Arabia (steamboat): Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Historical boat}}

{{More citations needed|date=April 2024}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}

|Ship fate=Sank after hitting tree snag.

|Ship identification=In 1897, there was an 'expedition' to the buried ship to recover a large amount of whiskey reported to be onboard. The [[ Caisson_(engineering) | caisson]] used during this excavation was left in place and recovered during the 1988 excavation.

|Ship crew= Approximately 30

The '''''Arabia''''' is a [[paddle steamer|side wheeler]] [[steamboat]] that sank in the [[Missouri River]], on September 5, 1856, when it was gored upon a submerged tree [[snag (ecology)|snag]]. It was rediscovered in 1988 by a team of local researchers in what became [[Kansas City, Kansas]]. Its recovered artifacts are housed in the [[Arabia Steamboat Museum]].

==History==

[[File: Paddle Arabia Steamboat Museum.jpg|thumb|The paddlewheelof''Arabia'' is located at the [[Arabia Steamboat Museum]] in Kansas City.]]

The ''Arabia'' was built in 1853 around the [[Monongahela River]] in [[Brownsville, Pennsylvania]]. Its [[paddle wheel]]s were {{convert|28|ft}} across, and its steam boilers consumed approximately thirty [[:wikt:cord|cords]] of wood per day. It averaged {{convert|5|mi|km}} per hour going upstream. It traveled the [[Ohio River|Ohio]] and [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]] rivers, and was then bought by Captain John Shaw, who operated it on the [[Missouri River]]. Its first trip was to carry 109 soldiers from [[Fort Leavenworth]] to [[Fort Pierre, South Dakota|Fort Pierre]], which was located up river in [[South Dakota]]. It then traveled up the [[Yellowstone River]], adding {{convert|700|mi}} to the trip. The trip totaled nearly three months.<ref name="TreasuresoftheArabia">{{cite web|url=http://www.glswrk-auction.com/102.htm|title=Treasures of the Arabia|accessdate=March 23, 2010|location=[[Parkville, Missouri]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323132117/http://www.glswrk-auction.com/102.htm|archive-date=March 23, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In March 1856, the ''Arabia'' was stopped and searched by pro-slavery [[Border Ruffians]] near [[Lexington, Missouri]]. According to newspaper accounts at the time, a Pennsylvania abolitionist aboard the ''Arabia'' dropped a letter, which was discovered and handed over to Captain Shaw. The letter described guns and cannons en route to the slavery-free [[Kansas Territory]] from the abolitionist [[New England Emigrant Aid Company|Massachusetts Aid Society]]. Boxes labeled "Carpenters Tools" containing 100 rifles and 2 cannons were confiscated.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Lexington Weekly Express| title=Lexington Weekly Express | date=March 14, 1856}}</ref><ref name="seizure">{{cite news | newspaper=The Perrysburg Journal | title=Seizure of Arms. | page=3 | date=March 29, 1856 | location=[[Perrysburg, Ohio]] | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/194766608/ | url-access=registration | access-date=July 8, 2023}}</ref>

Also in March 1856, the ''Arabia'' was sold to Captain William Terrill and William Boyd, and it made fourteen trips up and down the Missouri during their ownership. In March, it collided with an obstacle (either a rock or a sand bar), nearly sinking with a damaged rudder.<ref>{{cite news| newspaper=Daily Missouri Democrat| title=Daily Missouri Democrat | date=March 18, 1856}}</ref> Repairs were made in nearby Portland. A few weeks later, a cylinder head blew and was repaired.<ref name="TreasuresoftheArabia" />

[[File:Arabia Steamboat Museum June 2022 04 (Treasures of the Steamboat Arabia).jpg|thumb|Dishes were recovered from the ''Arabia''.]]

[[File:Supplies1 Arabia Steamboat Museum.jpg|thumb|Cargo included wooden supplies.]]

On September 5, 1856, the ''Arabia'' set out for a routine trip.<ref name="Humanities">{{cite interview | interviewer=Bruce Cole | first1=David | last1=Hawley | first2=Greg | last2=Hawley | url=http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2004-11/sunkentreasure.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922044320/http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2004-11/sunkentreasure.html | archive-date=September 22, 2008 | title=Uncovering a Sunken Treasure | magazine=[[Humanities (magazine)|Humanities]] | date=November 2004 | volume=25 | issue=6 }}</ref>At[[Quindaro Townsite|Quindaro Bend]], near [[Parkville, Missouri]], it hit a submerged [[sycamore]] tree [[snag (ecology)|snag]]. The hull was ripped open and flooded with water. The upper decks stayed above water, and the only casualty was a mule that was tied to sawmill equipment below deck and overlooked.

The boat sank so rapidly into the mud that by the next morning, only the smokestacks and pilot house remained visible. Within a few days, these traces were also swept away. Numerous salvage attempts failed, and eventually the ''Arabia'' was completely covered by water. Over time, the river shifted {{convert|0.5|mi|m}} to the east.<ref name="TreasuresoftheArabia" /> The site of the sinking is in a field within what became [[Kansas City, Kansas]].<ref name=Exact_location>Excavation location is on aerial photographs near Nearman Power Plant, [[Kansas City, Kansas]] {{coord|39|10|27|N|94|40|22|W}}, ([https://here4now.typepad.com/here4now/2011/06/kansas-city-part-i-steamboat-arabia.html Kansas City Part I: Steamboat Arabia])</ref>

In 1987, Bob Hawley and his sons, Greg and David, set out to find the ''Arabia''. They used old maps and a proton [[magnetometer]] to figure out the probable location, and finally discovered it {{convert|0.5|mi}} from the modern location<ref name=Exact_location/> of the river under {{convert|45|ft|m}} of silt and topsoil.

The owners of the farm gave permission for excavation, with the condition that the work be completed before the spring planting. The Hawleys, along with family friends Jerry Mackey and David Luttrell, set out to excavate the ''Arabia'' during winter while the water table was at its lowest point. On November 13, 1988 they started excavating. <ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Hawley, Hartley |first=Gregory, William |title=Before the Arabia Sank: Mormon Passengers up the Missouri in 1856 |url=https://ensignpeakfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/NJ10.2_Hawley.pdf |url-status= |work=Ensignpeakfoundation |pages=111}}</ref>They performed a series of drilling tests to exactly locate the hull, then marked the perimeter with powdered chalk. Heavy equipment, including a 100-ton crane, was brought in by both river and road transport during the summer and fall. Twenty irrigation pumps were installed around the site to lower the water level and to prevent flooding. The {{convert|65|ft|m|adj=mid}} deep wells removed {{convert|20000|gal|L}} per minute from the ground.

On November 26, 1988, the ''Arabia'' was exposed. Four days later, its artifacts began to appear, beginning with a vulcanized rubber overshoe. On December 5, a wooden crate filled with elegant china was unearthed. The mud was such an effective preserver that the yellow packing straw was still visible. Thousands of artifacts were recovered intact, including jars of preserved apples that were still edible. Many pieces of the boat, including the boilers, one engine, and the anchor, were salvaged as well.<ref name=":0" /> The artifacts are housed in the [[Arabia Steamboat Museum]].<ref name="TreasuresoftheArabia" /><ref name="kcs120423">{{cite news |first1=Suzanne P. |last1=Cole |first2=Tim |last2=Engle |first3=Eric |last3=Winkler |work=[[The Kansas City Star]] |title=50 things every Kansas Citian should know |url=http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/19/3564081/50-things-every-kansas-citian.html |date=April 23, 2012 |accessdate=April 23, 2012}}</ref> Although there are thousands of artifacts displayed in the museum already, there are still tons of cargo that need preserving.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History in a cornfield Steamboat Arabia |url=https://todaysfarmermagazine.com/mag/131-arabia |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=todaysfarmermagazine.com}}</ref>

On February 11, 1989, work ceased at the site, and the pumps were turned off. The hole filled with water overnight. The site was filled and reclaimed as farmland.

{{Reflist}}

*{{Official website|https://1856.com}}

[[Category:Ships built in Brownsville, Pennsylvania]]

[[Category:1988 archaeological discoveries]]