Topic starter
09/07/2011 12:31 am
Capt. Carl Henry phoned this evening from his pilothouse atop the M/V SCOTT STEGBAUER, currently upbound below St. Louis, to convey the sad news of the passing, today, of William V. Torner, 95, at Knoxville, Tennessee.
Bill hailed from the Upper Ohio River and had muddy water flowing in his veins at an early age. In the early 1920's, the Torner family had a contract for a mail ferry service across the Ohio from Newport to the B&O Railroad mail stop at Vaucluse, West Virginia. Billl rowed a 16 foot skiff, making five round trips per day, six days a week in all weather and river conditions, day and night. In June, 1934, his first steamboat job was aboard the sidewheel J.S. , of Streckfus Steamers. He also served aboard the Str. SENATOR, formerly the SAINT PAUL. Later, her worked on the steam towboat RELIANCE, of Union Barge Line. Bill was very proud of his service as a "Seabee" in the U.S. Navy during World War II. In later years, Bill resided in St. Louis and Waterloo, Iowa before moving to Tennessee.
In recent years, despite ill health, Bill's interest in the river never waivered. He maintained a fine library and well organized collection of photographs and slides, many of which he had taken himself and meticulously annotated. Most of all, he greatly enjoyed keeping in touch with river people. He was a longtime subscriber to The Waterways Journal, a member of the Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen and a charter member of the Midwest Riverboat Buffs from the organization's inception in 1972. He always was 'happy to give' and closed his interesting letters with the phrase, "May we have steamboats forever."
Bill's niece, Sherrie Torner, wanted his river friends to know that she plans to take her uncle's ashes to the Newport Cemetery, above Marietta, in September at the time of the S&D meeting, where they will be interred next to his wife, Bernice, who passed on many years ago, their graves being in close proximity to those of the Greene and Hughes families, all well known and greatly respected on the river.
A long and two shorts of the whistle in tribute to a dedicated riverman, gentleman and good friend.
09/07/2011 6:51 pm
Torner on JSDeluxe
With Bill Torner's passing, the only person still alive that I know who worked on the wooden-hulled Streckfus boats would be Mary Otte of Quincy. I wonder if she and Bill were on the JS at the same time? Does anyone know of others still alive who worked on the pre- PRESIDENT/ADMIRAL Streckfus boats?
Topic starter
10/07/2011 12:53 pm
Str. SENATOR photos taken by Torner
Some years ago Bill Torner sent me a set of prints of images that he had taken in the spring of 1940 while a crew member aboard the Streckfus Str. SENATOR. Herewith are several of those fine photos, preserved for posterity. Thank you Bill.
(1) Engine Room - showing port side engine, throttle, signal bell, telegraph, etc.
(2) Deckhand painting gingerbread trim while landed at Parkersburg, WV. Note that the pilothouse nameboard still reads SAINT PAUL, although the boat's name had just been changed to SENATOR during a rebuilding at Paducah during the winter of 1939-40.
(3) Mate and deck crew at work on the forecastle.
10/07/2011 1:40 pm
Keith,
I find it interesting to note in the Engine Room shot, there are both the old fashioned Western Rivers Bells and a modern Engine Room Telegraph showing in the picture. On side-wheelers, when an Engine Room Telegraph was used, did either side/handle of the telegraph go to individual sides of the Engine Room or individual wheels? Or were multiple telegraphs used? Or was there a standard for this practice? This brings up a ton of Engine Room practices for sidewheel boats. Perhaps I will start a new thread and see what happens there.
Also, the in the forecastle picture, looks like they are tying a line to something. But, on the stb'd bow they have a piled line as if they just came off a bank landing. Wondering if there is more of a story behind this particular picture. Looks as if 6 deckhands are working the line off the port bow, three pulling and three coiling. Surely, that capstan is not a manual one! Lots of guys on a line if it is steam-powered, though!
Like Dale says, what do I know!
Travis
Topic starter
11/07/2011 5:22 pm
Several More Streckfus Steamer Images
Here are several more photos from the camera of Bill Torner, while employed by Streckfus Steamers.
(1) Str. SENATOR at Parkersburg, WV landing - Towboat J.D. AYRES passing in background. The pilotwheel from this towboat now hangs in the lobby of the Hotel Lafayette at Marietta, OH and the roof bell still rings aboard the excursion Str. NATCHEZ at New Orleans.
(2) STR. SAINT PAUL/SENATOR at Parkersburg landing.
(3) Deck scene aboard the Str. SENATOR. Note the many acorns and light bulbs!
Topic starter
11/07/2011 5:55 pm
And MORE Str. SENATOR!
Two more views aboard the sidewheel steamer SENATOR.
(1) Boiler - port side
(2) Upbound on the Ohio River below Lock & Dam 18 during high water. Note searchlight control wires. In the distance, the bear traps of the dam are open, with the wickets up between the lock wall and bear traps. Wickets are down from bear traps to the West Virginia shore.
12/07/2011 3:28 pm
Shot Across the Bow
These are great pictures, but the third shot of the deck crew at work on the bow bothers me for several reasons:
1. It looks like a posed shot with six men handling one capstan line.
2. The mate is standing where he would get his legs broken or knocked into the river, or both, if the line broke under strain.
3. The three men tending the capstan line are standing with their backs to the river and facing opposite to where the load is located.
4. The boys coiling the line are doing so in a counter-clockwise manner. Three-strand lines are normally laid down in a clockwise direction to keep the line from kinking. It's also possible the print was developed backwards.
Maybe this was the way things were done on that boat, but they wouldn't be done that way on mine. When it comes to running a safe steamboat deck, I DO know.
Topic starter
12/07/2011 8:04 pm
Bear in mind that for decades Streckfus Steamers published an annual and widely circulated magazine (The Scenic Waterway which they later renamed Streckfus Steamers Magazine) and did use many posed photographs of deck scenes, etc. for publication. Bill's caption on the back of the print does not mention any name of the mate, deckhands or situation, but it's possible that he snapped the photo when the crew was posing for the company photographer. As you said Sam, I think this print, made from a 4 x 6 celluloid negative, was likely developed backwards, given the fact that it was taken while she was tied up at Parkersburg, WV and the headline should be going the opposite direction.
Bill once told me that the deck crew slept on the dance floor of the Str. SENATOR and were provided only a sheet and pillow. He said it was an understatement to say there were NO soft boards in the boat's dance floor!
13/07/2011 2:29 am
If I were mate I would fire the entire watch! And I would not be caught dead where that mate is standing. Why would anyone need three men to hold up that line coming off the capstan? Further, none of them is in a strain. Lines were coiled "with the sun," on boats, or up the hill in construction work, and everywhere else. In fact, I don't believe the rope could be coiled left-handed without creating a snarl. Why is all that mare's nest of lines on the right side of the picture?
Topic starter
13/07/2011 10:33 am
Too bad we can't ask Bill about this image. Since 71 years have passed since the photo was taken, it's probably a safe assumption that most, if not all, of the crew members in the photo have passed, like the Str. SENATOR, from the scene and have gone to a final landing place where it matters not how lines are coiled and they have no worries of any kind.
Regardless of what is happening here, I know it would greatly please Bill that his photos are being enjoyed (and analyzed!) by people who work and/or enjoy life on the river as he did for many years, keeping it near and dear to his heart.
13/07/2011 11:26 am
Here's my take on the line-coiling picture, for what it's worth: I would agree it is likely a "posed" photograph. No Mate I know of would allow that other line on the starboard side to remain in a heap while 6 men fool with a line that's not even being coiled up. Looks to me like the capstan line is being tightened -- even if it were being hauled in with the capstan, it wouldn't come in fast enough to require more than 2 men to handle and coil it. It also looks to me that the line is being coiled right-handed.
One thing as far as the side which she is landed -- the belly block lines for the stage are leading to the starboard side, as are the boom guy lines, so either the stage is swung outboard or the line being handled leads to something other than a ring or deadman on shore. My wife's grandfather, Irvin M. Shrake, told me that the Streckfus boats often had to land at spots where it was difficult to get out at departure, and would drop an anchor a hundred feet or so out in the river, then use the capstan to pull the head out on that anchor line on departure, sort of an old-fashioned bow thruster. Maybe that's what we're seeing.
Either way, I still think it's a staged picture. Photographers can ask subjects to do some silly things.
13/07/2011 5:27 pm
Using the anchor and capstan
Bob, I have an 8 x 10 of the PRESIDENT here in Rock Island doing that very manuever. Doc described the action the minute he laid eyes on the photo. I came upstairs to post the photo. Unfortunately it is not in my PRESIDENT photo album, nor my PREZ file folder, which means it could be anywhere! It would be reasonable to assume that RI could have been a problem since it is just below Dam 15 and if the river was low, it would certainly have been low in there...
Topic starter
05/09/2011 11:57 pm
Memorial Service for Bill Torner on September 16th
Sherrie Torner has asked me to convey the information that a graveside service for her uncle, William V. Torner, will be held on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th in the Newport Cemetery at Newport, Ohio (just upriver a short distance from Marietta) at 10 AM.
All of Bill's river friends and acquaintances are invited to attend.
18/09/2011 9:02 pm
*RE: Bill Torner's Memorial*
Steamboating colleagues:
William [Bill] Torner's ashes were laid to rest this past Friday, Sept. 16 in the historic, picturesque Newport Cemetery at 10:00 AM with some ten family and friends attending from S&D at niece Sherrie Torner's invitation. A veteran's gun squad, two representatives from the local VFW affiliate speaking and minister gave a moving eulogy followed by military rifle honors ending with taps sounded from afar. The Thorner plot, just feet east of the Greene and Hughes family burials, beautiful in the September morning light. The simple ceremony carried the diginity of Bill's military service. And those of us attending who served in uniform never fail to be moved by the flag folding, salute, gun honors. Sherrie and family members did well but obvious they will miss Bill greatly. Farewell Bill, you answered the call, stood your duty to our country.
Friday the first time in 50 years I'd stepped in the Newport Cemetery for a memorial service when the DELTA QUEEN landed. Passengers, some crew and officers represented by Capt. Ernest Wagner, walked up for words at the Greene/Hughes plots from Donald T. Wright, E.J. Quinby, Capt. Jesse P. Hughes, Purser Robert McCann. I noted last Friday the childhood home of Capt. Gordon C. Greene still stands near the highway intersection; the most impressive Greenewood farm manicured, spic and span just to the west. A lovelier site could not be found.
R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati