Topic starter
01/04/2009 5:10 pm
This old aerial photo of JeffBoat was posted in a towboater's email group that I belong to. We were trying to determine a more precise date when this photo was taken (late 50s, early 60's?), and so I got permission from that person to post the photo here.
1). I'm hoping someone can look at this photo and narrow-down the date it was taken.
2). Also does anyone know what old steam towboat JeffBoat was using at this time to provide steam for their barge cleaning operation? You can see the partly dismantled steam towboat at the very lower-left corner of the photo.
It reminds me a lot of the WEBER W. SEBALD, but it was on the Kanawha at this time, and not so dismantled. A similar design would be the GEORGE M. VERITY (S.S. THORPE), which of course is not dismantled like the boat in this photo. (maybe there were other sisterboats like this, built by Dubuque for Armco Steel?).
I know the diesel sternwheel towboat CHICKASAW sold and went to the Kanawha River in May 1965, so the photo predates that.
First image is the entire photo with a legend at the bottom that lists the known boats. Second image is a magnification of the lower-left corner. Third image is a slightly bigger version showing just the known boats.
01/04/2009 5:45 pm
Photo taken prior to 1955. The Republic #1 was sold to New Orleans that year.
01/04/2009 6:04 pm
Tighten up the time frame, the DPC Guam did not get renamed America till 1952, so now its 1952 to 1955.
01/04/2009 7:05 pm
Steve: The old steam towboat that languished at Jeffboat for some years was the JAMES W. GOOD, a Federal Barge Line vessel, built at Dubuque along with the PATRICK J. HURLEY, S.S. THORPE and others. Dave Crecelius, long Chief Engineer on the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE, used to make periodic trips over there to obtain parts that were "recycled" on the BELLE. Capt. Bob Reynolds told me several years ago that the GOOD is/was a landing boat for the Economy Boat Store at Wood River, Illinois.
Jim Reising and Kenny Howe could tell you more about the GOOD since, as youngsters, they explored the remains of the old boat in a true Huck Finn / Tom Sawyer type adventure. I have the engineroom telegraph (pilothouse end) from the GOOD.
01/04/2009 7:49 pm
Richard Bissell worked on the JAMES W. GOOD for a while and talks about it in "My Life On the Mississippi, Or Why I Am Not Mark Twain". Possibly Capt. Norman Hillman worked on the boat as well.
Topic starter
02/04/2009 12:19 am
This is great info! Thanks everyone!
So it was a Dubuque Boiler Works boat. Somehow I thought it resembled that design.
09/04/2009 2:58 pm
Although he's been mentioned at various times on this forum, I don't recall that a picture of Chief Engineer Dave Crecelius has ever been posted. Dave was a "river character" if ever there was one and faithfully served on the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE for many years -- and aboard a number of other vessels prior. A whistle salute to his memory - and here's a 1974 photo of him "holding forth" in the engine room of the BELLE.