Streett Towing Company News - The Waterways Journal

Vapor-Phase Cooling Introduced To The Rivers

Old Boat Column

Vapor-Phase Cooling Introduced To The Rivers

September 11, 2026

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, several towboats in the 3,000 hp. class were built with hulls that were relatively wide for their somewhat short length. This was… Read More

A Distinctive Vessel Of 1946 That’s Still Running Today As the Merlin Banta on October 20, 2012. (Photo by Tom Waller)

A Distinctive Vessel Of 1946 That’s Still Running Today

January 9, 2026

Streett Towing Company was formed in 1943 as a partnership by Harper C. Patton, Kenneth C. Baker and Rolla W. Streett to move petroleum products for J.D. Streett & Company… Read More

The Locke Tarlton Would Become the Alton Zephyr The Locke Tarlton in a Fairbanks-Morse ad on the cover of the August 18, 1939, WJ. (Author’s collection)

The Locke Tarlton Would Become the Alton Zephyr

May 12, 2024

The 1930s saw great technological advancement in the river industry, and in towboat construction in particular. Steam was still predominant for large boats, but diesel power was becoming more… Read More