Vesta Coal Company News - The Waterways Journal

A River Towboat With An Ocean Name

Old Boat Column

A River Towboat With An Ocean Name

July 10, 2026

The Jones and Laughlin Steel Company, better known as simply J&L, had roots in the Pittsburgh area going back to 1852. The firm was founded by Benjamin Franklin Jones… Read More

J&L Steel Experiments With Prop Towboats The str. Vesta departing Pittsburgh with a tow for Memphis in 1935. (WJ, August 31, 1935, David Smith collection)

The str. Vesta departing Pittsburgh with a tow for Memphis in 1935. (WJ, August 31, 1935, David Smith collection)

J&L Steel Experiments With Prop Towboats

March 25, 2023

As mentioned in this column in the March13 issue, the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation (J&L) broke with tradition in 1931 and had two steam prop towboats built… Read More

A Tale Of Two ‘Firsts’ The Wm. Larimer Jones at work. Note no pilot wheel visible in pilothouse. (David Smith collection)

A Tale Of Two ‘Firsts’

February 18, 2023

For this special Wheelhouse issue of The Wateways Journal we will look at two important “firsts” that changed the lives of pilots for the better. In late… Read More