Old Boat Column

Fire-breathing behemoths once roamed the Missouri River. No, this isn’t in reference to prehistoric or mythical creatures, but rather the four large dredges built by the U.S. Engineer Department to… Read More

In 1919, Dravo Corporation built two steam sternwheel towboats in their yard in the back channel of Neville Island (Pa.). The boats were essentially sister vessels with one being the… Read More

The Inland Waterways Corporation (IWC), the government-owned barge line, as mentioned last week, had built a fleet of vessels in 1920 intended for Warrior-Tombigbee River service. In 1929, they built… Read More

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Conference scheduled for August 10–12 brings to mind the early involvement that the Inland Waterways Corporation (IWC) had in that area shortly after its formation following the… Read More

The Inland Waterways Corporation (IWC), the barge line chartered by the U.S. government to revitalize river transportation following World War I, was focused on the task and not bound by… Read More

When summer sets in on the Upper Ohio River, heat and humidity tend to show up with it. In the pre-air-conditioning days of a bygone era, a favorite way to… Read More

When people hear the word packet, most might envision the splendor of the legendary J.M. White, or the majestic Queen City. However, not all packets were large and palatial. Short-trade… Read More

After a 14-year absence, the Charleston, W.Va., Sternwheel Regatta has returned to the Kanawha River, and it took place over the Fourth of July weekend. The once enormously popular event… Read More

As mentioned in the column last week, Capt. Joseph Chotin wasted no time after the loss of his steamer J.N. Pharr, and almost immediately arranged with the Nashville Bridge Company,… Read More

Capt. Joseph Chotin owned and operated two steam, sternwheel towboats named J.N. Pharr. The first was a wood hull vessel, 115 by 24 feet, that had been built in 1910… Read More