While the large steam sternwheel Jack Rathbone was under construction at the Marietta Manufacturing Company at Point Pleasant, W.Va., in 1937, a small diesel towboat was also being built at… 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.
We detailed the A.M. Scott in the April 10, 2023, issue of The Waterways Journal. This boat was an early steam twin-prop towboat, described in Way’s Steam Towboat Directory as… Read More
While new diesel-driven towboats were making headlines in the 1930s, steam power was still king, and several significant new steamers were built in the waning days of steam construction. The… Read More
After St. Louis Shipbuilding & Steel Company had delivered the streamlined J.H. Duffy (WJ, August 7), one would have thought that subsequent boats turned out by the yard would be… Read More
In the July 17 column regarding the Str. Transporter, mention was made of J. Mack Gamble’s Annual Review column that had appeared in the December 31, 1938, issue of The… Read More
I always appreciate hearing from readers regarding these columns. These “old boats” continue to stir memories that some may have not considered for years or make them think of items… Read More
In the years following World War II, there were several former military craft converted into river towing vessels. In thinking about the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway issue, this week’s subject came… Read More
In January 1921, the Water Transport Company, Pittsburgh, of which Capt. Charles T. Campbell was head, purchased the Combine (Monongahela River Consolidated Coal & Coke Company) towboat Valiant and had… Read More
In the Old Boat column of the June 19 issue regarding the Sam Craig, brief mention was made of the Reliance. It was an important part of the beginnings of… Read More
In the story highlighting Crounse Corporation’s 75 years in the June 23, 2023, issue of The Waterways Journal, Crounse board chairman Steve Little gave a biography of company founder George… Read More
