From Big River Magazine, Jan-Feb 2003

From canoes to barges to palace steamers, the Mississippi is a virtual ship graveyard. Buried beneath its waters rest countless vessels. One of more than 500 steamboats claimed by the Mississippi River, the War Eagle rests near the city of La Crosse, Wisconsin.

The War Eagle was a 296-ton, sidewheel riverboat built in 1854 in Fulton, Ohio, for the Minnesota Packet Company at a cost of $50,000. Described as one of the finest boats on the Mississippi, the War Eagle boasted 46 staterooms, fine velvet carpets and expensive furniture. Its oak hull measured 219 by 27 feet and its overall measurements were 225 by 29 feet. It was powered by three, 14-foot boilers.

In her early years, the War Eagle helped build a river monopoly for the Galena Packet Company in Illinois. By using the swift War Eagle and implementing a rate cutting campaign, the Galena Packet Company could run rival companies out of business.

During the Civil War, the War Eagle transported troops and supplies from Minnesota across the river, where they were loaded on trains bound for Washington, D.C. The War Eagle survived its commission with minimal damage. In 1862 however, a stray bullet pierced its smokestack, while it was leaving the mouth of the Tennessee River.

In 1866 the War Eagle was acquired the by the La Crosse & St. Paul Packet Company, often referred to as the ³White Collar Line.² The company used it to transport passengers and goods between Galena, Ill., and St. Paul, in an average time of 44 hours. The War Eagle stopped at several river ports during this route, including the Milwaukee Road Railroad depot in La Crosse,
Wis. Passengers and freight could be transferred between steamships and trains at these depots, making them important transportation hubs for settlers moving to the western frontier. On the night of May 14, 1870, the War Eagle docked at the Milwaukee Road depot under order of Captain Thomas Cushing. They planned to take on additional freight and continue on to St. Paul. Unfortunately, the War Eagle would not survive the night.

At about 11:45 p.m. the captain was inspecting the shipıs cargo, when he noticed a leaking barrel of kerosene. He immediately ordered the ship’s carpenter, William T. Bennett, to tighten the barrel bands to stop the leak. According to Bennettıs testimony, his lantern caught fire and burst during the repair. The flames quickly spread to the leaking kerosene and the deck, then quickly spread throughout the ship. Bennett jumped into the river and survived. Not everyone onboard the War Eagle, was as lucky. The following account was printed in the May 17 (La Crosse) Evening Democrat:

The fire destroyed the official list of passengers and crew members, making it difficult to account for all who perished in the blaze. Seven fatalities were reported, including two children, two deckhands, James Greene, Felix Spiller (the shipıs barber) and Mary Ulrich, who was bound for Alma, Wis., to attend her sisterıs wedding. Because she was only 18 years old, Felix
Spiller was hired to look after her while on the War Eagle. When fire broke out on the ship, Mary panicked and jumped into the river. Felix Spiller followed. Both bodies were later recovered.

By the time the fire was out, the depot, warehouses, dock, sheds and grain elevators were destroyed. The nearby barge Webb was lost, and the steamers Keokuk and Mollie Mohler, also docked nearby, had sustained fire damage. The War Eagle burned to the waterline, then finally slipped beneath the river. The fire destroyed an estimated $366,000 worth of boats, buildings and goods ‹ a catastrophic financial loss.

Although a few items were salvaged from the War Eagle immediately after the tragedy, the shipwreck remained largely undisturbed until 1931, when record-low Mississippi water levels exposed the upper portions of the wreck. During this time, collectors retrieved silverware, dishes, tools and various other goods from the shallow water. As the water levels returned to normal, the War Eagle was again hidden. It wasnıt until the early 1960s, when recreational scuba gear and training became available to the general public, that the War Eagle again became accessible.

A large, private collection of artifacts from the War Eagle is on long-term loan to the La Crosse Historical Society and is currently on display at the Riverside Museum in La Crosse.

RECENT DISCOVERIES
Until recently, reports of the wreckıs position in the river varied greatly. In the spring of 2000 a series of dock pilings were to be pulled from the river bottom near the old Exxon/Mobil fleeting dock, the reported location of the War Eagle. Fearing possible damage to the shipwreck, the dock owners funded an archaeological search for the War Eagle.

I was one of the divers who surveyed the site. The river bottom was littered with debris, and the murky water provided no visibility. We felt our way along the bottom through a tangled mess of wood, metal and bricks left from the burned depot. As we moved farther away from the shoreline, we began finding artifacts likely to have come from the War Eagle. We marked the china, tools, and square nails, brought the items to the surface for identification, then returned them. We also found piles of unprocessed lead (one of the materials transported by the War Eagle) and animal bones discarded from the galley. Finally, we discovered a large section of its keel. We followed the keel and mapped out one continuous section measuring nearly 100 feet, and three other sections varying in length. In total, we located close to two hundred feet of the 219-foot hull.

During the search, we discovered that one of the dock pilings that was to be pulled from the river bottom had pierced the hull of the War Eagle. An alternative plan, which involved cutting the piling off above the wreck, was developed to help preserve the War Eagle. The dock ownerıs responsible actions and willingness to preserve a piece of maritime history saved the wreck from certain damage.