The DQ crew is the greatest!!

I think you oughta become real friendly with eBay's Seller Central so you can thank Miss Taylor in person... 🙂 and of course you will need a coach to help you thank her, right?
Think of it as simply selling old booty to be able to buy new booty.
Personally, Deb and I are selling our junque as fast as we can. never too late to start saving up for 2008!
And you are right my friend, NOTHING beats the DQ crew...

Can any tell me when the picture on this Marietta postcard would have been taken?

Bruno, someone maybe Shipyard Sam or Judy can chime in and tell you more, but I can tell you it was in the 1960's. My guess would be the early 1960's. The calliope was not installed until 1960, and it's there. The newer wing bridges, coming directly out of the pilothouse are there, too....not sure when that change was made. In the late 1960's, the splashboard was painted red. The green that we see on the postcard may or may not be correct, as they used to color black & white photos for post cards, so that green splashboard may be artistic license. Maybe someone else can elaborate.

From what I have seen of the postcards with pictures by S. Durward Hoag, of the Lafayette Hotel, if the picture was taken with B/W film, it was published in B/W. This card is consistant with others of the period that are credited as Color by S. Durward Hoag.

Stephen Durward Hoag ...

I think you've nailed it pretty good Bob. I can't narrow it down any more, but I have one taken in Madison with the green board and the single pipe on the roof and it was mailed in 1965. I know the splashboard was red in 1968 the first time I set foot on the DQ, so I'd say your early '60s estimate is right. I don't think she underwent as many exterior changes in the 60s as in later decades, so pinpointing the year is difficult.

Delta Queen Challenge

What might be an interesting challenge would be to catalog each year of the DELTA QUEEN, while on the Western Rivers, corresponding to the changes on the exterior. 1971 was a milestone year when the boat came out of the shipyard with a new splashboard with round portholes over-looking the paddlewheel, gold-plated calliope and BIG whistles, White stack crown, roof flag poles, circus gee haws around the callyope, IBA canisters on the Sun Deck, and so on.

My thought is that the DQ did have a green splashboard. I'd go with sometime in the 1950's or early '60's. The splashboard was white in the very early days. The collar around the lower portion of the stack changed, too. Captains Blum and Gabe should know what paint the ole girl was sporting, when, after 1971.

What year were the funnels removed? This might be an interesting joint project; especially with illustrations and/or photographs for documentation.

The Texas Deck funnels were removed for the '84 season. The ones on the bow went earlier. I used to be able to tell you the year exactly from '73-83, my riding years. I imagine I could regain that if I studied my pix. Just a couple of main things off the top of my head: the Save the DQ banner had a 'Saved' board placed over it in '73. This was on the Texas Bow. The blue Voyages To America banner on the Sundeck stern was there from '73-78. Lexie painted the name in red on the Engine Room bulkheads in '75. I believe it was removed in '83 when they replaced the wood, also covering up several Main Deck windows in that process. The G on the stack lasted through '73. Dave Tschiggfrie painted an American flag on the bow of the hull in '76. The new staterooms replacing Skid Row and with them the large rectangular windows in the splash board instead of the portholes appeared for the '84 season. Other notable changes for which I don't have dates handy now: the stairways were uncovered; the calliope whistles were rearranged so as to go from big to small and back to big;, the uniphon sp? consoles disappeared; the white paint was stripped off the stateroom doors(83 or 84 I think); the stripes on the stack; the height/width of the stack; the new stairs to the pilothouse when the interior one was eliminated; the hideous extra gangplank on the engine room bulkhead; exercise equipment on the Cabin Deck; the storage room built on the Cabin Deck bow; the new hull of course; the different jackstaff flags(ONA, DQ, state flags); boom paint from white to black on top part; different tables and chairs on Texas Bow; the DQ nameboard going to the eagle to the !@#^& on the front of the pilothouse; airconditioning units on roof; pole of running lights on pilothouse; number/type of lifeboats on Texas; funnels; VW or no VW on bow; Bob Reynolds' stars paint job on bow.... a few items for starters...

One thing I noticed, too, in the posted poistcard photo: that looks like the original stage that was built for the boat when she started for GLS. I think Keith Norrington may know when the big steel stage was placed in operation...this may narrow things down some more. Two more questions: When were the monkey rudders installed, and when did they re-do the wing bridges?

All I know is that when the DQ first began operation for Greene Line the stage she carried looked much like the one on the GORDON C. GREENE. Apparently it was too short and didn't quite suffice, as Capt. Marion Frommel was engaged to build a new, longer and stronger stage (constructed of steel) in his Cincinnati shop for the DQ. It was HEAVY, to say the least, and Capt. Wagner once told me it wouldn't hurt his feelings to lose it overboard in order to get a lighter one!!! Attached is a view of the DQ at Memphis showing the early stage.

Marion Frommel's heavy-duty stage weighed four-thousands pounds. At Avondale Shipyard, while being removed (and weighed at the same time), the crane dropped it into the river. I about had a cow, but Captain Wagner, who was standing next to me seemed to give a sigh of relief and only became distress when the shipyard workers recovered the monster stage.

"Shoot. Thought they were gonna have to make us one out of aluminum," he muttered.

The outer stairs to the wing bridges were put on the year they converted the Officers Quarters into the large staterooms, whenever that was. Looking at a brochure would solve that. It was before the '97 season for sure.

Judy, I was referring to the present wing bridges, but before they had the outside steps. When the boat came to the MIssissippi System, there were wing bridges that extended out from the extreme forward end of the Sun Deck...one was required to go out the back door of the pilothouse onto the roof to get out on them. The officer on the bridge was a good ways behind the pilot when issuing orders. At some time, those were removed, and the present ones installed. To access these, a door was cut on each side of rthe pliothouse where the middle of three side windows was, so that direct access from the pilothouse was possible without going on the roof. These rpesent-day wing bridges are the ones most of us are familiar with, but they are not the original wing bridges. Anybody know when this change was made?

I just thought of something: were these old wing bridges still on the boat when Capt. Doc Hawley first went on there? Is this the reason he preferred to go on the Texas Deck forward with t amegaphone to handle the boat?

Well,well, well, after 2 years of being blocked I am allowed to re acess the sight... there is so much I would like to say, to respond to what has been said, much of which has been totally inaccuarate. As the longest single serving crewmember in the history of the Delta Queen I can say much, but beware of those who worked 2 seasons abord the boat and consider themselves Delta QUEEN AUTHORITIES! Just reading recent posts, some answers, as far as the post card photo, its Marietta, (Judy, you knew this!) The air "Funnels" were taken off in 1984, I know because I took them off myself and Pete Feilhauer took them up to New Richmond where they sit today as a memorial to Ernest Wagner. For 25 years, I walked the decks of the Delta Queen, in my heart she still belongs to me, I know her better that any man alive, and every other day I get calls from staff asking me where this valve is, or how would you do this, but I love it. I dream of the boat every night, of problems that arise, that need me to resolve them. I am blessed in that I worked and learned from the likes of Gabe Chengery, Harold Demarrero, Garland Shewmaker, Arthur McArthur, John Ritchie, Jim Blum.... And of the trust bestowed upon me from enginnering types like Chief Dennis Shenk ( The Best Chief Ever!) John Kilbert, the best Jr. ever to walk on a steamboat, Warren Cautheron and Mike Norduft, the top engineering staff. (Not to fail to mention my long gone but not forgotten compassionate friend, Jr. Engineer Bill Kelly... Hello, Lexie Bob Shad, Jazzou Jones, Annie... I have in my retirement a tendancy to be much too political, I will try to curtail that, but for historical questions or info about the actual functions about the Delta Queen , I will try to answer any questions that I can. All I can say now is, hello, and I miss my grand old boat and crew so much! In life, I have learned that every thing changes, that nothing will ever stay the same, but I only hope, that if we are careful and quiet, that the Delta Queen will somehow escape the attention of the madding rush of history, and awaken a hundred years from now unfound, and unchanged. Capt. Mike Williams

Just as a short remark: Capt. Mike, you haven't been "blocked" from the message board! It is a simple, though very annoying technical issue with AOL that prevented you from posting. AOL is doing some very weird, non-standard conform things that makes it difficult for AOL users to use the Internet to its full extend. I really regret that you couldn't post for such a long time. Obviously we now found a solution for this issue and I'm very happy to see you back on the board 🙂

Franz

Do you know what happened to the other two funnels? I have a picture of them lying in the Robin St. wharf, but no I didn't take them - wouldn't have fit in my trunk! Often when the Texas Lounge was crowded for the sing a long,I'd get my Planters Punch and sit out in the port funnel to listen. It was rather comfortable. One of the changes I mentioned was replacing wood on the main deck bulkhead and in doing so they covered a couple of windows. Was that after the '82 season and why were those windows covered up?

Capt. Mike, it's great to have you posting. I can't tell you how much my family and I miss you and Chief Dennis on the DQ. We especially miss the comfort of knowing that you guys always took such great care of that boat you knew and loved so well over all those years together on her, with the associated feeling we had of always being safe in your capable hands. I know the boat is going on, just as life goes on, and Buford did really great as master and we were really proud of him, and I know that PT will also go on being a terrific master, and we loved being on the boat, as always, but Lordy, we missed you.

Cap'n Doc liked to be where he could see the crew down on the bow. He used a megaphone, I believe, cause he is such an old-fashioned kind of guy. Don't they still use a megaphone on the NATCHEZ?

For a double-sized Snicker's Bar: What were the first words Captain Wagner would shout through the microphone to the crew, down on deck, when he was on the Wing Bridge? The deckhands loved it, and would dance with glee at Big Cap every time he bellowed his traditional opening remarks.

By the way, Cap could shout commands down to the crew from the wing bridges and need neither a megaphone or microphone, and could still be clearly heard and understood.

They still use the megaphone on the NATCHEZ bridge to the pilothouse, but they have a walkie-talkie to the mate on the main deck.

"BREAK UP!" As you said, Big Cap did NOT need a megaphone! Also, when the deck crew didn't seem to understand PORT and STARBOARD when going into a lock or being told to swing the stage -- he'd yell "BOILER ROOM SIDE" or "LAUNDRY ROOM SIDE!"

One time Cap had a bad cold and had nearly lost his voice. We were entering a lock and he said, "Keith, come out on the bridge and do my 'hollering' for me!" Capt. Art Zimmer was the pilot on watch and by that time was as hard of hearing as a capstan. Cap would say "Back Slow!" and I'd convey that to Capt. Art, who would respond with "HUH???!!!", so I'd scream it as loudly as I could through the pilothouse door. This went on and on until by the time we were out of the lock, I was nearly as hoarse as Capt. Wagner -- who thought the whole thing hilarious!!!

After the Howard Steamboat Museum burned in March of 1971, I fished the "speaker" part from a destroyed Victrola out of the rubble that had been dumped in the side yard. Knowing Doc's penchant for megaphones, I took it down to the BELLE, where the "relic" was promptly taken to the paint locker on the wharfboat RENOWN, cleaned up (a surprise was in discovering that the bottom portion is brass) and painted. Doc painted a flowing red ribbon down the side and lettered STEAMER BELLE OF LOUISVILLE in fancy lettering upon it. He used the megaphone until he left the BELLE following the 1974 season to assume command of the new steamer NATCHEZ at New Orleans. I took the artifact home and it resides in my River Room. Once when Ruth Ferris was visiting she enjoyed shouting commands through it that she'd heard Capt. Buck Leyhe use on the Str. GOLDEN EAGLE!

Cap Loved Fun

Great stories. Cap sure loved pulling jokes on the crew, and he did so ashore as I learned from a fellow who frequented the Skipper's favorite hidey-hole in Newport, Kentucky, the Westside Cafe, and told that The Big E was always "funning" the boys over there, too.

Actually, I looking for the four words BIG Cap always started out with on the mike, that is, after he made sounds much like those when he was spitting out those little bits of cigar tobacco.