As often mentioned in this column, the Charles Ward Engineering Works, Charleston, W.Va., was an early proponent of both tunnel stern prop-driven towboats as well as boats powered by diesel… Read More
Old Boat Column
A look back into the rich history of the inland waterways transportation industry. From the earliest steam paddlewheelers to the grand sternwheel and sidewheel packets, and the eventual transition from steam to diesel, you’ll find fascinating stories and photos of a different steamboat every week.
In 1903, Pittsburgh Steel established a repair facility and machine shop on the left bank of the Monongahela River near Brownsville, Pa. In 1918, this property was purchased by… Read More
Ashland Oil & Refining Company (AO&R) was founded in 1924 as a subsidiary of the Swiss Oil Company called Ashland Refining. Paul G. Blazer was placed in charge of… Read More
This column has previously detailed vessels built by Petersen & Haecker Ltd., Blair, Neb., a shipyard that was established in the late 1930s on the right bank of the… Read More
Nine excursion vessels attended the America’s River Roots festival in Cincinnati October 8–12. Two of those were steamboats: the iconic, 111-year-old Belle of Louisville, a bona fide national historic landmark,… Read More
The recent columns regarding the steam sternwheel towboat W.P. Snyder Jr. becoming a museum exhibit in Marietta, Ohio, in 1955 touched on the fact that steam vessels were… Read More
The first Tall Stacks event was held at Cincinnati in 1988. The idea grew out of a bicentennial commission to plan how to celebrate two centuries since the… Read More
The last column detailed the early years of the steam sternwheel towboat W.P. Snyder Jr., built in 1918 on the bank of the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh by James Rees… Read More
This past week marked 70 years since the steam sternwheel towboat W.P. Snyder Jr. arrived at Marietta, Ohio, under its own power, blowing the whistle and billowing coal smoke… Read More
The Ohio River Company grew from very humble beginnings to become one of the most iconic river towing companies of the 20th century. The late Capt. Bill Judd has detailed… Read More
