Old Boat Column

In a recent visit with a good friend of nearly 50 years—Capt. William F. “Bill” Judd, a retired marine surveyor from the Cincinnati area—the fact that he had, as… Read More

A lead story on the local TV news several days ago dealt with a fire at a historic house at Gallipolis, Ohio. The video reports gave images of… Read More

In 1933, the Inland Waterways Corporation (IWC) had two diesel-powered twin-screw towboats built by Midland Barge Company, Midland, Pa. These were the Franklin D. Roosevelt and Tom Sawyer. In… Read More

In the August 1, 2022, issue of The Waterways Journal, this column looked at the ill-fated “black boat” Natchez, one of a series of steam prop towboats built by… Read More

It was sad news to read in the January 29 issue of The Waterways Journal that industry leader Capt. Charles Lehman had passed away at age 91. Capt. Lehman… Read More

The “stern line” rumor mill had been rumbling for some time, but on January 19 came confirmation that the venerable J.S. Lewis had changed owners for the first time… Read More

Capt. Mike Herschler sent out some photos to a group of friends and river aficionados last week. These shots depicted a burned towboat, which just happened to be one… Read More

As the true age of diesel towboats was dawning in the late 1920s, just a few shipyards were building larger towboats of that type. Charles Ward Engineering Works at… Read More

In detailing the century-old sternwheeler Standard in the last column, mention was made that it was sold in 1939 after the original owner, Sohio Petroleum Company (Standard Oil), had… Read More

For the last Old Boat column of 2023, I wanted to feature a boat that truly deserves recognition. Seldom does a vessel last for 100 years. The beautiful… Read More