Old Boat Column

One of my favorite quotes about the passage of time is from the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” “Life moves pretty fast,” Bueller says. “If you don’t stop and look… Read More

In 1952, there were still many steam towboats roaming the Western Rivers of the United States. American Barge Line had seven in its fleet, all DPC prop steamers built during… Read More

A photo was taken recently of two boats beached out on the bank at Ledbetter, Ky., near Paducah. They were apparently placed there for dismantling and scrapping. Both of these… Read More

This column has previously detailed two towboats built by the fledgling Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Company that eventually morphed what’s now commonly known as “Jeffboat.” Those boats were the Progress… Read More

The last column looked at the Harper C. Patton that was built by Hines in 1954. A recent event involving a bell has prompted this look back at another boat… Read More

Having “grown up” around towboats and rivermen, then working actively on the river for more than 50 years, this writer has heard of many superstitions and omens of “bad luck”… Read More

The last three columns recounted a letter written by noted historian and author Capt. Frederick Way Jr. to the marine superintendent of Ashland Oil & Refining Company AO&R) in January… Read More

The previous two columns have been about the original Ashland Oil & Refining Company (AO&R) towboat named Ashland going missing during a flood in December 1942 and January 1943. The… Read More

In the last column, we began looking at a letter written by noted historian and author Capt. Frederick Way Jr. to M.C. Dupree, marine superintendent of Ashland Oil & Refining… Read More

It is hard to imagine today, given the plethora of communications technology available to towboats and company office personnel, but there once was a time none of that existed. Towboats… Read More