### q1 many soldiers died in a steamboat boiler explosion > The U.S. government paid steamboat companies to transport soldiers to their homes in the North: $5 for each enlisted man and $10 for each officer, and, as a result, some companies bribed military officials in order to take on as many soldiers as possible. The Sultana departed Vicksburg with an estimated 2,400 people on board—more than 2,000 soldiers, 100 civilians and 80 crew members—six times the vessel’s legal capacity. At around 2 a.m. on April 27, just north of Memphis, three of the Sultana’s four boilers suddenly exploded and the boat caught fire. Hundreds of passengers burned to death, while hundreds more were thrown into the surging Mississippi by the force of the blast or jumped into the water to escape the flames onboard–and ended up drowning. Add to [[Misaligned Incentives]] - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fjx7fzte3d59vve8spemyqc2) - [[5 Maritime Disasters You Might Not Know About by Elizabeth Nix#q1 many soldiers died in a steamboat boiler explosion|View in Vault]]