This ship log goes back in time, with newest entries at the top. We cover the Save the Delta Queen Campaign, general steamboat news and history, steamboat ancestry, paddlewheel boats wanted or for sale, and model boats; also, postings that come through surrealist.org and norimuster.com. To search this section or the whole site, go to Steamboat News Archive. If you want to post to this page, click here.





Americans Please Come Together

Paddlewheel steamboats helped to build this country, and the last remaining authentic overnight paddlewheeler is in danger, grounded and tied to a dock as a boutique hotel in Chattanooga. While we applaud the people in Chattanooga for caring for the vessel during this lull in her career, the boat's real work is to ply the rivers from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh, to Minneapolis-St. Paul, and all the way down the Mississippi River to New Orleans.

This is not a political issue, but an American issue. The Safety at Sea, or Safety of Lives at Sea Law, should only apply to ocean-going vessels. In 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama was one of the sponsors of a bill that would have granted the Delta Queen her exemption, and he made this statement along the campaign trail:

"As the last remaining authentic, operable riverboat in the world, the Delta Queen is a valuable part of our nation's heritage that we have a duty to preserve and protect for future generations. As she makes her final stops in Point Pleasant [Ohio, Oct. 7], I urge Congress to support this effort to ensure the Delta Queen may continue to serve the people of Ohio and West Virginia for years to come."
- then Senator Barack Obama, Friday October 3, 2008

Let's come together to support the Delta Queen Steamboat. Don't make it a partisan issue. It is not about unions or no unions. The boat is an American treasure that will bring jobs and economic development without costing the taxpayers anything. The boat just needs the exemption.





Steamboats.com Poll
On Oct 20, 2010, at 3:25 PM, R. William Davis wrote:

How many people would like to play a steamboat race board game that was developed and tested by the only deckhand to work on all five operating passenger steamboats, and has been tested and favorably reviewed by many other boat people?

Editor's Note: Okay, let's find out if there is a demand for a steamboat board game, because he has one ready to go!





Guestbook Posting
On Oct 25, 2010, at 11:50 AM, Ryan, William G. wrote:

name: William Ryan
location: Groton, CT
message: I have a silver pitcher approximately a foot tall with the inscription: "presented to R.L. Montgomery by the passengers on the pleasure excursion of the Steamer Planet to Lake Superior August 1855"
Any history/info on the boat, R.L. Montgomery or the pitcher would be great. If you have any info related to Steamer Planet please write to me. Thank you!!
email: Yes, include my email (encoded in SpamStopper software) email William visits to Steamboats.com: Been here a few times before

Editor's Note: There is no directory for Great Lakes boats, so can anybody offer any advice on how to look up this boat?





Guestbook Posting
On Oct 24, 2010, at 10:48 AM, raeganne franklin wrote:

Dear Nori,
I have Family records showing that my Great Great Grandmother was born on Riverboat Consignee on February 20, 1852. I don't know if this is the same boat that was blogged about but I wanted to share her story and see if there were any records on her birth in news papers or something. She was named Consignee, Kentucky, Tennessee Roberts (nick name Signee), Daughter of George C Roberts and Nancy M Roberts. She then resided in Jefferson, Iowa. I would like to know more of this boat but it doesn't seem to have many records.
-Raeganne Franklin

Editor's Note: This is the third discussion about a boat named Consignee (1st discussion, 2nd discussion). According to the Fred Way Packet Directory there was a 210 foot sternwheeler named Consignee built in 1848 in Wheeling, West Virginia. It garnered headlines on March 22, 1849 for carrying 240 settlers bound for California. The first discussion above was with a descendent of one of those California settlers. Fred Way reports that around the same time, March 18, 1949, Consignee collided with the Caroline and three people died. In the end, Fred Way notes the boat was: "Lost by stranding at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, January 10, 1852." Since your g-g-grandmother was born February 20, 1852, a month and ten days after the boat was stranded, perhaps it became a residence. Does anybody have any information about this?





Sept. 12, 2010 - This is my radio control High Wind 757 mosquito craft taking off. It is difficult to photo while operating it, but I will try to get a better video soon. This is super-fun by the way, nothing quite like it. Here's where I bought it xenonproject.com for $50 earlier this year.







Editor's Note: My friend John Lewis wrote this moving poem about our boat and asked that I post it. On Sep 3, 2010, at 10:56 AM, John Lewis wrote:

I can't speak nor can I write. These would be MY words if I could.

I am bound to the banks of the river,
By steel cable, ropes and chains,
Signs of decadence, and decay all over,
Due to neglect, mold and rains.

I was once elegant and graceful,
I was dubbed the Queen,
Now I sit here very shameful,
No longer the lady I have been.

Congress deemed me dangerous in ought' seven,
Said I didn't pass the Act of Safety at Sea,
I hope we can get a Congress by 2011,
That will realize this should not happen to me.
I am a majestic riverboat, not a ship you see.

I'm now docked in Chattanooga, Tennessee,
Sitting idle and slowly fading away,
Getting very little maintenance and TLC,
Not sure of how long I will have to stay.

I once was alive, and breathed steam as people breathe air,
I plied all the rivers, and had a large crew,
Now I am lifeless, and our Congress doesn't seem to care,
I am an old lady, who is healthy, wise, and to my passengers
And the river, I am so true.

I am the Delta Queen, a long time U.S. Veteran,
On the National Register of Historic Places,
I saved many lives in World War II,
And for my patriotic duty, our Congress has no clue.

As a participant of the many great Steamboat races,
In Louisville, Kentucky for their eventful Derby Days,
Paddling there from as far away as the Natchez Trace,
Helping to attract visitors from near and far away.

I would like to ask everyone a great favor,
With the elections coming up in November,
Could you personally request of your candidates,
Should they be elected, to come to my aid and be my savior?

I would like to return to the rivers I love so well,
Carrying passengers, with a captain and a crew,
With a little paint, some maintenance and some nails,
I would again be so graceful, elegant and the Queen you once knew.

Please help me, please save me! There will never ever be another me!

Ask all of the Senate and Representative candidates to pledge They will give a reprieve to America's oldest, overnight passenger River Steamer, The DELTA QUEEN if they are elected in November.





Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen Annual Meeting

The S&D will hold its 71st annual meeting Sept. 17-18, 2010, in Marietta, Ohio. To find information about location, accommodations, and events, go to the S&D website - click here.





Delta Queen Steamboat for Sale
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | Aug. 13, 2010
preservationnation.org

A beloved steamboat is for sale. Built in 1926, the 285-foot Delta Queen made its last voyage in 2008 and is now a floating hotel docked in Chattanooga, Tenn. Its owner, Seattle-based Ambassadors International, listed it for sale with broker PKF Capital for $4.75 million last month.

"It would definitely be good news if Ambassadors sells the Delta Queen to someone who is really interested in this National Historic Landmark boat and who is willing to take good care of her," Franz Neumeier of Save the Delta Queen said in an e-mail. "The sooner someone else owns the Delta Queen, the better."

Editor's Note: this is a good opportunity. Click here to read the whole article. Come back soon for more breaking news.





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