Delta Queen Crew Makes Video To Save DQ !

Please watch the video on YouTube as soon as possible, give it a 5-star rating, and leave a comment. And please forward this to everyone you know, and ask them to pass it on to everyone they know.

Our goal is to generate enough action to gain attention from the national media. The first 24 to 48 hours of a YouTube video's existence are crucial to success, so please act quickly. You will need to register to leave a comment, but it will put you under no obligation, and you will not be put on a mailing list of any kind.

Here is the link to the video at Youtube again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ss0tgXYSPc

Since this video was posted several days ago, the 24-48 hour window is obviously gone, but does it still help to visit it at this late date? I haven't tried it since I'm still in the dialup era and it takes an hour or more to download or upload, or whatever its called, but I can try it after I leave the computer, if it will help the cause. .... I've tried it, but I get it in 2 second increments. Hopefully that counted as a view at least even though I didn't see the actual video!

I tried to register and leave a comment, but several attempts did not go through.

Very nice video, and always nice to see new pictures of such old and dear friends. The morph of the grand staircase through the years is spooky yet wonderful...There are some true crewmember friends in this video (and wives of some of those crew) that Deb and I didn't get to say goodbye to, crewmember friends that we assumed we would see on later trips that for various reasons will not happen. We still hope its now more of a case of so long, see ya soon than a goodbye. Or, better yet See you on the river!

Anytime is a good time to "view and rate" a YouTube, but the sooner the better. Of course, I gave it 5 stars (twice 😉 ) and it's on my list to leave a comment of approval tomorrow AM. Am I right that the narrator is Bill Weimuth?

I will remain positive about this...

And I gotta add by edit, my hats off to the restaint shown in this video in not naming Sir James, the Repugnant as the villian that has strapped this heroine to the railroad tracks...though, second thought, the logic of that escapes me a tad.

There are Three identical postings of this video on YouTube. Rate and comment on all of them! If you follow Franz's link above in this thread to see the video you should see two other videos, on the right side of your screen, with a purple background and the words "economic impact" in the window, they are identical videos sent in by "surrealistorg", which is another great Save the Delta Queen person...click on them and rate them, too!

Judy,

there is no strict 24-hour-rule or something. It's just important that as much people as possible vote and comment withing a very short period of time to show that this is a very popular video. So by all means, please vote and comment it.

By the way: The video I posted the link to is online since just 2 says and I think the other two ones (posted by Nori Muster by the way) can't be much older than that. Anyway, it doesn't matter - it's just important that the video I posted the link to is being promoted as heavy as possible (and it doesn't hurt to promote the other two videos, too, of course).

Franz

I wrote a reply to Deadly Chinchilla and had to rework it to make the 500 word limit. It did not post. So hopefully all you computerwise people will be able to cover for us illiterates.

It's done! I used all 500 characters too!
Now back to my day job, lunch is over. . . .
19 days to go 'til we board her again--will it be for the last time??
S'
David D.

Yeah, the 500 word limit to comments is very hindering, especially when I get on a rant. I think the first time I ever commented to a YouTube was the one with Oberstar's frothing at the mouth, from C-Span. I started writing and without being aware became way over the 500 word limit, like triple over. Even on this video from the DQ's crew I had to comment twice, and I still have more to say, maybe tomorrow. You can comment as many times as you want, if you feel like the need to make another point, go for it!

Also, Judy, your comment is there. Nicely said...

It is???? It never showed up and I didn't type in a name - who am I???

Great news--we DOUBLED our hits overnight--up to 6000 now!! Keep up the good work! We are hoping that this will get the attention of BIG media. My particular thanks to Jennifer Lemmon for taking the pictures in the clip, and Bill Wiemuth for putting together the script, the clip itself, and doing the narration. What a team!

Yes, it is a wonderful video. I forwarded it on to three Senators and one Representative. I hope everyone else is doing the same. SAVE THE DELTA QUEEN!!

Message Travels Far

Mary,

It WAS a grand performance, and very professionally well-done, too. My oldest lawyer-brother, Bob, who is a former DQ crewman, sent the video link to his many comrads in the law biz and some commented that they were meeting various members of the Congress, soon, and they would do what they could do to spread the good word to help SAVE THE DELTA QUEEN.

Sam
Link to Bro Bob's steamboat days:
Willie and Buster's Whirlwind Tour of the World

Cool picture. And we have to bring those caps back next year. But I'm at a loss, Sam, I can't figure out where on the DQ this picture was taken.

Help someone?

Paul

Paul,

This picture was taken just outside the port entrance to the original Officers Quarters (Todays stateroom 307) on the Sun Deck forward (or imediately aft ot the Pilothouse on the Sun Deck).

~Travis~

Travis Vasconcelos;12920 wrote: Paul,

This picture was taken just outside the port entrance to the original Officers Quarters (Todays stateroom 307) on the Sun Deck forward (or imediately aft ot the Pilothouse on the Sun Deck).

~Travis~

Ok, still getting oriented....so the bow is behind the gentleman on the left?

Paul

High-Pressure Caps

Travis pin-pointed the exact location where Bob and I were standing when our pic was snapped some 37 years ago.

Interestingly-enough, I was looking at a photo of Cap'n Roddy Hammett wearing his "high pressure hat" with all the Steamer NATCHER brick-a-brack, and commenting to a friend that it was a shame that these hats are no longer worn on the steamboats. Back then, Captain Wagner insisted on us wearing them for a practical reason. His reasoning was that his officers stood out in a crowd if they had their caps on, and he could easily find us on a packed dance floor, for example.

It used to be that just about everyone on the river wore a hat of some type; even the men sweating in the engine room. Any self-respecting boatman would have considered himself undressed without one.

CAPS:
Willie and Buster's Whirlwind Tour of the World

NATCHEZ cap

And when Doc designed the NATCHEZ' cap, he chose black for the practicality of not showing dirt or grime. Modeling the cap in this pix is now-Captain Don Houghton, who was Mate back in 1985 when this pix was snapped. Those hats become such a part of a person, that often they don't even take them off in the half hour between trips while eating lunch. And of course, because the NATCHEZ officers just wear plain white shirts without bars, the hat is the only way to tell one is a boat officer. I used to cringe when Roddy would enter the Gift Shop, take his hat off and put it under his arm, because I knew he was up to some snide comment or stunt and the passengers wouldn't have a clue to his identity.

I, too, think it's a shame the caps are no longer "de rigeur" on the steamboats. They just lent a certain "something" to the whole atmosphere. For a while in the late 1970's, the new rule came out the it was not professional to wear a uniform cap without being in dress uniform, but I disagree with that -- I think of Capt. Chengery when he was Mate, and of Red Lunsford as Second Mate wearing blue jeans, a chambray workshirt and their uniform caps. They looked as professional as Capt. Wagner or any other officer.

As far as Roddy removing his cap for a snide comment, the favorite snide comment to a passenger I heard was when a pax asked if they were required to eat lunch on the lunch cruise. Roddy's reply: "Oh, no -- in fact we recommend that you DON'T!"

Gold Braid Trade

Cap'n Roddy would often slide his gold hat band up and cover the CAPTAIN lettering as another way to hide his identity on the NATCHEZ.

Finding someone to make the elaborate steamboat hatbands is getting more difficult all the time. There was a wonderful little company, now long out of business, housed in a second floor walk-up shop on 4th Street in downtown Cincinnati that had even done the embroidery on hatbands for the ISLAND QUEEN. All the DELTA QUEEN work was also hand-done by little old ladies sitting on stools who also stitched elaborate uniforms for the Shriners and various circus customers.

Friedburg’s, a long-time New Orleans marine uniform outfitter was another place to order elaborate gold braid work. They were at the foot of Canal, but I do not know if they are still around. I have my DELTA QUEEN hatband from Friedburg's that has a tiny Greene G on a white flag in the center of the band. I designed the bands worn on the GV2 high pressure hats, but I don't know who did the hand work.

GV2 Cap and Hatband

That was the Cincinnati Regalia Company on Fourth and Elm, and they were still around to make the original NATCHEZ hatbands. Where they get them now, I don't know. Seems to me that Friedburgs was still on Canal the last time I ventured over to that area.