Regarding the PA DENNY

Jon,

I am worried for the little DENNY's calliope. Last I worked on it (in 2001) it was functional...with hose clamps holding 2 of the whistles together. But they worked!

I am looking forward to hearing from frank on here and hope we can all be of assistance!

~Travis~

The P.A. Denny has not been sold, nor does the ORSANCO Educational Foundation intend to do so. Frank Trainor actually works for BB Riverboats which has a contract to run the Denny for ORSANCO. He is new on the scene and the Denny is quickly showing him who is the boss. The Denny can give a pilot grey hairs.

Why does the Denny give pilots grey hair? What are her little quirks and foibles?

Kitty Kat

She ought'a be a Kitty Kat, now, with the monkey rudders. Before, she was a true "flanking" boat, and my two years on her were some of the best days of my river life. I loved to "flip" her, and did so in the bend at Algiers Point and Bill Dow came running up to the pilot, all out of breath, and wanted to now what had happened.

"Oh, I just flipped her like I promised my crew, back home, if I got the DENNY safely to New Orleans."

"We don't flip boats at Algiers Point."

I did.

She is the best boat on all the waters, the ghost of Pete Denny is among those on her at night. I have many stories from nights on her all alone and hearing sounds from the engine room, if it wasnt clean!!!

The Skinny On the DENNY

"Tender" is a term oft used around the sailing sector that might describe the handling characteristics of the PAD, especially to the pilot new to the boat. First of all, the P. A. DENNY is sometimes called the Skinny Denny as she is narrow considering her length and tall for her width. She handles like a kite in the wind.

The steering gear is of the non-follow-up type configured with a tiny handle that serves as the "stick" that can cause a severe case of over-steering the skittish paddlewheeler. The almost over-sized wheel can drive the boat along at a racer's clip, but properly operating the directional clutch can be tricky and a broken drive chain can result from ham-handed handling.

Before the monkey rudders were added aft the sternwheel, the only rudders on the DENNY were those forward the wheel making her a true "flanking", or "backing" boat. At slow speeds the PAD had no rudder power coming ahead, and the wheel had to be backed to throw water forward and across the rudders to twist the head in the desired direction. Then the pilot had to come-ahead on the sternwheel to drive the boat in that direction. I have yet to handle the DENNY with rudders abaft the wheel.

The more-than-300-foot GV2 is also a backing boat without monkey rudders, and I've always handled her like I did the DENNY although the bigger boat has two 500 hp stern Schottle-drives to shove the back end around and a 500 hp bow-thruster on the pointy end. The GV has three 33-foot rudders and can steer around a tree, so my best advice to the novice has always been: Paddlewheel and rudders-- that's meat and potatoes; the other is gravy. Only a greenhorn would over-power the Z-drives and bow thruster and ignore a 1500 hp, 42-foot wide paddlewheel and three gigantic rudders when handling the former QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS.

The P. A. DENNY was where I first put Captain Harry Louden's treasured advice to practical use after the time the DELTA QUEEN's paddlewheel was nearly destroyed and the monkey rudders were left sticking in the Indiana clay below Cannelton Lock. After rebuilding the wheel in only three days, the trip back to Cincinnati was one continuous series of lessons on the handling of a flanking sternwheel steamboat by a master of the Pilot's art.

Any good pilot, once they got the feel of the PAD, would truly learn to love to handle the squirrelly sternwheeler and come away from the experience with memories to last a lifetime... or even longer.

Add the Belle of Louisville and the Natchez to the list of sternwheelers sans monkey rudders. The Belle of Louisville is a true doll to handle and does what is asked of her - providing - the pilot plays by her rules. First among those rules is do not rush her, take your time. She will back into or out of anything.
The Natchez is equally nice to pilots and has a bow thruster, to boot.

Any update or pictures of the Denny and how much repair is needed?

Katie Bar the Door

The only one I ever feared aboard the PAD was Momma Jean (and she warn't no ghost) if the restrooms weren't clean when she came aboard. That's why I, as Captain, cleaned the heads, myself-- so they'd pass Mrs. Hamilton's tough inspection.

The first thing she would do would be to make a bee-line for the heads. If she came out smiling we were in for a good day. Otherwise, as Captain Wagner used to say ... "Katie! Bar the door!"

Tom, unfortunately the only photos I took while in Cincinnati were of the DENNY's calliope. I didn't think to take shots of much else.

The PAD was not as top-heavy and had far less "sail area" when she came out as the SCOTT in 1930. In my opinion, her hull wasn't designed to have those spacious upper-deck cabins, and she looked better to me as the SCOTT. (photo courtesy of Dan Owen)

OK, OK watcha mean flip her??

ts

Cap't Walnut,

Sure missed you two weeks ago in Lou'ville. Great to hear from you.

I too was wondering what Sam meant by 'flipped her'...

Turned the boat around, either by steering, backing (or topping) around.

I believe the term "flipped her" refers to the turn commonly used on the Belle (of Louisville) due to the fact that she is without monkey rudders.
The Belle will turn tighter if the boat is “backed around” (into the wind is the rule). If you drive or steer around as you turn she will "slide" in a wide, ever expanding radius i.e.. The early turn during the KDF great steamboat race of 2008 when the Belle went from one side of the river to the other.
From the pilothouse, the last thing I want to see is the approaching bank disappearing into the vessels blind spot as the boat slides twards the bank.
The PA Denny will drive around on a slow bell in a tight radius coming ahead, or back around the same way with ease if needed.
Beware if you are on the exterior main deck the Denny is turning to, you may end up being baptized river style!

Cracking the Whip

Flipping a sternwheeler is something I was taught on the DELTA QUEEN by cracker jack steamboat pilots, Handsome Harry Hamilton and Harry Louden, to turn the boat when she wouldn't back all the way around in the wind. Like the DELTA QUEEN, in those days, the P. A. DENNY would only back up into the wind. Sometimes the wind was strong-enough that these boat would "stiffen-up" and not go all the way around.

As soon as that point was reached, the rudders were put hard-down in the opposite direction while continuing to back. This allowed the boat to go around in the opposite direction and build up enough momentium while getting all the weight of the boat moving in that direction. The desired results were for the boat to "crack the whip" and come all the way around and end up pointed where you wanted it in the first place.

Sometimes the sternwheeler would stiffened-up on that rudder, too, so the rudders would then be reversed again and it would really be cracking-the-whip with the boat's tail into the wind, and she'd usually come around... that is, if you didn't run out of room between the banks.

It was always thrilling to see the stern flying around at break neck speed, and fun to do if the boat acted in the desired manner. I have a 8mm home movie of the DELTA QUEEN flippin' so fast in a hard wind below Evansville that it nearly makes you dizzy to watch. The little Sternwheeler GRACO made several turns around the horizon behind our stern before the DELTA QUEEN finally straightened out.