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One of the worst disasters in the history of United States inland navigation occurred at midnight, Friday, July 5, 1918, when the excursion steamboat Columbia hit a submerged stump and sank into the Illinois River with 496 passengers near Wesley City (present-day Creve Coeur). Eighty-seven passengers, mostly women and children, drowned in the submerged wreckage.
This pamphlet is reproduction of a booklet created shortly after the disaster. This booklet contains 4 photos of the Columbia wreckage including the efforts to recover victims. along with supporting text.
