Topic starter
15/01/2009 7:47 am
I've been a member here for several years and usually just lurk and read other's posts, but after reading about the possible move of the Mississippi Queen to Madison as a "floating hotel", I had to write something. I am amazed at the lack of concern about this happening and even some poster's apparent approval. Even in the MQ's current state, I have always seen her as our best hope for continuing as an overnight steamboat. Although the MQ is not the best looking of the three queens (although she has always had a special place in my heart-preferably without the 'trailer court' on the top deck), she is all steel, has many of the modern amenities people look for today, and her size makes her ideal for many of the rivers she runs (not too big, not too small). I guess that I am just so bummed about the thought of 2009 being the first time in my and probably all of our lifetimes that there will be no overnight steamboats on the Mississippi river system.
I have pictures of me in my mother's arms aboard the DQ as a baby. Pictures of me when I was six years old aboard the President when she was being converted from steam to diesel. My dad was pilot on the Julia Belle Swain when she moved from Peoria to LeClaire. I decked on the Mississippi Queen for a year. I've worked on or around every excursion boat in the Quad Cities. I worked on the Diamond and Emerald Ladies in Iowa, the Par-a-dice (Golden Lady) in Peoria, and City of Evansville in Indiana. I've worked on harbor boats in Mt.Vernon, and Evansville, Indiana. I've been to Tall Stacks four times as Captain on various boats and Piloted the LST-325 on her annual trips for the past three years. For the past year and a half I've been working on a 5000 hp line boat running the upper Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The only reason I'm listing all these jobs is that I did them with one goal in mind...being pilot aboard the Delta and/or Mississippi Queen.
Being only thirty-seven years old, I've not experienced the changes in my life that many of you on this board have, but the past few years have seen so many. Some of my favorite boats have all but dissappeared, the Diamond Lady is rusting away in Memphis, the Par-a-dice was chopped down to the hull and shipped overseas, the President no longer exists as a boat for all intents and purposes and the Admiral will probably follow soon. And now the DQ and MQ are gone, without some sort of divine intervention.
Ever since I was a kid, I loved the song "In my life" by the Beatles. One line in the song seems so fitting now..."There are places I remember all my life, though some have changed, some forever not for better, some have gone and some remain. All these places had there moments, with lovers and friends, I still can recall. Some are dead and some are living, in my life, I loved them all."
I'm not exactly sure what the point of this thread is, I'm sitting in the pilothouse at mile 98 on the upper waiting for barges to load and was bored and decided to write. I guess I just hope for all of our sakes that things somehow improve and that 2009 is not the end of the steamboatin' era.
On a lighter note, I wanted to say "Hi" to Judy Patsch. Apparently you and my mom (Jean) are bingo buddies. With that I'll leave you with a toast I remember hearing on the DQ...Here's to you all and I want you to know that my sentiments are honest and real...my your hearts be as light and your days be as bright as the spray from a big ol' paddlewheel.
15/01/2009 2:08 pm
Here I thought I was doing better. Tears again this morning ... thanks to the wonderful toast always given aboard the DELTA QUEEN during the Captain's Dinner.
15/01/2009 3:09 pm
Capt. John, please check your private messages through this board. Yes, your mother faithfully attends the St. A bingo to help Evelyn, and your ears should burn between 2-3 on Monday and Wednesday afternoons!
15/01/2009 3:31 pm
Capt John;15216 wrote: I am amazed at the lack of concern about this happening and even some poster's apparent approval.
Capt. John,
there are huge concerns and I don't think anyone here happily approves this. But after fighting for almost two years now for the Delta Queen and the other boats, including the Mississippi Queen which gave us numerous wonderful steamboating days on the rivers as well as the American Queen. After this long fight and after so may setbacks and disappointments I'm at least happy to hear that the MQ will escape the scrap yard. I consider it as a good thing that someone is seriously taking care of the Mississippi Queen now. This will give her some more time. And maybe, in a few months, in a year or so, when the economy is recovering, when the Delta Queen gets her exemption back, there will also be a new life on the rivers for the Mississippi Queent. I think the chances for this to happen are better than compared to the situation at New Orleans at the moment. From this perspective, and only from this perspective, I think Madison will be a good temporary place for the Mississippi Queen. Besides this, I fully agree with you: The Mississippi Queen belongs to the river as an overnight passenger steamboat.
Franz
15/01/2009 5:29 pm
Bone Yard Fate?
Capt. John and Others,
As the originator of the MQ move to Madison thread, I feel that, based upon the information provided by several respected steamboat men and women who have personally inspected the MQ, and hearing the grave news they had to report concerning the unfortunate condition of the vessel, a move to another place where the steamboat would be renovated and used again as a passenger vessel, though not carrying folks in the overnight trade, may be the best option for the MISSISSIPPI QUEEN. It will definitely beat the boneyard fate of the DIAMOND LADY and other beloved boats we have seen disappear in the last few years.
Hearing that the MQ may have a future that doesn't include a cutting torch fate still sounds like good news to me, and I will be supportive of the Madison group should they elect to purchase, renew, and operate the MISSISSIPPI QUEEN as an Ohio River riverfront attraction... unless I hear news from certain quarters that would cause me to think otherwise.
Possibly, as Franz said, we may, again, see the MQ running under her own steam power, but without such a proposal as the Madison project, we can strike her off the list as another casualty at the end of an era.
Topic starter
15/01/2009 6:30 pm
I guess I didn't make my thoughts about the MQ move to Madison very clear...obviously the MQ moving to Madison and being used in some capacity is better than sitting in New Orleans waiting to be scrapped. I stop in Madison (Clifty Creek power plant) on a regular basis on our run on my boat and if it's going to go anywhere as a "floating hotel", Madison is as good a place as any. Madison is a great little river town and I will definately be a guest aboard the MQ Hotel.
I just dread the idea of the boat not being Coast Guard certified. Most of you know how quickly a vessel will deteriorate mechanically if not maintained as a functioning boat. I support the hotel plan wholeheartedly, if no other alternatives exist to run her as a boat. I just think that if the MQ does become a hotel, you can write her off as far as ever functioning as an operating steamboat again and I think it is very sad.
15/01/2009 6:43 pm
Capt.,
I completely agree with you. If a boat isn't running, then the magic about it is lost. You don't have the slapping of the buckets against the water at she steams upriver or the sound of the calliope echoing off the hills or the whistle blowing, but the thing is I'm for this because I don't think there is anyone out there that would want to fix her up and put her back into operation. My opinion is that she would at least be doing something instead of being scrapped or turned into a barge (which I guess you could argue is what would happen with this plan). I do hope that if there was anyone out there with the funds to put her back into service, they would since it is a shame that there is now no overnight steamboating
15/01/2009 7:25 pm
Capt. John: Thanks very much for your heartfelt posting. Indeed, as long as we hold people dear to us in our hearts even the departed ones are never truly gone. And the same goes for steamboats!
It was good to meet you and your wife aboard the BELLE a few years back. Come by and visit at the steamboat museum sometime when you're up this way without your towboat! You're always welcome and it's especially nice to have steamboat people come to call. Let me know and I'll be on deck -- and have the coffee pot on -- especially during these cold winter days!
15/01/2009 11:51 pm
If the MQ were made a hotel/restaurant at Madison or anywhere else, there would still be hope.
In 1985, Cargo Carriers Corp. of Minneapolis decided their big JOHN H. MAC MILLAN, JR. was too big and too old to profitably refurbish. They sold the boat to an entity in St. Louis who converted the boat to a museum boat moored at the St. Louis waterfront, renamed CITY OF ST. LOUIS.
In 1990, Hugh MacMillan started his own towing company. He was a proponent of big, old boats and knew the CITY OF ST. LOUIS/JOHN H. MAC MILLAN, JR. from the days when his dad's company operated it. He bought the boat, refurbished and put it back in service as a line-haul towboat and it is still running today.
Hugh Mac Millan has very deep pockets (sometimes the boat is referred to on the radio as the JOHN H. MAC MILLION), but my point is that if the MISSISSIPPI QUEEN is preserved in some state of operation, there is always that chance of her running again, as we can see from an old towboat that sat for 5 years with the general public running all over her decks, etc.
16/01/2009 2:14 pm
The CITY OF ST. LOUIS (former JOHN H. MACMILLAN) was operated by Fred Leyhe (now deceased) who was the son of the famous Capt. W.H. "Buck" Leyhe of Eagle Packet Company / Eagle Boat Store fame. Fred Leyhe also operated the LT. ROBERT E. LEE restaurant boat (recently sold at auction) and was president of Eagle Marine Industries.
The big towboat was kept in immaculate condition when moored on the St. Louis waterfront, and also housed the St. Louis Visitors Center and gift shop. Back in the days when towing companies allowed visitors to ride, river historian/curator Ruth Ferris made an Upper Mississippi trip on the MacMillan.
As Bob pointed out, as long as an old boat is extant and kept afloat, there is always HOPE!
Topic starter
16/01/2009 7:09 pm
I hope you are all right, but an uninspected towing vessel being put back into service after sitting idle is MUCH different than an inspected overnight passenger vessel. If the MQ becomes a floating hotel I don't think we will ever see her run under her own power again. I'm not trying to be a pessimist, and I will eat the biggest crow you can find with a smile on my face if I'm wrong...I hope I am wrong.
Keith, it was good meeting you a few years ago, too. I've been to the Howard museum many times over the past 15 years. My wife and kids have been twice and everytime we go to Louisville I try to persuade them to go again, but they don't share my passion. They are kind of like "been there, done that". Maybe I'll see you on the Julia Belle or Belle of Louisville this summer, or maybe the Mississippi Queen Hotel...
16/01/2009 7:50 pm
Capt. John: Maybe your children would enjoy visiting during our spring festival (third weekend of May) when we have all kinds of vendors and activities on the grounds. We also have the annual "River Ramblings" program series that I started in 2006, and which are announced on the museum website and in the newsletter.
Keep up steam!