The new Toulouse St. Wharf

3 ???

That must be a floating dock, and if so, how stable is it when the wake off ships, etc. comes rolling in? Is the New Orleans Steamboat Company still running their bayou cruises? Probably not with the JJA and BLOSSOM out of the fleet.

Ooops! Do I see pilings? If so, then that must be high water, or am I completely wet?

No, its a fixed wharf, they just didn't build the whole decking that the old wharf had. Its a much smaller footprint, obviously. Even though the dock is the property of the Dock Board, the (renter/occupant) is responsible for the upkeep and renovation. This design was much less expensive than replacing the entire old wharf space. You might remember that in the earlier NATCHEZ' days, the wharf served as a parking lot for customers. That is no more, and there is a storage building between the parking lot by the tracks and the levee. The replica of the West End Lighthouse is the Ticket Office, Pursers Office, and Gray Lines depot. There is nothing on the wharf but the new rolling, adjustable gangway; a place to display photos; a few chairs; pop machines; and near the boat an area for garbage storage and the power box.
Just saw your high water question: yes, this was the day it reached 17 ft. back in April, right before they opened the spillway.

I put 2 pix together, they don't match up exactly, but it gives you the idea of the wharf: on the lower end is the rolling gangway, which can be adjusted so we always board on the middle deck where most facilities are - in the old days, when the river stage reached 12 ft. we boarded on the Main Deck, which was limiting to handicapped accessibility. The tent covers almost the entire 'base' of the T. On the upper end, near the wheel, is the garbage/storage area. Sharp old eyes might recognize the silhouette in the picture...

Thanks. You made it all so clear. The hairline on the fellow in the window has the marks of one CCH.

The Toulouse St. Wharf

Greetings From New Orleans ,
Back in the dark ages of steamboating and when the Str. Delta Queen use to land at the Toulouse St. Wharf , and well before the Str. Natchez was even on the drawing board , the Old Toulouse St. Wharf was radically different from what you see today . I recall landing's alongside the Toulouse St. Wharf and watching to everyone's amazement as the the wharf would literally sway and wrap itself alongside the contour of the Delta Queen as she came alongside the dock . Also , back then the Delta Queen had no bow or stern thrusters and for that matter every landing was an adventure in and of itself ! Also , back then the term " Watch The Bump !! " definately had a more serious conotation and everyone knew that when that term was used something serious was about to happen ! One other thing that amazed me about the Toulouse St. Wharf was the number of holes in the deck of the wharf and I recall Capt. Wagner ordering us to lay sheets of plywood over the holes so that the passengers could manage to get on and off the dock . What futher amazed me was also the fact that the Delta Queen company actually had to pay the New Orleans Dock Board for the use of the dock as well . Two other prevailing dangers that to this day , the Toulouse St. Wharf has to offer is the fact that there is a rather swift up stream eddy that any boat would have to contend with and also the geographic location of the wharf in the river . I believe it was back in either 81' or 82' , the Greek flagged M/S Priamos lost her steering when coming up below Algiers Point and then crossed the river and unfortunately dropped her starb'd anchor not only on the Str. Natchez but actually THROUGH the Str. Natchez and almost sank her at her dock . Fortunately , the N.O. Fire Departmen was able to save the Str. Natchez by using their fire truck pumps to keep the Natchez afloat . Regardless , thanks to the Str. Natchez and her parent comapny the Toulouse St. Wharf is now a modern day example of what a river wharf should look and operate like . One footnote to this is the fact that although the New Orleans Steamboat Company had literally re-built the Toulouse St. Wharf , it is still owned by the city of New Orleans ! Go figure !!
Smoothe Sailing !
Ted Davisson

And I can remember waiting on the old wharf and feeling it sway from the pull of the swing line as the NATCHEZ landed. It definitely needed replacement! And if anyone is wondering after reading about all the dangers Ted listed, why the NATCHEZ uses that dock: Location, location, location. Its the prime tourist area, right next to Jackson Square and the heart of the French Quarter. Much business is walkup, due to seeing her and/or hearing the calliope. That's one of the great disadvantages with her current temporary placement up at River City - its a nowhere land for tourists, and locals, too.