James Rumsey News - The Waterways Journal

The Geo. T. Price Was The First Diesel Line-Haul Towboat The Geo. T. Price was generally regarded as the first diesel line-haul towboat. (Photo by Bill Judd)

The Geo. T. Price was generally regarded as the first diesel line-haul towboat. (Photo by Bill Judd)

The Geo. T. Price Was The First Diesel Line-Haul Towboat

April 21, 2021

The Charles Ward Engineering Works, Charleston, W.Va., was a pioneer in the advent of the screw propeller as a means of providing thrust to towing vessels. The James Rumsey, built… Read More

The Second D.T. Lane A vintage postcard view of the second D.T. Lane (1908-1934) in a Kanawha River lock.

The Second D.T. Lane

March 19, 2018

In last week’s Old Boat Column, we recounted the 1903 shoving contest between the sternwheeler D.T. Lane (first) and the propeller towboat James Rumsey. The D.T. Lane (1871–1908) towed coal… Read More

Paddlewheel Vs. Propellers The 1903 shoving contest between the D.T. Lane and James Rumsey on the Kanawha River near Charleston, W.Va. —Keith Norrington collection

The 1903 shoving contest between the D.T. Lane and James Rumsey on the Kanawha River near Charleston, W.Va. —Keith Norrington collection

Paddlewheel Vs. Propellers

March 12, 2018

In 1903, the Charles Ward Engineering Company of Charleston, W.Va., constructed a twin-propeller steam towboat named James Rumsey for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Wheeling, W.Va. Built on… Read More