Two weeks ago, this column looked at a boat built by the Nashville Bridge Company, and last week we looked at a boat built at St. Louis. While… 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 1932, a small, relatively insignificant towboat was launched at East St. Louis, Ill., by the St. Louis Structural Steel Company. It had a steel hull of 64… Read More
Early in the 20th century, a Philadelphia industrialist named Samuel Horner Jr. built a cement mill a short distance from the banks of the Ohio River and a few… Read More
Charles F. Richardson, president of West Kentucky Coal Company. (Photo from Leahy’s ‘Who’s Who on the Ohio River,’ 1931 – D.Smith collection) In 1921, the Eichleay Contracting Company,… Read More
The James Rees & Sons Company, with origins dating back to 1848, operated at what is now the foot of Stanwix Street on the left bank of the… Read More
As indicated by several histories of the local area, the construction of boats and river equipment in or near the town of Dubuque, Iowa, dates to the 1850s. A… Read More
The Charles Ward Engineering Works, Charleston, W.Va., had experienced success with building tunnel-stern, propeller-driven towboats such as the James Rumsey of 1903 and the A.M. Scott of 1906. In… Read More
Early in the 20th century, the Charles Ward Engineering Works, Charleston, W.Va., became known for building tunnel-stern prop-driven towboats. The James Rumsey, built in 1903 by Ward, had a… Read More
As mentioned in this column in the March13 issue, the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation (J&L) broke with tradition in 1931 and had two steam prop towboats built… Read More
About this time each year, those involved in navigation on the Missouri River are anticipating the start of the navigation season. The Corps reservoirs typically release water to… Read More
