Arabia Steamboat

The Steamboat "Arabia" was a side wheeler steamboat which hit a snag in the Missouri River and sank near what today is Parkville, Missouri, on September 5, 1856. Thousands of artifacts from the steamboat and its cargo that were recovered are now on display in the Steamboat Arabia Museum in the River Market district of Kansas City, Missouri.

Construction and career

Built in 1853 on the banks of the Monongahela River in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, about convert|25|mi|km south of Pittsburgh, the "Arabia" was convert|171|ft|m in length and had a width of convert|29|ft|m, capable of carrying a full 222 tons of cargo. She was a wood burner, using up to 30 cords each day. The "Arabia" traveled down the Ohio River and onto the Mississippi River, then up to St. Louis where for the next 18 months, it would ply the waters of both rivers carrying cargo and passengers to the many river towns. In the spring of 1856, the "Arabia" entered the swift currents of the muddy Missouri for the first time. 1856 started off poorly for the "Arabia". In March while heading up river, the boat collided with an obstacle and nearly sank, requiring repairs at nearby Portland. Three weeks later she blew a cylinder head and was forced to return to St. Louis. Despite these problems the "Arabia" was able to make fourteen trips between St. Louis and the frontier communities between March and August 1856.

Final voyage and sinking

On August 30, 1856, the "Arabia" began its final voyage up the Missouri. After a short stop at the town of Kansas, (now Kansas City, Missouri), she again started heading upriver. The "Arabia" never made another port-of-call. Less than one hour above Kansas City at Quindaro Bend, the steamboat "Arabia" hit a large walnut tree just below the water level. It ripped through the "Arabia"'s hull smashing crates of cargo packed inside. Within seconds, thousands of gallons of muddy Missouri River water swamped the boat. Over 200 tons of cargo destined for frontier merchants was lost. Fortunately no loss of human life had occurred. The following eyewitness account was given by a Mr. Able D. Kirk:

We embarked on the boat in St. Louis and had been on the water about 10 days.The boat was heavily loaded with freight but did not have a large number of passengers.One evening when many of the passengers were at supper the boat struck a snag. We feltthe shock and at once the boat started sinking. There was a wild scene on board. Theboat went down till the water came over the deck and the boat keeled over on one side.The chairs and stools were tumbled about and many of the children nearly fell into thewater. Several of the men on board seized the life boat and started for the shore, butthey came back and the women and children were put in the boat. They called for a smallman to go with the boat and I was small and got on board. The river bank at the pointwere we landed had been carving off and was very steep. I climbed out and pulled thewomen ashore. Horses and wagons came down from Parkville, and took us to the hotel forthat night. Many of the trunks and valises were taken off the boat and stacked up inthe woods near the river. That night they were broken open by thieves and all thevaluables were taken out. We were taken on the steamboat, James H. Lucus, and when wewent aboard all that could by seen of the Arabia was the top of the pilot house. Thatsank out of sight in a short time.

Discovery and recovery

From the beginning of time swift-moving bodies of water like the Missouri River changed course, depth would rise then fall, and the river would again move its banks to another location. In the beginning and for years after, the story of the steamboat "Arabia" was told and retold by locals in barber shops and bar rooms, until eventually the boat's exact location became lost.

In 1987 the four-man team of Bob, David and Greg Hawley and Jerry Mackey were searching for adventure and guided by an old river map showing the approximate location of the steamship "Arabia", set out.

The hunt quickly took them to the farm of Norman Sortor, whose land bordered the Missouri River on the Kansas side.

In the early 1860s, Norman's grandfather Elisha Sortor purchased the property. From the beginning the story of the steamboat "Arabia" being on the property became part of the family's folklore, as its story was told over and over. Norman, in his youth was told of the great ship being buried somewhere on the property. Would it ever be found?

An agreement was quickly struck between Norman Sortor, the Hawley's and Mackey. Soon the attempt to locate and excavate the "Arabia" began.

Armed with the latest technology, a proton magnetometer, David Hawley began searching the Sorter farm. In only two hours the wreck was located, over one-half mile from the current river's edge and convert|45|ft|m underground.

Eighteen months later, on November 7, 1988, after assembling all needed equipment including a 100-ton crane, the long awaited dig of the riverboat "Arabia" began.

As with any new venture, problems can quickly develop. The "Arabia" lay in an old underground river channel below the water level and at the convert|20|ft|m|sing=on level of the dig, water began flowing in. To extract the water so the dig could continue, 20 wells, each about convert|65|ft|m deep, were constructed around the hull of the wreck. Each well was made of steel casings and had heavy duty water pumps placed inside. Thousands of feet of steel and plastic pipe were then installed to remove and divert the water away from the excavation site. When working at their peak these pumps would remove as much as 20,000 gallons of water per minute, sending it back into the Missouri River, over a half mile away.

With the water problem solved the digging began in earnest. Finally on November 26 a load of dirt was lifted, exposing the boat's wooden beams and paddle wheel. One hundred and thirty-two years after its sinking the steamboat "Arabia" once again saw the light of day.

Several days later, on November 30, the first of many artifacts would be found. It was a pair of Goodyear rubber shoes, patented in 1849. The crew was set to work throughout the winter when the water table was at its lowest and on December 5 the first wooden shipping barrel was lifted out of the cargo hold. When the mud-covered lid was removed a single china bowl emerged still packed in soft yellow packing straw. Before the day ended almost 200 pieces of elegant, unbroken dishware would be recovered.

And on it went; cases of eye glasses; ink wells; food bottles; medicines; spoons; bells; wrenches; guns; pocket knives; no two cases seemed to be exactly alike, all holding remains of the frontier era.

Working in shifts both day and night, the recovery continued for four months until the entire cargo of the "Arabia" was removed. After removing the cargo, heavy equipment hoisted the 25,000 pound boiler, paddle wheel structures, and finally the stern portion of the boat itself.

On Saturday evening, February 11, 1990 the excavation came to an end. The diesel generators and water pumps were turned off, workers, bulldozers, and cranes moved away from the site. Within hours, ground water returned filling in the now near empty grave of the "Arabia".

Today

Today, the remains of the "Arabia" can be viewed at the Steamboat "Arabia" Museum, in the River Market District in Kansas City, Missouri.

External links

* [http://www.1856.com "Arabia" Steamboat Museum]