Wilcox County is no stranger to riverboat accidents, sinkings

Last week in this space, I wrote about the sinking of The Henderson, a famous riverboat, in April 1825. That story generated a lot of conversation among local history buffs about other Alabama River riverboat accidents in Wilcox County. Over the past 200 years, there have been countless riverboat accidents and sinkings on the Alabama River, but the two most famous with Wilcox County ties are the sinkings of the Orline St. John and the Sunny South.

The Orline St. John was a 349-ton side-wheel steamboat that caught fire and burned on the Alabama River on March 5, 1850. On its way from Mobile to Montgomery, it was overloaded with 120 passengers and crew and tons of valuable cargo. The boat caught fire when sparks, most likely from the ship’s boilers, ignited its cargo of highly-flammable, resin-soaked pine logs.

The ship’s crew, led by Capt. Timothy Meaher, ran the ship aground, but not before many aboard burned alive or drowned after jumping into the cold waters of the Alabama River. In all, at least 40 people lost their lives on the final voyage of the Orline St. John, including every woman and child aboard. In the aftermath, some bodies were found weeks later as far as 75 miles downriver.

The sinking of the Orline St. John was international news at the time with reports of the disaster appearing in newspapers as far away as London and Paris. Today, the most visible remnant of the Orline St. John disaster can be found in the historic Camden Cemetery. Just a short walk from the Fall Street entrance to the graveyard, you’ll find a pile of old bricks over what is said to be a mass grave where the victims of the Orline St. John riverboat tragedy were laid to rest.

Much less is apparently known about the sinking of the Sunny South. This sidewheel riverboat was built in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1860 and caught fire and sank in January of 1867. On its way between Montgomery and New Orleans, it was loaded with passengers and a cargo of over 1,000 bales of cotton. Reports vary, but it’s said that a fire in the boat’s kitchen most likely resulted in the ship’s sinking.

No one was reportedly killed in the Sunny South sinking, but it did lose its cargo of 1,045 bales of cotton. Today, the most visible remnant of this old steamboat is the town of Sunny South, which takes its name from the old steamer. Exactly where this riverboat sank is up for debate with some saying that it sank near Portland, while others say it sank near the present-day town of Sunny South.

In the end, I’d like to hear from anyone in the reading audience with more information about the Orline St. John and the Sunny South. Also, let me hear from you if you know of any other riverboat accidents in the Alabama River in Wilcox County. No doubt there are many other old riverboat wrecks that lie beneath the muddy waters of the river, just waiting to be rediscovered.