maybe he paid a larger bribe..I am not sure.   So, overloaded the steamer set sail full of weak and injured soldiers.

The boiler exploded. The boat went down.  Perhaps 1800 men lost their lives trying only to get back home.

There is a "Sultana Society" mostly made of older folks with relatives who perished in the tragic event.  I happened on the website one day and the kind elderly lady mailed me.  She and most others in the group are not from the soughern part of the States.   I found out the group would meet every year and visit the monument to the dead.  What I did not know is the cemetary and momument are about a 45 minute drive from my home!   We went one day, I got some images and made prints to send the kind lady.  One image was this one, with the old image of the Sultana overlaid with a photo of the monument.  She was so grateful for the pictures!  This filled my heart with joy.  She wondered how in the world I had done this image..the one here.  Well, it is simple Paint Shop Pro and not good at that.   Still, for her it was fine enough.  I pray her memories and the "society" may continue to remember the ones lost in this singular most tragic "marine" loss in the USA.   It should not have happened...but greed and foolishness ruled the day and lives paid the price while trying to only go home, in whatever condition their bodies.

TomDart.