I have used the Gibson book before, and I appreciate your bringing it up. I personally use Frederick Way, Jr.'s "Way's Packet Directory, 1848-1994," although Way's pithy narratives on the vessels are weak on Civil War factual accuracy. Nevertheless, Way's reference is quite good on the vessels and their beginnings, stats, and destinies. I would use the Gibson book more, but it is inconvenient for me to reach it.

I will give what I found in Way's book about the fate of the vessels you name:

"Eclipse" p. 140: The captain "...afterwards stated that he had notified the USQMD that the boilers were leading and unsafe, and had asked that repairs be made. He was overruled." That tends to rule out sabotage to me.

"Miami" p. 321: Way used the word "accident," but gives few details that would allow us to re-examine the circumstances.

"W.R.Carter" p. 477 reference the tubular boilers, "The U.S. Inspectors outlawed tubular boilers soon after the CARTER exploded, and many packets were promptly taken out of service until reboilered with proven Western style boilers." That tends to rule out sabotage to me.

"Bostona," "Ida Handy," and "James Raymond" pp. 59, 220, 242: Way did not address the cause of the fire that destroyed these three at St. Louis. You may wish to examine what the three or more St. Louis daily newspapers said on microfilm about the cause of this fire that must have begun on one vessel and spread to the others.

Your inference about re-examining the cause of the fires and explosions that destroyed these vessels that had been or were in U.S. service at the time of their demise is well taken, but it would be difficult to research. What I recall reading seems to indicate that all war-related sabotage ceased after the "Sultana" disaster, but I would be open to carefully researched findings. I am certainly no expert on such matters. I simply write about them based on the best evidence I can find strictly from a Missouri perspective.

Bruce Nichols