It had been a lovely visit with her family in St. Louis. Ethel Bronson Patterson’s parents, Edward and Ida Emeline Bronson, had spent time with their grandchildren, two-year-old Archie and his nine-month-old sister Dorothy, while Ethel had enjoyed seeing her brother again. But the visit had come to an end and a return home was in order, a trip her mother planned to make with her, supposedly to assist with the care of the children as the family made their way back to Nashville, but the thought of an extended visit with the little ones might also have played a part in her decision. 

They boarded the steamer The City of Saltillo at 7:00 the evening of May 11th; its ultimate destination was Waterloo, Alabama with stops at several river ports along the way. There were 27 passengers in all, several of whom were aboard as guests of Jennie Rhea, the wife of Isaac Taylor Rhea who owned the Tennessee River Packet Co.—which owned and operated The City of Saltillo. 

Some of the travelers had retired immediately after dinner, intending to rise early the next morning in order to see Halley’s Comet, while the younger ones proceeded to dance the night away. As the steamer approached the river port of Glen Park the pilot realized the boat was being drawn to the shore. Frantically, he tried to steer The Saltillo into the channel, but his efforts to turn the boat failed. With no other options, he ordered the engines thrown into reverse, but the steamer struck the rocks that had been hidden by the high stage of the river and the smoke from a nearby lime kiln. Lurching to one side, the deck and cabins began to fill with water as the timbers of the hull could be heard splintering. Members of the crew of 30 and some of the male passengers began running from cabin to cabin, trying to rouse those who had already settled in for the night. In the chaos that ensued a fire broke out at the rear of the boat; even though it was quickly extinguished by the water rushing onto the deck, the sight of the flames only increased the panic already overwhelming the passengers and crew.

Within five minutes, The City of Saltillo was resting on her side on the bottom of the river in 20 feet of water. 

In an effort to evacuate the boat, the gang plank had been lowered. The Saltillo was close enough to shore that reaching it should not have been a problem. The crew had done it hundreds of times before, at all hours of the day and night, but the darkness and the chaos and the smoke hid the danger that waited for anyone who chose to try and cross. At the captain’s cry of “Women and children first!” it quickly filled with those desperate to escape. While The Saltillo was continuously being pulled by the current and listing to one side, the gang plank became entangled in the trees on shore, causing it to flip. Everyone who had rushed onto it, believing it to be their bridge to safety, was thrown into the swirling water. Everyone including Ethel Patterson and her son Archie. As narrated by Mrs. William Hawkes, one of Mrs. Rhea’s guests:

“I did not go out on the gang plank, but many of the women did. Among them was Mrs. Patterson, clasping her two year old child in her arms. So far as I can remember, all of the women now known to be drowned were on the gang plank. Mrs. Patterson went down with her son in her arms . . .”

That night 13 people lost their lives—seven passengers and six members of the crew who were attempting to help the women cross safely to the shore. One of those, C. S. Baker, the first clerk on The Saltillo, died trying to save Ethel. As word of the tragedy spread, family members of those missing rushed to the scene, intent upon searching for their loved ones. Ethel’s husband Archibald McDougal Patterson and her brother-in-law Charles Hillman Corbett were among those who came, hoping for a miracle, knowing one was not to be. Her body was eventually recovered and brought to Savannah, Tennessee for burial in the city cemetery, in the spaces reserved for the Patterson and McDougal families. Her mother and daughter survived because they stayed behind on the boat rather than attempting to reach the shore.

Today Ethel’s grave is marked by a monument of granite which bears on one side her name and dates of birth and death. On the front are etched the words “Sacred to the memory of the wife and son of A. M. Patterson who were lost in the wreck of Str City of Saltillo on the Mississippi River near St. Louis, MO.” Opposite his mother’s inscription you will find the name of Archibald McDougal Patterson, Jr. who was born August 29, 1907 and who died on that fateful night, May 11, 1910. And beneath his name and dates of birth and death are the words “His body not recovered”.

About the author:  Lisa Shackelford Thomas is a fourth-generation member of a family that’s been in funeral service since 1926.  She has been employed at Shackelford Funeral Directors in Savannah, Tennessee for over 45 years and currently serves as the manager there.  Any opinions expressed here are hers and hers alone and may or may not reflect the opinions of other Shackelford family members or staff.