talk about targeted marketing

Dave,

What an interesting vessel they put on the logotype! Sternwheel and sidewheel....with California and Western Rivers styling. Looks like this design was done by committee and each person represented a different genre of steamboating!

~Travis~

HAH! I had not looked at the image closely. Yes, it's a sidewheeler that apparently, the artist/illustrator tagged an image of the DK or DQ's paddlewheel box on the rear! Hmm. I'll have to bring a bag (empty) on the trip!
(for those who may have never seen it, when the DQ & DK were plying the Sacramento river, the paddlewheel was covered by a box; one supposes so as to make the boat appear more "refined"??)
S'
David D.

No, it was covered to keep water from spraying on the decks. They had no splashboard on the stern then. It was removed for the Mississippi System for fear of ice getting clogged in there.

Hi Judy,
Ah, yes, that too! I knew about the removal because of the ice. I've often wondered if either the King's or the Queens covers parts survived. The wood is probably long gone, but what about the decroative side pieces?
Also, I recall reading that the DQ wheel is considered a Western Rivers wheel, being narrower than most Mississippi wheels, but that question should probably start a new thread.
Gotta get back to prep for our trip!!
S'
David D.

Western Rivers Question

Actually Western Rivers and the Mississippi River and tributaries are one and the same, as defined by the Rules of the Road:

Western Rivers means the Mississippi River, its tributaries, South Pass, and Southwest Pass, to the navigational demarcation lines dividing the high seas from harbors, rivers, and other inland waters of the United States, and the Port Allen-Morgan City Alternate Route, and that part of the Atchafalaya River above its junction with the Port Allen-Morgan City Alternate Route including the Old River and the Red River.

The DQ's wheel is more of a California-style, if there's such a beast. But if Western Rivers means as per above, then what is the correct terminology used to mean the rivers that are on the West Coast in California, Oregon, and Washington?

I thought I remembered the DQ wheel being referred to as Texas -style... no river included. Whatever the term, I believe it refers to the wheel's height and width being the same or close thereto....?????

A semi-recollection in my brain that the original DQ/DK paddlewheel covers were copper! And the DQ's cover was sold in New Orleans along with all the piano crate lumber, after her first arrival. Both sales were used to helped defray Capt Tom's costs of bringing her through the Gulf?

The DQ's wheel cover was removed at the Dravo, Neville Island yard. It caused quite a stir as the DQ proceeded up the Ohio River.

So they probably went for scrap, too bad! I find it interesting that the DQ could be brought out of "dead" storage, lugged around the oceans, and then uncrated and steamed up. Of course, she was MUCH newer then, and regulations weren't as "tight" as they are nowadays. Heck, back then, railroads were still using steam locomotives, it wasn't such a "foreign" power supply.
S'
David D.

Actually ........................

Greetings From New Orleans ,
Actually , the purpose of the paddlewheel box was to dampen the noise coming from the splashing of the paddlewheel so that the passengers could sleep better . This bit of information was told to me by Capt. Lounden and confirmed by Capt. Howard Tate as well .
Smoothe Sailing !
Ted Davisson

David Dewey;12079 wrote: HAH! I had not looked at the image closely. Yes, it's a sidewheeler that apparently, the artist/illustrator tagged an image of the DK or DQ's paddlewheel box on the rear! Hmm. I'll have to bring a bag (empty) on the trip!
(for those who may have never seen it, when the DQ & DK were plying the Sacramento river, the paddlewheel was covered by a box; one supposes so as to make the boat appear more "refined"??)
S'
David D.

The Term Is A " Square Wheel "

Greetings From New Orleans ,
Actually the term for the Str. Delta Queen's and the Str. Natchez's paddlewheel is a " Square Wheel " . The idea being that their respective heights and widths were equeal . That cannot be said about the respective wheels on the Str.'s Mississippi Queen and American Queen where both wheels are much wider than their heights . Back in the day , it was one of the deck crews responsibilities to " check the wheel " when the boat was in port . That included tightening the bucket board bolts , replacing the wheel arms and or bucket boards and if the boat was headed for any type of special events affair , we would also have to re-paint the wheel as well . This chore was no small endeavor and many a crescent wrench and bucket board bolt was lost into the river . One other bit of trivia that was part of the unofficial initiation of the deck crew was to " Ride The Crank " while the wheel was turning over . Some did and some did not but when one is pressured by his peers , was young and dumb , and was looking for excitement and looking to prove one's own metal , what better way ?? Made perfect sence , right ?? Plus also it certainly entertained the passengers and on lookers .Fortunately , there were no casualtities that I was aware of and what better way to attain the bragging rightts that were so prevelent those days by the infamous DQ Deck Crew !!
Smoothe Sailing !
Ted Davisson

Inland River Rules

Capt. Don ,
Thats a very good question and I was always of the impression at least that every other waterway wheater it be lake , bay or sound and geographic location , they all fell under the catagory of Inland Waters and as you indicated only the Mississippi River and its tributaries were refered to as the Western Rivers . I believe the reason for that is due to the fact of the prescribed meeting and overtaking rules for Western Rivers. I believe only on the Mississippi River and the other Western Rivers , is there the option to meet and overtake on the starb'd side of other vessels instead of the prescribed port to port meeting arrangements . Food for thougt !
Smoothe Sailing !
Ted Davisson

Shipyard Sam;12106 wrote: Actually Western Rivers and the Mississippi River and tributaries are one and the same, as defined by the Rules of the Road:

Western Rivers means the Mississippi River, its tributaries, South Pass, and Southwest Pass, to the navigational demarcation lines dividing the high seas from harbors, rivers, and other inland waters of the United States, and the Port Allen-Morgan City Alternate Route, and that part of the Atchafalaya River above its junction with the Port Allen-Morgan City Alternate Route including the Old River and the Red River.

The DQ's wheel is more of a California-style, if there's such a beast. But if Western Rivers means as per above, then what is the correct terminology used to mean the rivers that are on the West Coast in California, Oregon, and Washington?

Capt. C.S. Ware's license read "Master of Steam and Motor Vessels of Any Gross Tons Upon Rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico". While Capt. Ware never went over on the Black Warrior and Tombigbee Rivers, those rivers (and now the Tenn-Tom Waterway as well) fall under the "Western Rivers" designation, beginning above the Cochrane Bridge at Mobile, Alabama. So it appears that "rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico" is the real defining critera, right?

Barq's rootbeer and soda cans use to have a small sidewheeler on them.
as i remember back about 1988...Wonder what happed to it?

Anyone else remember that...?

Dave;;

Yeah, Ted,
I sent up the hill for a new two-pound sledge hammer. In due time a deckhand brought it to the wheel for me. On the first swing a stirrup bolt broke and the hammer went to the bottom. Just one lick! Thank goodness it was bought by the boat.

Ted,
My latest issue of license is for Master Inland Steam or Motor Vessels. . .also Operator of Uninspected Towing Vessels on the Western Rivers. I suppose that meant I could work on the Hudson River, the Columbia, the Great Lakes and the Yukon, something I never craved to do.
The Western Rivers got their name before America owned the West Coast and they were about as "Western" as they could be at the time.

I collect stuff like that, so, not being in California, I will check the stores here in Colorado, and later in the year in Phoenix. Hopefully they might drift to the east of CA. It is amazing how much the steamboat is used to market food stuffs. More often than not it is a version of either the DQ or present day Natchez. So much for copyrights.