1863: The side-wheel steamer Ruth was destroyed by fire on the Mississippi River. The Ruth was built in Jeffersonville, Indiana in 1862 displaced 702 tons and was 270 feet long. She was immediately put into service as a Union transport ship. On Aug. 3 Ruth departed St. Louis bound for Vicksburg, Mississippi, loaded with war supplies and $2.6 in military payroll for General Grant's army. The fire broke out six miles south of Cairo, Illinois and the ship was destroyed. Thirty people were killed in the blaze, the supplies were lost but, (treasure hunters don't even think it) the money, which was stored in a safe, was recovered. The cause of the fire was considered to be arson, set by a Confederate mail runner. A book by Absalom Grimes, also a Rebel mail runner, confirmed this and named Robert Louden as the culprit.