In the 1850's the side paddler Arabia hit a snag on Missouri River and sank. A few years ago a team of guys found and excavated the site and recovered most all of the cargo and many parts of the boat. All this is now housed in a museum at Kansas City Missouri. Below is the web page for the museum. Lots of neat stuff there. They have one engine and paddle wheel set up but running on air. Thought you all might like to check it out.
http://www.1856.com/Bill Hudson