I've been reading a book about ghosts and I came across this interesting story. I'll cut it as short as I can without emitting details.
A woman's ghostly cries for help are the only clues to the disappearance of a Mississippi riverboat that vanished 106 years ago. The strange voice was first reported on the evening of 28 May 1875. More than 50 Vicksburgh students told police that they'd heard a woman screaming for help whilst they were having a picnic. The police decided it was a prank. They made a thorough search of the waters, but found nothing. This has gone on for 106 years and hundreds of different people have reported the same eerie cries.
In most cases, the screams are followed by words in French "Aidez-moi au nom de Dieu, les hommes me blessent!" ("Help me in the name of God, the men are hurting me!"). No one can explain the voice or it's message, but there are fishermen and residents of the riverbank communities who believe it is linked to a darker mystery.
On a clear day in June 1874 the riverboat, Iron Mountain set out from Vicksburgh for New Orleans carrying 57 passengers and towing a string of barges. After rounding a bend in the river, she vanished, the string of barges was found bobbing in the water, the towropes had been slashed in two. Hundreds of miles of river were dragged, but the rescuers found no trace of wreckage or bodies.
This story intrigued me because of the amount of detail in it, also there appears to have been many people experience the ghostly voice. But above all - how can a paddle boat vanish into thin air?
Full Version: Mississippi Riverboat Ghost
Unexplained Mysteries Discussion Forums > Unexplained Mysteries > Ghosts, Hauntings & The Paranormal
QUOTE(Regency @ Sep 27 2007, 04:29 PM) 
I've been reading a book about ghosts and I came across this interesting story. I'll cut it as short as I can without emitting details.
A woman's ghostly cries for help are the only clues to the disappearance of a Mississippi riverboat that vanished 106 years ago. The strange voice was first reported on the evening of 28 May 1875. More than 50 Vicksburgh students told police that they'd heard a woman screaming for help whilst they were having a picnic. The police decided it was a prank. They made a thorough search of the waters, but found nothing. This has gone on for 106 years and hundreds of different people have reported the same eerie cries.
In most cases, the screams are followed by words in French "Aidez-moi au nom de Dieu, les hommes me blessent!" ("Help me in the name of God, the men are hurting me!"). No one can explain the voice or it's message, but there are fishermen and residents of the riverbank communities who believe it is linked to a darker mystery.
On a clear day in June 1874 the riverboat, Iron Mountain set out from Vicksburgh for New Orleans carrying 57 passengers and towing a string of barges. After rounding a bend in the river, she vanished, the string of barges was found bobbing in the water, the towropes had been slashed in two. Hundreds of miles of river were dragged, but the rescuers found no trace of wreckage or bodies.
This story intrigued me because of the amount of detail in it, also there appears to have been many people experience the ghostly voice. But above all - how can a paddle boat vanish into thin air?
A woman's ghostly cries for help are the only clues to the disappearance of a Mississippi riverboat that vanished 106 years ago. The strange voice was first reported on the evening of 28 May 1875. More than 50 Vicksburgh students told police that they'd heard a woman screaming for help whilst they were having a picnic. The police decided it was a prank. They made a thorough search of the waters, but found nothing. This has gone on for 106 years and hundreds of different people have reported the same eerie cries.
In most cases, the screams are followed by words in French "Aidez-moi au nom de Dieu, les hommes me blessent!" ("Help me in the name of God, the men are hurting me!"). No one can explain the voice or it's message, but there are fishermen and residents of the riverbank communities who believe it is linked to a darker mystery.
On a clear day in June 1874 the riverboat, Iron Mountain set out from Vicksburgh for New Orleans carrying 57 passengers and towing a string of barges. After rounding a bend in the river, she vanished, the string of barges was found bobbing in the water, the towropes had been slashed in two. Hundreds of miles of river were dragged, but the rescuers found no trace of wreckage or bodies.
This story intrigued me because of the amount of detail in it, also there appears to have been many people experience the ghostly voice. But above all - how can a paddle boat vanish into thin air?
I grew up around Vicksburg and New Orleans and I've heard this story several times. It's a sad story.
I'll see what I can find for you.
I have photos, from Vicksburg, where the boat set out, but they are 30 years old and I'd have to find a way to scan them for you. Give me a day or two or three and I'll see what I can do.
Thanks Cyqe, I appreciate that, this is on Wiki as well. I'm surprised that it's not more widely known - how can a massive paddle boat vanish?
QUOTE(Regency @ Sep 27 2007, 04:29 PM)
I've been reading a book about ghosts and I came across this interesting story. I'll cut it as short as I can without emitting details.
A woman's ghostly cries for help are the only clues to the disappearance of a Mississippi riverboat that vanished 106 years ago. The strange voice was first reported on the evening of 28 May 1875. More than 50 Vicksburgh students told police that they'd heard a woman screaming for help whilst they were having a picnic. The police decided it was a prank. They made a thorough search of the waters, but found nothing. This has gone on for 106 years and hundreds of different people have reported the same eerie cries.
In most cases, the screams are followed by words in French "Aidez-moi au nom de Dieu, les hommes me blessent!" ("Help me in the name of God, the men are hurting me!"). No one can explain the voice or it's message, but there are fishermen and residents of the riverbank communities who believe it is linked to a darker mystery.
On a clear day in June 1874 the riverboat, Iron Mountain set out from Vicksburgh for New Orleans carrying 57 passengers and towing a string of barges. After rounding a bend in the river, she vanished, the string of barges was found bobbing in the water, the towropes had been slashed in two. Hundreds of miles of river were dragged, but the rescuers found no trace of wreckage or bodies.
This story intrigued me because of the amount of detail in it, also there appears to have been many people experience the ghostly voice. But above all - how can a paddle boat vanish into thin air?
A woman's ghostly cries for help are the only clues to the disappearance of a Mississippi riverboat that vanished 106 years ago. The strange voice was first reported on the evening of 28 May 1875. More than 50 Vicksburgh students told police that they'd heard a woman screaming for help whilst they were having a picnic. The police decided it was a prank. They made a thorough search of the waters, but found nothing. This has gone on for 106 years and hundreds of different people have reported the same eerie cries.
In most cases, the screams are followed by words in French "Aidez-moi au nom de Dieu, les hommes me blessent!" ("Help me in the name of God, the men are hurting me!"). No one can explain the voice or it's message, but there are fishermen and residents of the riverbank communities who believe it is linked to a darker mystery.
On a clear day in June 1874 the riverboat, Iron Mountain set out from Vicksburgh for New Orleans carrying 57 passengers and towing a string of barges. After rounding a bend in the river, she vanished, the string of barges was found bobbing in the water, the towropes had been slashed in two. Hundreds of miles of river were dragged, but the rescuers found no trace of wreckage or bodies.
This story intrigued me because of the amount of detail in it, also there appears to have been many people experience the ghostly voice. But above all - how can a paddle boat vanish into thin air?
Fascinating story. I love "missing' stories. Especially ones that are affiliated with ghostly wails in the night. Thanks for posting!
~Jackal
I've heard this story before too, and it's always fascinated me as well. The slashed tow rope does suggest river pirates, as do the ghostly cries for help if you want to count them in the mix (and there do seem to be a lot of reports that all say mostly the same thing). The cries in French would fit too, as a lot of the women on the boat were Creole and would have spoken French.
There was a theory that pirates had cut the boat apart and carried the pieces off and buried them, but personally I feel that's far-fetched. More likely, I think, that if there were pirates they killed everyone and then sank the ship. Wreckage wouldn't have necessarily been found. There are over a hundred riverboats and entire towns buried beneath the mud of the Missouri river. While the Mississippi is a bit of a different story (the reason the Missouri is so muddy -- "Big Muddy" -- is that the river bottom moves with the currents like sand dunes in a wind storm and thus the bottom is constantly changing) I'd imagine that a single riverboat, even big as they were, could easily disappear completely.
One of the most fascinating things about this mystery, IMO, is that it is a mystery that can still be solved. With new technology and all, it's perfectly possible that someday someone will locate the remains of the Iron Mountain and perhaps there'll be enough evidence left to tell what happened to her. Maybe the History Channel could be convinced to take up the challenge?
There was a theory that pirates had cut the boat apart and carried the pieces off and buried them, but personally I feel that's far-fetched. More likely, I think, that if there were pirates they killed everyone and then sank the ship. Wreckage wouldn't have necessarily been found. There are over a hundred riverboats and entire towns buried beneath the mud of the Missouri river. While the Mississippi is a bit of a different story (the reason the Missouri is so muddy -- "Big Muddy" -- is that the river bottom moves with the currents like sand dunes in a wind storm and thus the bottom is constantly changing) I'd imagine that a single riverboat, even big as they were, could easily disappear completely.
One of the most fascinating things about this mystery, IMO, is that it is a mystery that can still be solved. With new technology and all, it's perfectly possible that someday someone will locate the remains of the Iron Mountain and perhaps there'll be enough evidence left to tell what happened to her. Maybe the History Channel could be convinced to take up the challenge?
Here is an interesting link I have found:
http://perdurabo10.tripod.com/ships/id233.html
According to this account, one woman did actually die in the sinking but everyone else escaped. Some wreckage was found but not the ship itself.
http://perdurabo10.tripod.com/ships/id233.html
According to this account, one woman did actually die in the sinking but everyone else escaped. Some wreckage was found but not the ship itself.
Interesting, but going to have to look into this some more. According to the story in this link, the ship was sold in 1897 to the company that owned her when she was lost in 1882. Let me google it a bit and check some history sources I have and see what I can find to substantiate or refute this version of the story.
Edit: Well, I'm not finding anything either way. The link above doesn't include any sources. The disparity of years could easily just be a typo, but it's also possible that whoever compiled the story is confusing two different boats of the same name. The traditional story of the Iron Mountain is coming up on a couple of official Mississippi tourism sites, (with the year of the sinking/disappearance as 1872 rather than 1882) but that doesn't necessarily mean anything either.
What I was hoping to find was a more contemporary source for one of the versions of the story, perhaps in a county history of the sort that were compiled for counties all over the U.S. during the 1870s to 1890s, but I'm not seeing anything online. If this was Missouri history I'd know where to look, but I'm running out of ideas. Anyone in Vicksburg want to check old newspapers at your local library? They should have a story about it in late March or early April 1882 (or 1872) whichever version is right. It'll probably be on microfilm.
Edit: Well, I'm not finding anything either way. The link above doesn't include any sources. The disparity of years could easily just be a typo, but it's also possible that whoever compiled the story is confusing two different boats of the same name. The traditional story of the Iron Mountain is coming up on a couple of official Mississippi tourism sites, (with the year of the sinking/disappearance as 1872 rather than 1882) but that doesn't necessarily mean anything either.
What I was hoping to find was a more contemporary source for one of the versions of the story, perhaps in a county history of the sort that were compiled for counties all over the U.S. during the 1870s to 1890s, but I'm not seeing anything online. If this was Missouri history I'd know where to look, but I'm running out of ideas. Anyone in Vicksburg want to check old newspapers at your local library? They should have a story about it in late March or early April 1882 (or 1872) whichever version is right. It'll probably be on microfilm.
Thanks for looking Elfstone. I would have thought if it had actually disappeared with all those people, every one would know about it? I can't descern if the people off the barges had vanished as well, if they hadn't they might have seen what had happened.
This is what it says on Wiki
The Iron Mountain was a stern-wheeler that plied the Mississippi River from 1864 until 1872.
Built in 1864 it was 54.86 meters long (180 feet) and had a 10.67 metre (35 foot) beam. Its fame comes from the fact that in June 1872 when travelling from New Orleans to Pittsburgh, loaded with cotton and sugar it disappeared. It left Vicksburg with a string of barges following and 55 crew and passengers. It headed North and was never seen again. A following steamer, the Iroquois Chief, found the Iron Mountain's barges. The tow rope had been cut rather than broken. The barges were the only remains ever found.
This is what it says on Wiki
The Iron Mountain was a stern-wheeler that plied the Mississippi River from 1864 until 1872.
Built in 1864 it was 54.86 meters long (180 feet) and had a 10.67 metre (35 foot) beam. Its fame comes from the fact that in June 1872 when travelling from New Orleans to Pittsburgh, loaded with cotton and sugar it disappeared. It left Vicksburg with a string of barges following and 55 crew and passengers. It headed North and was never seen again. A following steamer, the Iroquois Chief, found the Iron Mountain's barges. The tow rope had been cut rather than broken. The barges were the only remains ever found.
Yes, that's about what it says on the Mississippi state tourism sites too. I don't think the barges in question would have had people on them. They were basically just rafts tied on after the boat to increase the amount of cargo that the boat could take on its run.
I found an interesting list of items relating to riverboats in the possession of the Missouri Historical Society (tickets, menus, letters from people describing riverboat trips, bills of lading, all sorts of stuff) but no mention of the Iron Mountain. And the Iron Mountain that the boat was named after was apparently a place in Missouri, so most of what I found related to there. I'm curious about this now and, I have to admit, I hate to give up a good ghost story too easily. Vicksburg is in Warren County, so there's a good chance that if there's a History of Warren County from the 1880s it will mention the Iron Mountain, whatever the true story is. Wish I could go up to the National Records Administration in KC or the big genealogy library in St. Joseph to look for it, but my car's making a funny thumping and I don't like to drive it too far. :/
I found an interesting list of items relating to riverboats in the possession of the Missouri Historical Society (tickets, menus, letters from people describing riverboat trips, bills of lading, all sorts of stuff) but no mention of the Iron Mountain. And the Iron Mountain that the boat was named after was apparently a place in Missouri, so most of what I found related to there. I'm curious about this now and, I have to admit, I hate to give up a good ghost story too easily. Vicksburg is in Warren County, so there's a good chance that if there's a History of Warren County from the 1880s it will mention the Iron Mountain, whatever the true story is. Wish I could go up to the National Records Administration in KC or the big genealogy library in St. Joseph to look for it, but my car's making a funny thumping and I don't like to drive it too far. :/
I lived and worked in Rock Island Ill. on and off for a year or so...some of those seedy riverside bars (now really nice) and empty, boarded up old buildings (gone or renovated) were really freaky on there own...we used to go to a bar in a gambling riverboat docked there called "The Presidential" (think)...very creepy place plus you can feel the whole giant structure moving with the occasional wake of another large passing vessel...really cool to take a ride on one of these , play a little black jack then go out on the deck and enjoy the Mississippi River 
....b
SO stuck in my head
halfhandshuffle:Siouxsie & The Banshees-Peek-A-Boo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PjUY8IXvnA
....bSO stuck in my head
halfhandshuffle:Siouxsie & The Banshees-Peek-A-Boo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PjUY8IXvnA
Ahh, thanks for the info, a barge over here in the UK is like a longboat that people take holidays on up and down the canals.
It's surprising how little information there is on the net about this.
Elfstone - you should be a detective, a ghost detective (I'm not mentioning Fred and Daphne).
It's surprising how little information there is on the net about this.
Elfstone - you should be a detective, a ghost detective (I'm not mentioning Fred and Daphne).
I write mysteries, does that count? Actually, though, I'd probably be Velma since I'm short and wear thick glasses.
It is odd how little info there is. Someday perhaps we'll find out.
And, Barek, I have a good friend in Rock Island! Small world, isn't it?
Actually, though, I'd probably be Velma since I'm short and wear thick glasses.It is odd how little info there is. Someday perhaps we'll find out.
And, Barek, I have a good friend in Rock Island! Small world, isn't it?
QUOTE(Elfstone810 @ Sep 30 2007, 01:39 PM)
I write mysteries, does that count? Actually, though, I'd probably be Velma since I'm short and wear thick glasses.
It is odd how little info there is. Someday perhaps we'll find out.
And, Barek, I have a good friend in Rock Island! Small world, isn't it?
I stayed at the "Plaza Inn" downtown RI for a few months and the Holiday Inn by the Quad city Airport for almost 4 months in the early 90s (indoor poolside suite Actually, though, I'd probably be Velma since I'm short and wear thick glasses.It is odd how little info there is. Someday perhaps we'll find out.
And, Barek, I have a good friend in Rock Island! Small world, isn't it?
..always smelled like chlorine 
)....bhalfhandshuffle:Alice In Chains-Dirt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAZcFVuSo0M
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