Happy Thanksgiving!

*re: Happy thanksgiving!*

Hi, Keith & Steamboating colleagues:
I 2nd Keith's best wishes to all for a safe, pleasant, 'thank-ful' Thanksgiving holiday, 2011, along with gratitude to Franz & Carmen for their work for/with Steamboats.org. In the old days a steamboat Thanksgiving was a big event for passengers with 'dinner' featuring added menu items lasting several hours. Many passengers booked the trip for the holiday and not at home. I can only imagine what Thanksgiving was like for the Howard family in the mansion. Keith, any memories or records on that?

Also congrats to Keith for being asked to do the detailed inventory/catalog on the Jim Burns collection. At first I thought an announcement was coming that the Howard Museum would be the repository for the collection. Having it aboard the DELTA QUEEN no doubt the best place at this point. John Burns, Jim's son, when here years back discussed the fate of his dad's collection, "Most which hasn't seen the light of day in over 50 years...dad never threw one thing away," he added. Various museums were visited by John with the possibility of the collection being deposited--if in part. John suffered a bad fall in his engineering company resulting in severe injuries, nursing home/rehab stay, with him passing on soon. He sounded tired, weak the last time we talked by phone. Ralph Dupae made a trip to Oakland, California to review many of Jim's photos having them copied for the Murphy Library. Other bits and pieces in time were presented by John with documentation, photos given to me and others. I deposited original negatives with the then Inland Rivers Library [Now the 'Cincinnati Room'], Cincinnati Public Library, for safe keeping.

John and Stan Garvey, while here as guests in my home, brought many plans, log books, personal corresondence et. al. from Jim's files for us to lay out on the floor and tables to examine. Jim, known as "The miracle man of steamboat engines," was consulted in his day nationally for technical insights on how to make steamboat engines work more efficently with reduced financial costs/fuel consumption. As John stated, "Dad had great misgivings about the California Transportation Co. building the DELTA KING/DELTA QUEEN so late in the day [Beginning in 1922 during a C.T. Co. summer picnic] knowing times were changing: new roads, trucks, dependable tires, bridges. Capt. Anderson and the stock holders gave Jim the choice to either "...stick with the project or move on." Jim stuck with the resonsibility but the company was compelled to float a big stock option to fatten the coffers, complete the DELTA QUEEN. All the rest is history. Well, what do I know?

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

I'll "third" that wish, Dale. Not a day goes by that Sharon and I do not think of our riverboat friends, both those still with us and those who have gone on to the big steamboat in the sky. We all have so much to thank THEM for! Y'all don't eat too much tomorrow, and enjoy and give thanks for your feast, and our "information feast" here on steamboats.org!

More Happy Thanksgiving!

I also want to extend Thanksgiving Greetings from the SB 101 class, which is in recess for the holiday as seen in the attached photo. As a local radio announcer always said at the end of each broadcast: "It's nice to know so many nice people."

Blessings and thanks to all of you.

Wesley

Holidays at the Howard Mansion

Dale: In her book, Scenes from Memory, Frances Howard Kohlhepp (1901-1987) daughter of Clyde Howard, tells of holiday meals in the dining room. The menu was bounteous and always included, amongst many other choices, turkey and dressing (oyster or chestnut) and a dessert of plum pudding, made from Grandmother Laura Howard's recipe. The pudding came out of a tin mold and was then covered with a sprinkling of powdered sugar to represent snow. A sauce, flavored with rum, was always passed in a pressed glass dish shaped like a fan. Also on the table were bowls of mints, nuts and raisins, dried on the stem in clusters.

Happy Thanksgiving from 1101 East Market Street at Jeffersonville, Indiana, on the bank of the beautiful Ohio River!

Thanksgiving at the St. Anthony's mansion...

Just got back from helping serve 152 residents and guests at St. Anthony's nursing home. We brought in all but the bedridden, whether they had family joining them or not, and their gratitude is enough for this whole holiday weekend. Now to high school basketball and televised football for the rest of the weekend, with the anticipation of the arrival of the December Reflector. Rumor has it that it has been mailed from Richardsons already. Special steamboating thanks this year to the Dows and Alan Bates for the beautiful NATCHEZ, and to the people who had the courage and insight to bring the AMERICAN QUEEN back to the rivers of America.

*RE: Thanksgiving story, 2011*

Dear Steamboating colleagues:
EUREKA! Keith is correct RE: the fine Thanksgiving dinner at the Howard Mansion from the book Frances wrote. Think of the hours...days...of prepration then leading up to such a feast. Hats off to Judy for good works at the nursing facility. "I was sick and ye visited me." We've been baking, freezing holiday cookies here to later put in tins for local nursing homes in the area.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For Shipyard Sam I have another fictional Thanksgiving story dating to the days of Ole' Commodore Fred Laidley.

Another year found Ellis Mace and I working in the office aboard the Big Sandy Wharfboat. "Well, wonder what the Commodore got up his sleeve this year?" Ellis said looking at Laidley's office door with whispers over to me. Last year's complimentary Thanksgiving trip down on the LOUISVILLE for us was memorable--but probably never repeated. Times tough with one of those 'panics' they called it at the banks. We heard chair legs scrape and a snort from Laidley's office with us stiffening a bit, lowering our eyes to our dockets and freight reports. Fred still had me as lowly 2nd Clerk in the office with a fifty cents a week increase in pay.

Laidley strode out, looked around, rocked on his heels fumbling with his big gold watch with the fobs glittering, dancing like the crown jewels. "Dale, any deliveries by wagon for me this 'afta' noon? I'm expecting a big package...really big one and it's due today all the way from Hindoostan. Mrs. Laidley and the children 'cited and it must be here for Thankgiving," he said with his billy goat whiskers flapping in the wind. Ellis and I exchanged glances shaking our heads in the negative. "Boys, don' shake yo' heads...either just YES or NO," he flashed.

At 3:45 I saw a horse and wagon pull up from the railroad express office up town at the wharf stage. The LOUISVILLE was slated to steam out at 5:00 PM promptly. I gently knocked on the Commodore's door. "Sir, the rail wagon out on the hill now." Laidley jumped up with me following down the steps, out on the cobbles. The delivery driver struggled with some kind of big bundle wrapped up in heavy canvas all dusty, smudged, dirty. "Dale, yo' sign the delivery sheet and pay this man. Get me two boys from the LOUISVILLE to help carry this over," Laidley barked--with me giving the delivery man a tip from my own pocket. The 1st Mate and a rouster came out, hauled the big whatever up to the office. "Boys, cut the bindings, spread it out, move those chairs and desk over," the Commodore intoned rubbing his hands.

To our wonder the big folded bundle opened and opened and opened with us beholding one of the finest big Hindoostan carpets ever in warm reds, gold, russet, brown, green like from the king of England's palace. IN the folds [Carpets then were 'folded' and never rolled] we saw dried tobacco leaves folded in to ward off bugs, vermin and such. "Beautiful...beautiful...took two years gettin' here and Mrs. Laidley will be thrilled as we been waitin' just for Thanksgiving tomorrow." I noted no refrain from him now "Ya'll think I'm made of money!" "Commodore, the LOUISVILLE leaving in less than an hour. Is your carriage coming over to fetch this, take you home," I asked looking at my own watch.

Laidley looked around, across the river to his imposing manse. "DRATS! I was going to just walk home tonight so's I can see the boat pull out. Get the 1st Mate on the double. "John, get you somebody--anybody--to help. Drop the yawl over off the LOUISVILLE and you men row this across the river. No problem and you can carry it up to the house. You heah' me?" With doleful looks the Mate and two crew dropped the yawl, jumped in, loaded the big Hindoostan carpet and headed across the river as we watched in the gathering November gloom. "Hold the LOUISVILLE till they get back, heah me?" Laidley said yanking on his worn wool coat, beat up hat. "I'm walkin' the bridge to see her leave. Got sumpthin' for you all heah if you wait." In time trusted Chief Steward and two cabin boys trudged up the office steps with bundles in their hands. "Heah, turkeys if you want...from Mrs. Laidley and me...smoked turkey. You have yo'selves a nice Thanksgiving--but see you all her bright, early Friday mornin,' you heah' me?" The yawl splashed back, the men jumped aboard and off she steamed for Louisville. Ellis and I looked close seeing a dark figure standing by the north Suspension Bridge pier. It was the Commodore with his watch in hand watching 'his boat' round, steam out. [*This story mostly fictional but with more truth and imagined. The full story of Laidley's Hindoostan carpet wouldn't be fully told until later years].

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

Dale, you're not doing it just for Shipyard. We all wait all year for these!

We all have much to be thankful for. This very site is a gift to all of us to keep up with new found information from the past and what is planned for tomorrow. Best wishes for a happy and blessed Thanksgiving.

Sigh! All's quiet and peaceful here on Gunpowder Road. MISSY is sleeping peacefully in the boat house (barn) and MISS BLUE close at hand but with one eye still open toward an unseasonable warm, calm day for one more outing yet this year. What a comfort this website is...the glue to hold us together until another full season, bright with promise, unfolds. We too salute Franz and Carman for this and are thankful for our many blessings...not least among them you folks who post here...even old Laidly with his gold watch and carpet. We'll be thinking of all you who are separated from your family and friends over the holidays...knowing that someone has to stand a lonely watch during this time that places such emphasis on human fellowship. Best wishes and a Norman Rockwell holiday to all and BE HERE BRIGHT AND EARLY TOMORROW! Cap'n Walnut and his First Mate.

Well said Cap't Walnut. From the West side of the Upper Miss, greetings. We have just returned from "Gathering Together to ask the Lord's blessing;" at a beautiful 102 old small Gothic Church "For the joy of human love, brother , sister , parent, child, Friends on earth and friends above, for all gentile thoughts and mild; Lord of all, to you we raise This our gift of grateful praise".

Jim: The fine words of Poliot S. Pierpont and the consoling music of Conrad Kocher. From Hymn No. 193 in the Rabbit Hash Hymnal. Cap'n Walnut.

A happy gobble day to all!

Thanksgiving Hymns & A Church Organist's Faux Pas

Thanks for the beautiful quotations of beloved Thanksgiving hymns! Also brought back a long ago memory (nightmare!) of a Thanksgiving morning church service for which I presided at the pipe organ console (substituting for a fellow organist) and thought the rector was ready for the recessional hymn. He wasn't! I launched into "Now Thank We All Our God" with ALL guns blazing. By the time I realized my grievous error, the congregation was standing to sing the hymn and there was nothing left to do but to sing the hymn! After the postlude I went to the sacristy and apologized profusely. I was immediately forgiven with, "Don't worry about it, I had talked much too long anyway!"

Keith: I am reminded of the story wherein the little boy asked:

"Daddy, what does it mean when the preacher takes his watch out of his pocket and places it on the pulpit??"

Heaving a big sigh, his daddy replied, "Not a thing, son, not a thing!"

Comes to that, I have the notion that the congregation would have voted in your favor! But not even a ffff preacher is proof against a pipe organ with all the "C.W." stops out. ...Cap'n Walnut