Weekly News Summary For June 4-10, 2007:
In the late 19th and early 20th century, the small town of Catlettsburg, Ky., was regarded by some as being the “Hardwood Capitol of the World.” Nicknamed the Gate City by virtue of its being the gateway to the Big Sandy River valley, both buyers and sellers of hardwoods would fill the prestigious Alger House Hotel on Front Street as great timber rafts were floated down the small stream. At times, it was possible to literally walk across the river on the log rafts as they filled the mouth at the junction with the larger Ohio River.
With the ready availability of good-quality timber, many vessels were built at Catlettsburg, including towboats and “bat-wing” steamboats—small sidewheelers drafting only inches of water, designed to operate on the shallow upper reaches of the Big Sandy and tributaries.
A century later, the timber rafts are gone. The Alger House, Front Street and the 21 saloons which once lined it are gone, vanished due to the construction of a floodwall in the 1950s. And the batwing steamers are now only “run” as photos in historical publications. River traffic is in evidence more than ever, as the Catlettsburg harbor area is a key part of the Port of Huntington Tri-State, currently rated the largest inland port in the nation and fourth largest overall, with some 83 million tons of cargo annually, 20 million of which are handled by the nine navigable miles of the Big Sandy River. While wooden boats are gone, construction of quality vessels is still accomplished at Catlettsburg by R&D Associates, with shipyard facilities located at 100 10th St….
A breakaway barge sank about 5 a.m. May 31 into the Mississippi River. As a result, the U.S. Coast Guard closed the Mississippi River from Mile 180 near the Eads Bridge to Mile 184 at the southern end of the Chain of Rocks Canal.
The barge was part of a 15-barge tow that broke loose from the mv. John M. Rivers, Lt. j.g. Christian Barger said. The John M. Rivers is a 6,120 hp. twin screw towboat, owned by Ingram Barge Line.
At the time, the southbound vessel was putting together its tow, north of the McKinley Bridge. One barge loaded with corn floated down and struck the McKinley Bridge and sank near the bridge in the middle of the channel.
“There were other barges with some damage, but all of the other barges have been accounted for,” said Dan Mecklenborg, Ingram Barge Line’s senior vice president….
The most prestigious of several events marking Paducah’s annual Maritime Day weekend celebration took place at the Maiden Alley Cinema May 19 as the Propeller Club named two popular river industry representatives as Maritime Person of the Year and Port Person of the Year. The program concluded with the presentation of a memorial wreath honoring deceased river mariners.
This was the second year for the awards ceremony to be conducted at the movie theater adjacent to the River Heritage Museum. Last year’s event was moved inside because of a scheduling conflict with the riverfront stage. There was concern that the turnout for this year’s event might be less than previous years, when the awards were presented at the riverside park. Propeller Club officials were pleased that attendance at this year’s program was the best in memory.
Other traditional events of the weekend included the annual riverside barbecue picnic conducted by the Association of Retired Marine Personnel, the Propeller Club golf outing and fish fry at the Rolling Hills Country Club and the highly anticipated and well-attended river industry crawfish boil, sponsored this year by a record number of river firms or suppliers.
Recipient of the coveted Propeller Club Maritime Person of the Year award was Craig E. Philip, president and chief executive officer, Ingram Barge Company. During his welcoming remarks, Paducah Mayor William Paxton spoke without notes as he described his relationship with Philip.
“Craig Philip and Ingram Barge Company are special to Paducah,” he began. “I don’t think there is an individual more honest than Craig or anybody more supportive of Paducah than Craig is.”…
A $1.3 billion synthetic fuel plant to be built in Lake Charles, La., was one of three energy projects to receive approval from the Louisiana State Bond Commission.
Leucadia National Corporation plans to build a plant making natural gas from petroleum coke (petcoke) at the Lake Charles Harbor in southwest Louisiana.
Construction is expected to begin early next year and temporarily employ 3,000 people. Once opened in 2011, it will employ 150 to 200 workers.
About $1 billion of the approved funds will be Gulf Opportunity Zone financing, a federal and state program offering favorable lending terms to assist economic development projects after the 2005 hurricanes, reported the New Orleans Times Picayune.
Payment of the revenue bonds is the responsibility of the private investors, not the state.
Renewable Energy Group Inc. sponsored by St. Charles Parish, got final approval for up to $100 million in GO Zone bonds for a biodiesel production facility with a capacity of 54 million gallons per year….
Magnolia Marine Transport Company took delivery recently of its second towboat from Nichols Boat Company, Greenville, Miss. Magnolia Marine put the first one, the Mr. Lampton, into service last July. Two more are on the way, which, when completed, will give the Vicksburg, Miss.-based firm a fleet of 20 boats, ranging from 1,800 to 4,300 hp.
The Nichols-built boats are all 3,000 hp. vessels, the most recent being the Katherine Berry. While the towboat Mr. Lampton had a retractable pilothouse, the Katherine Berry has a conventional design. It was dedicated at a ceremony in Vicksburg April 24.
The new vessel measures 110 by 32 by 10 feet, three inches, and has a working draft of 8-1/2 feet. When at eight feet, the boat has a vertical clearance of 45 feet.
Its 3,000 hp. is generated at 1,600 rpm. by two Caterpillar 3512B electronic engines, which were supplied by Fabick Power Systems of Fenton, Mo.
“The engines are very fuel efficient,” said Magnolia Marine’s vice president of engineering, Dino Ross. The maximum daily fuel consumption is 2,910 gallons, he said. The towboat can hold 46,000 gallons of fuel, 9,800 gallons of water and 1,400 gallons of lube oil….
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