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Boiler, or bomb, the Sultana sank on April 27, eighteen sixty five 
Taking down with her, a good rounded off number of 1,800 lives

Carrying Union soldiers, who were ex-prisoners of war, up north
From Vicksburg heading high up the Mississippi river, it set forth

The weather was not so good as the Mississippi river was flooded
So the Mississippi river waters was deep, cold, dark, and mudded 

A boat meant to carry 3 hundred and 76 passengers, and its crew
Now carrying over 2,000 passengers, anxiety to its load as be due

There were two other boats in dock that day, they as sailed empty
Had all the boats been used, the space would have been be plenty

Worse to come is the tale of Reuben Hatch, and, Captain J Mason
What was going through their minds, to the task they were facing

Capt. James Mason was way more than just a little bit complacent
And knowing of a cracked boiler, had the repair job on it hastened

Protests was given, but chief engineer Wintringer chose to ignore
Capt. George Williams there as, ushers the ex-prisoners on board

The weight of so many men, caused deck floor boards, as to bend
Beams were then hastily erected to take this so overbearing trend

It was said the boiler blew, taking out the 2 others, on either side
In that one blast; it is said, a total of a few hundred instantly died

And with it the pilot house, the captain of the boat was now gone
As the steam shot up they all would have been cooked like prawns

Then the two stacks then fell, taking along, a whole host of others
Men now as already ill, tired, or injured from the war, all brothers

Hundreds upon hundreds jumped into the water, or left to be fried
As none swimmers; clung together, because of this, in groups died

Even, before the day was over, investigation of the sinking started
With unhidden facts that were disgracefully hid being disregarded

Where the facts of Reuben Hatch, were to say more than a bit odd
Because from 1861, really shouldn’t have been round to do the job

But; his brother Ozias Hatch who had the links to President Lincoln
And this link, was no other than as corrupted, and was left stinking

Hatch was a man who would sell his soul, if he can make some cash
Who quickly retired to save himself from taking any of the backlash

This history is forgotten, or buried, did anyone out there really care
When over 2,000 odd passengers aboard, only 500, were as spared

And, maybe more so died, as stowaways upon the Sultana were rife
So we can never really know how many unknowns also lost their life

Was it an accident, incompetence, or worse still, of a deliberate act
It was unhealthily pointing to a faulty steam boiler that had cracked

As belief was held, it was the confederates that blew up the Sultana
But; folk would say this was just pure speculation, thus propaganda

Sympathy was given to all of the remaining survivors as to them due
But; with no accountability, all the victims lost aboard were screwed
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