American Eagle

*First PA systems on steamboats/ships*
Morning, Steamboating colleagues,
Very interesting discussion above on who, when, where the assumed first 'Riverlorian' came into existence--and I certainly don't know. Appears more names crop up than I remembered. Many of us going back to the 1950s remember GL Purser Robert [Bob] McCann usually standing duty in the DQ's Purser Office making announcements, giving history, pointing out various places of interest along the way. When off duty, Bob would also stand out on deck with interested groups of passengers standing in a circle listening, asking questions. Woe be unto the innocent passenger who asked what he thought a 'dumb' question or challenge him on some fact! Also hostesses Peg Baker, Marty Stouder. For a number of years Marty Stouder stood 'double duty' as a hostess aboard the famed Great Lakes steamship SOUTH AMERICAN in the summer; then the DQ in the other months later switching to the DQ when the SOUTH was laid up permanently. Who remembers them? Capt. Clarke C. Hawley and others also stood duty making announcements, holding programs in the dining room as mentioned above. I recall Capt. Hawley once drawing our attention to a near full herd of deer swimming from the Kentucky shore below Louisville over to the Indiana side. The boat slowed as people looked or snapped pictures. By the mid 1960s and beyond for some years I was away in uniform or otherwise unable to see the DELTA QUEEN for some years; thus not knowing, remembering who was first and when.

I recalled "the legendary Don Deming" years before when he returned from his long postings aboard ocean cruise ships and liners. Don also, I 'think,' was photographed for advertising being one of the first MARLBORO Cigarette men. During the year I interned in the steamship business here finishing my graduate degree, Don came in the office then representing the DELTA QUEEN--and the boat was not an easy sell. Don did some time on the boat but moved to the office doing promo and sales work representing the boat locally and nationally. Don could drum up locally and nationally more large cruise travel groups for the boat than anybody I knew. Who remembers those days?

Then the above piqued my interest in when the first PA systems came into existence being installed on steamboats/ships. Appears A.T & T. were just one of the first dating back to roughly 1918-1920 [Often called the 'squak box' or other terms only navy men could ascribe of an unsavory nature]. U.S. Navy and ocean passenger ships naturally were the first. Frank Prudent and I talked the other day wondering if the BETSY ANN had a PA system? No idea about the big CINCINNATI of the L&C LINE in 1924 or the legendary QUEEN CITY in her final days. I'd imagine the GORDON C. GREENE had one installed early on in her career with the GREENE LINE. Any of you old timers and 'Riverlorians' out there know more of this history? Capt. Bill Judd, Capt. Bob Reynolds, Capt. Don Sanders and others may know more about regulations requiring working PA systems on boat here. I have no doubt it is mandated by the Coast Guard and others. Capt. Hawley and Sanders could tell us about the early PA system on the AVALON as could David Tschiggrfie.

Big ocean ships before PA systems made announcements for meal servings with a uniformed trumpeter sound out the call on deck. Inside the lounges and corridors uniformed page/messenger boys would ring the gong. When was the last time they had a waiter stroll the DQ decks and in inside ringing the musicial gong? I can hear that sound now clear as a bell in my mind. The DQ gong more like a little xylophone with a black wooden handle. I know our friend Mickey Frye probably owns the very last steamboat meal gong from the DQ I can remember. Well, again, what do I know?

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati

I remember Gabe, Mike Williams, and even "Commodore Highpockets" giving navigation lectures while I was onboard the DQ at various times.

Commodore Highpockets

Mr.Prudent Please forgive me as I am fairly new to this site but who is Commodore Highpockets? I assume that's not his real name? Carole Matthews Pompano Beach Fla 33064 [email protected] ?????

*'Happy' Briscoe, Peg Baker on the DELTA QUEEN*
Steamboating colleagues,
In answer to the 'shy lurker's' E=Mail here. 'Happy' Briscoe was the much older lady who played piano on the DELTA QUEEN in the early years as I remember. Entertainment was rather simple, home-spun in those days with 'Happy' playing during meals, in the evening for the big fun gatherings: passenger talent night, dancing, Hokey Pokey dance etc. She also stood duty during the day manning the Souvenir and notions shop in the upper lobby across from the Purser's Office. How long she had been on the GREENE LINE boats before I met her a good question.

Peg Baker was no spring chicken in my early days but perky serving as Social Hostess. Peg was petit, walked with a cane for whatever reason I know not. She was always well turned out wearing often full skirts with all those ruffled under skirts. Peg reminded me of local radio then TV personality for years in Cincinnati, Ruth Lyons on WLW TV. Over 50 + years ago now Peg threw a high school graduation party for Mickey Frye, Cathy Sanquenetti and me one night on a June 10 day R/T Cincinnati Pittsburgh trip. I never recalled 'Happy' making any PA announcements. Peg would announce seatings for lunch and dinner as did Marty Stouder along with the gong being carried around in that musical tone. Harmon Mize and his wife then came aboard with him playing both piano and the big Hammond electric organ. Mira, his wife, worked in the Purser's Office in addition to writing up, running the daily newspaper off on a period mimeo machine. Jim Reising knew that duty well as did Mickey Frye. Other musicians on keyboard came and went until Betty Blake and company added full musical ensembles to beef things up. Capt. Tom Greene and his group [Called the 'Rat Trap Band'] also played together in his time on the boat before he passed away far too young. Then there was Jack Cleary and his band on the boat for entertainment. No doubt many here know others as I recall but I'll not hog the web and sign off. Mention of one name brings to memory many more going on and on. Again, what do I know?

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati

The Dinner gong when I was on board the DQ (her last two seasons--so far!!) was a set of Degan "Dinner chimes" well-used, with lots of "patina". These are still available today; but old ones are pricey, as they were commonly used on passenger trains & nothing is as valuable as a railroad artifact! 🙂
And then there was the occasional announcement, when I was on deck photographing a sunset, "Would Mr. Dewey please join his wife in the Orleans Room for dinner?"
The crews aboard the DQ were great; they put up with a lot from us FRNs! OTOH, some could dish it right back at us too! Great times.

*DQ's dinner chime/J.C. Degan Co.*
Morning again, David & steamboating colleagues:
David, your mention above of the 'Degan' "Dinner Chimes...use on the railroads etc." piqued my curiosity ringing a bell in my mind [No pun intended]. Previously on the DQ, I had casually examined the dinner chime aboard. Usually it was kept in the Purser's office. Other times it was on the round table just in front. I examined the now lone surviving dinner chime owned by Mickey Frye with a vague, dim memory of the 'Degan' name.

Yeah, hearing your name being paged over the DQ's PA system for whatever reason was something. At times being paged was of a general nature. Other times sad or emergency messages relayed from back home to passengers aboard. Perhaps Capts. Bill Judd, Bob Reynolds, Don Sanders and REFLECTOR editor, David Tschiggfrie, Jim Reising, Kenny Howe and others remember the use of the ship-to-shore radio/phone on the boat. Also in Mickey's collection is a late surviving leather cased instrument the night watchmen used on their rounds to 'punch' the various 'keys' mounted around on the boat. Correct me. Wasn't the night watchman's punch meter rather round like a canteen? It was always the little things...the unseen...the usually missed or ignored on the DQ that fascinated me most and worthy of recording historically now. There was also the 'green door' from the DQ galley just off the officer's dining area. Thus, "What's behind the green door?" was heard on not only the DQ but untold restaurants, bars, clubs ashore. People could interpret "the green door" in many ways.

For the curious here I went on line typing in the name 'Degan' or 'Degan and Co.' Up pops a list of fine web links to the 'Degan Co.' in Chicago. This one big company going way back. Other web links give history of the founder and operation, pictures, chimes, bells, percussion instruments with other links to hear them played. Worth your time. David, you and Jim Herron are probably two of .orgs leading minds in railroading. Thanks and Cheers!

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati

The fire watch

Yes, Dale, the watchman's clock was round and about the size of a canteen. The watchman making his/her rounds was like a phantom passing through a room and seldom noticed by the passengers, especially since most of them were asleep. Many of us on this board, including me, made those rounds at some point in time.

"leading minds" Uh, ME??? you sure you're not enjoying some schnapps while posting??? 🙂
I noticed the watchman (er, person!) but then I'm the oddity--even as a paying passenger you COULD have put me to work polishing brass or varnishing railing--I was just happy to be aboard, and would have enjoyed helping out! (actually on the March 17 2007 cruise I did show one of the "green" engine crewmen how to find a knock in the engines by holding one of the valve reach rods so he could feel it as well as hear it--That's a moving part, you can't touch it!! Well you can, if your careful, watch what you're doing and understand the motion (pun intended! Heh heh heh!); I guess that was helping out)
And I'll say it again, Y'all were & ARE the greatest!!
David D.

*Engine 'knock'/"Touch it...feel it."*
Steamboating colleagues,
Heck, David, you're far to shy with "leading minds" on railroads. There are more on .org steeped in the history, lore, experience of trains past and present with Jim Blum being another.

Your account of the "green engine crewmen...feel it as well as hear it" on the mark. Those sage engineers in time had keen ears and eyes listening, touching, hearing their engines in operation with one unusual sound causing their ears to perk up. Remember seeing the engineers and assistants frequently go out on the fantail to 'touch' the journals and bearings to detect anything getting unusually 'hot?' Some even used a keen sense of smell to 'sniff out' steamboat smoke, steam, scorching oil. Betty Blake may have had a lot of big spur of the moment ideas and plans for the boat, but it was the engineers who told her what could and couldn't be done in the dead of winter.

In 'The Saga of the DELTA QUEEN,' Capt. Fred Way both wrote and later talked about the cadre of steamboat engineers the DELTA QUEEN had working aboard to prepare her to steam up the Mississippi/Ohio Rivers for refurbishing at DRAVO in 1947. Charlie Dietz many of us remember was one of the best of the best. Charlie used not only his hands but his ears to 'listen' to the engines on the DQ with a medical stethesope like a physician in hospital or medical office.

Fred writes, "But methodical Charlie Dietz, chief of the engingeroom, put on his horn-rimmed glasses and pronounced a summation: "She's pulling a vacuum as good as the GEORGE M. VERITY," he said. And that was the ultra-ultra." Cheers! Again, what do I know?

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati

carole matthews;33892 wrote: Mr.Prudent Please forgive me as I am fairly new to this site but who is Commodore Highpockets? I assume that's not his real name? Carole Matthews Pompano Beach Fla 33064 [email protected] ?????

You're correct, 'nuff said!

re Mr.Prudents message

MR PRUDENT I have figured out who Commodore Highpockets is and don't know what took me so long as its fairly obvious. Thanks again an have a great new year.Carole Matthews in Pompano Beach Fla 33064

carole matthews;33993 wrote: MR PRUDENT I have figured out who Commodore Highpockets is and don't know what took me so long as its fairly obvious. Thanks again an have a great new year.Carole Matthews in Pompano Beach Fla 33064

Ms. Matthews, it's quite all right that you took awhile to wonder whom I was referring to. He never stopped wondering who he was!

Ted Guillaum;33724 wrote: Here is a trivia quizz for those who may be newer to the discussion board and those that (like me) have a memory that seems to get shorter and shorter every year.
Who was the individual that invented the term "Riverlorian?" A giant Snickers bar to the winner. (Former and current Riverlorians are disqualified) 🙂

Are former crew members disqualified too? 🙂

Riverlorian Term

Was it Karen Toots Maloy?? Carole Matthews Pompano Beach Fla 33064

Riverlorian Term

Was it K Toots Malloy? Who originated the riverlorian term? IF not who was it? Come on guys lets get posting here only see about 1 in 2 days an most of them are mine so get going already.Carole Matthews Pompano Beach Fla at 33064 Thanks for reading.Where is my Snickers Bar? PS Could I have Hersheys instead?????

What more is there to post???

carole matthews;34072 wrote: Was it K Toots Malloy? Who originated the riverlorian term? IF not who was it? Come on guys lets get posting here only see about 1 in 2 days an most of them are mine so get going already.Carole Matthews Pompano Beach Fla at 33064 Thanks for reading.Where is my Snickers Bar? PS Could I have Hersheys instead?????

Carole, it was determined shortly after Ted posted the question that Karen Dodd/Toots Maloy created the term and that position. It was quite thoroughly discussed. I don't understand why you are calling for more posts on this topic now. Telling us to 'get posting' isn't the way this board works. We post when there is something to post, and as you can see if you've gone back in our history, we have had many interesting informative postings and discussions, but we don't post just to post something each day. Perhaps you would like the various steamboat groups on Facebook better, they tend to post often and not in depth.

The current WJ--19Jan15--page 53 has a write up of ACL announcement of plans to build a "new flee of modern riverboats........river cruising in the United States". Also mentioned the (m/v) AE will begin service "this Spring".