Hillman Transportation Company News - The Waterways Journal

Old Boat Column: The Prototype To A Stylish Towboat Series

Old Boat Column

Old Boat Column: The Prototype To A Stylish Towboat Series

August 7, 2026

In the November 10, 2025, issue of The Waterways Journal, this column touched on the history of Hillman Barge & Construction Company. In 1903, Pittsburgh Steel established a repair… Read More

Dravo And Carnegie Steel Try Prop Towboats Dravo steam prop towboat Peace. (David Smith collection)

Dravo And Carnegie Steel Try Prop Towboats

April 22, 2023

It can only be supposed that the attention generated by the success of the early Ward-built, prop-driven towboats commanded a lot of attention throughout the inland rivers. The Dravo… Read More

The Towboat Helen Z Remembered The Helen Z sunk at the New Albany waterfront in February 1970.(Photo by Keith Norrington)

The Towboat Helen Z Remembered

November 30, 2020

Three steam towboats were built at Dubuque, Iowa, in 1911 for the Kansas City District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. All were constructed on steel hulls measuring… Read More