You're listening to American Shadows, a production of I Heart Radio and Grimm & Mild

from Erin Manky.

The Saltena was a beautiful steamboat, a pulking vessel of wood and paddle wheels.

She was only about two years old, roughly the size of a football field, and featured

twin smokestacks from which hung a pair of elk antlers.

They were given to her as a trophy for being the fastest boat around.

She was also a workhorse.

The Saltena was originally built to ferry cotton, but when the Civil War broke out, she got

a new assignment.

She became tasked with ferrying Union troops and supplies up and down the Mississippi River.

In time, she'd begin harrying that cotton again, alongside passengers from New Orleans to

her home in St. Louis, Missouri.

Her captain, a man by the name of James Mason, was proud of her contributions to the war

efforts and how well she continued to provide an integral lifeline to communities up and

down the river.

And when he got word of Abraham Lincoln's death, he decided that he was going to once

again put her speed to the test.

He wanted to be the first boat in New Orleans to break the news of the president's assassination.

Though off they went, a captain and his ship sailing downstream, bearing bad news.

A quick stop in Vicksburg, Mississippi was meant to address the Saltena's boiler issues,

which seemed to be exacerbated under the quick pace of her run.

While he was there, Captain Mason received a lucrative offer.

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