MQ Machinery?

The MQ's engines were built for her with plans for engines from an earlier boat, and you are correct in saying that the Kennedy's engines are now used aboard the AQ

Herbert E. Jones

What little I know:

Some years ago, before many in this class were born, Amherst Industries of Port Amherst, WV decided to lay up their great steam towboat, the HERBERT E. JONES, originally built as the JASON. As I heard the story from a fly on the wall, Mr. Charles J., owner of the JONES, offered the engines to the operators of the DELTA QUEEN for their scrap value, but one Mr. M. turned down the offer, allegedly commenting that the HEJ tandem compound engines would be of no foreseeable use, and so the engines were cut up for their weight in scrap iron.

Forward to the mid-1970's, and not that many years after the generous offer was made, the MQ was planned, (and wouldn't you just know it?) the very engines wanted for the new boat were the Jones tandems, but they had already been melted down and recast into fireplugs and sewer lids.

The DQ operators went back to Mr. J., as I heard the tale, and asked if a copy of the plans of the original engines could be purchased, and it happened that drawings for the original engines were gathering dust in a cardboard box, found, copied, and sold for a hefty sum far exceeding what the price of the original engines would have been in the first place.

Others more associated with the behind-the-house drama of those days, as I was in Charleston, WV, captaining the PA DENNY, need to chime in here. But the business of casting the new engines went to a group calling themselves "Pine Tree Engineering", who after the castings and other sundry parts were assembled, crated-up everything and shipped it to JeffBoat.

Pine Tree had no intentions of assembling the gigantic collection of jig-saw pieces, so Chief Engineer Kenny P. Howe, Jr. was brought in to put them all together on the new boat being built at the Jeffersonville yard where he was also employed after serving gallantly for numerous seasons in the engine rooms of the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE and DELTA QUEEN.

That's about all I heard on the stern line telegraph in the days before this electronic board replaced the antiquated ways that river gossip was transmitted. Perhaps others sitting in the back of the class can add more, but something tells me that the true story of all this will be a topic of discussion at next week's S&D rally at Marietta where Chief Howe is slated to be headlining the entertainment and enlightenment segment after dinner.

So if you are truly interested, find your way to Marietta and hear the entire story from the guy who lived it. Even if Ken doesn't have this certain story as part of his talk, he'll gladly fill you in at the bar after the program has concluded.

The HERBERT E. JONES
Willie and Buster's Whirlwind Tour of the World

Kenny found the valve settings in a Herbert E. Jones engineer's log and was told to not use them. The naval architects and owners could not believe that a western rivers engineer knew anything, so they went to a professor at West Virginia University to calculate them. Kenny was given strict orders to use the resulting measurements. Like almost everything aboard, the valve gear had to be re-set, re-worked, repaired or redesigned. Even the coke machines failed to perform!
Truly, the prophet is not without honor save in his own land.

Alan Bates;12637 wrote: Like almost everything aboard, the valve gear had to be re-set, re-worked, repaired or redesigned. Even the coke machines failed to perform!

The machinery on the MQ was certainly proven on the river. Boats such as the OMAR and her sisters also were built with the same style of Marietta Piston Poppet Valve Engines that the MQ has. Marietta's slogan was Made Mechanically Correct. Dad always said though that the engineers had to look at the valves every so often and check on their condition. The valves would tend to "carbon up" which could lead to problems while handling the engines.

Frank: I just read recently, to my sorrow, that the engines on the OMAR (now CITY OF CLINTON SHOWBOAT) were removed and scrapped to make more space for theatre operations. When Judy and I visited aboard the boat way back in the summer of 1981, the engine room was all intact, nicely painted and pristine. I'm sure your dad would NOT be happy with this news!

Keith Norrington;12646 wrote: Frank: I just read recently, to my sorrow, that the engines on the OMAR (now CITY OF CLINTON SHOWBOAT) were removed and scrapped to make more space for theatre operations. When Judy and I visited aboard the boat way back in the summer of 1981, the engine room was all intact, nicely painted and pristine.

What a shame it is to lose those engines. Dad was the OMAR's Chief for awhile, and I believe that she was his favorite boat. Many a time I heard him wax how the OMAR's engineroom was all spit and polish. The deck was painted vermillion red with hunter green walk ways. The guages at the footbox were all chrome plated with "Str. OMAR, Port of Cincinnati, Ohio" etched on them. The throttle and ship-up jack too were chrome plated, and the Russian iron sheeting on the engines was kept highly polished. The railings on the catwalk along side of the engines too was chrome plated. He related how once a cigarette butt was found on the deck in the engineroom, and all hell broke loose. It was made clear that such disregard to the engineroom would not be tolerated!