Upper Mississippi flooding

Over here on the Beautiful River in Cincy the guage is about 51.5 and climbing. Flood stage is 52, and the expected crest is this coming Saturday at 55 feet. More rain is expected to come begining tonight and continue on into next week. That means the good people at the Weather Bureau will have to get out their calculators and refigure the crest.

UMR+Ohio =

Looks like a 17 ft. stage in New Orleans in a couple of weeks, with both major rivers flooding. Two thirds of NOLA's water comes from the Ohio. Back in the summer of 1993, I was working on the NATCHEZ during the record UMR flood. When our water reached NOLA, all it did was make the river stage about 8 ft. instead of the usual August 3 ft. levels. This spring the NOLA levels have been high thanks to the early Ohio flooding, but when both of these end up down there, it might bring the Bonne Carre Spillway gates open again...

The St. Croix River at Stillwater crested earlier this week and the river levels have dropped by at least four feet. The Stillwater Lift Bridge, considered the "Most Dangerous Bridge in America" thanks to this report. The Mississippi River crested for it's second time at 18.71 feet at 2 a.m. Monday April 11th. Things are getting better on this part of the UMR.

Try Working In These Conditions !

Greetings From New Orleans !
First of all , try working in these conditions ! Its been my observation after working in these high water conditions for over thirty five years that a number of events and changes in the " normal " routine of river navigation take place that will make Christians out of everyone !
Furthermore , I contend that the hardest part of navigating large and loaded vessels , such as loaded grain ships with over forty feet of draft , is to literally stop or check the swing or turning of these vessels below the points that we go around !
The other trick is to stay out of the eddies , especially when in a high water condition , they will extend almost half way out into the channel !
Another issues is simply to have adequate tug boat assistance for docking , undocking and or turning . Because of the high water many tugs are in service just pushing and holding loaded ships alongside their respective docks ! This uses up the supply of available tugs in the area once again for docking but especially turning a large ship around . To further complicate turning large loaded ships around in a high water and restricted channel , a peculiar event takes place . Just like how the wind has an effect on the sail of a sail boat when it is tacking through the water , when a large loaded ship is turning into excessive current , the force of the current acts just like the wind on the sail and tends to give the ship headway through the water ! The problem with this is that in a narrow and restrictive channel we simply do not have the extra room to allow the ship to get headway and to cross the river . Consequently , a pilot will need additional tug power to slow or stop this current driven headway on the turning ship .
Another problem we have to deal with is simply visability ! This time of year , we are still experiencing fog and needless to say this brings on another whole set of challenges when we have to deal with not only the the high water and current but now also the fog and having to find room in the anchorages and tug boat assistance to turn these large ships in these small and restricted anchorages !
One other issue we encounter with high river conditions is the problem with pilots or operators , and there is a big difference , that are NOT familiar with strong current and the effects that it has on vessels of any kind .
Last but not least , another issue we have with high water is simply there is now not enough vertical clearance to pass under the respective bridges between New Orleans and Baton Rouge ! The Huey P. Long bridge has always been the lowest bridge in our route and now it is even lower now because of the construction that is taking place to widen the deck of the bridge !
So , long story short , these high water conditions make it especially tough even on the older and more seasoned Pilots that now have to navigate in all these varied and sordid conditions !
Just Another Day At The Office !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
NOBRA 70

The ol' Mississip' isn't the only BIG river at the moment. Here at Louisville the Ohio is again on the rise and expected to exceed flood stage by at least 6 feet. From the museum windows I could see a lot of "wheel inspectors" (drift) going down at a rapid pace. A writer from Heartland Boating Magazine (now owned by The Waterways Journal) visited this morning and told me she had hoped to ride the SPIRIT OF JEFFERSON, but all cruises are cancelled due to the high water. As I type this a raging thunderstorm is in progress and the rain is POURING!

Cairo Illinois

With both of us flooding, I wonder where the water will reach into Cairo?

Ted, you are right about all the things you state. However, it is not just deep loaded ships (or even ships in ballast) that give problems during high water.

Several times in your piece you mention tugs and your dependence on them. What has amazed me for years is the way large tows operate on the rivers, often in VERY tight quarters, with almost no assist from other vessels. Often this is done out of necessity as there are no assist boats around. If a pilot is taking 15 loads down into a lock on the Upper Mississippi River, where the guidewall is not a guard wall (i.e., it is on the bank side instead of out on the dam side), he has his hands full! When they have 15 loaded barges, that's 22,500 tons of cargo alone, not counting the weight of the boat and barges themselves. On a 5,600 h.p. boat, that's only about 4 horsepower per ton! Imagine in severe outdraft trying to put that 105 foot wide tow into a 110 foot wide lock chamber and get it stopped without hitting the bullnose, all with no tug. Tugs are now available at many locks on the Upper, but not all. When there is no tug available, the pilot and mate out on the head of the tow must be working together real well, as the mate has to "check" the tow in to the wall on a single part line while the pilot holds the stern in close. Otherwise, the whole tow can draft out over the dam or top around and the results are disaster!

I work on unit tows -- long and skinny, usually 3 barges. Many pilots of large tows think, "Oh those guys on those unit tows have it made...only 3 barges!" Imagine this same scenario at a lock with no tug: we are almost 1,100 feet long, with a total tonnage of 10,200 tons and 3,000 h.p. The difference is we are narrow and have to keep "checking" the head all the way down into the chamber, since we are only 54 feet wide. It adds another whole dimension to the deal!

In the Baton Rouge-New Orleans area, there are high water problems as well. Tows can and do flank bends, but the ships do not have that option. The ship and tow pilot must all work together to make sure we don't get to a sharp bend at the same time. Either a ship or tow will have to run slow for a good piece to give the other time to do what they need, almost like a big "dance" over several miles! In the BR-NO corridor add to that that there are barge fleets along almost every mile of river that stick out to nearly mid river. Fleet boats are running around tending to their own business and dodging in and out of ship and tow traffic. Radio traffic is never-ending, and the office calls every now and then for good measure to either change orders or ask some silly question about a VGP documentation issue.

We'll all be glad when the water goes down!

Bob and Ted all you say is true. Now, imagine doing what you both describe with just a wood and iron sternwheel out back and 1200 horsepower to move you along. What is the old saying, iron men on wooden boats? It certainly increases in my mind the stature of the Wally Blices, Harry Loudens, Oren Russells, Eugene Hamptons, Joe Hughes, "Chick" Lucases, Fontain Johnsons, Norman Hillmans, Charles Youngs, et.al. of the river.

These conditions certainly has us watching and appreciating the nerve and skill it takes pilots to get their tows into the canal! It is a bit nerve-racking to see some of these tows set themselves up going into the canal by flanking VERY CLOSE to us. I've looked up from my work more than a few times lately to see big line tow swinging towards us within enough proximity to see the sweat pouring from the pilot's brow!

We ALL certainly look forward to celebrating the 100th birthday of the BELLE in 2014 - IF she makes it! Over the years (even back in the days when I was on there in the 1970's) there were some very scary moments and near misses as tows came too close for comfort. Especially in times of HIGH water, the BELLE is literally "trapped" against that concrete pier. If only they had left the sloping, cobblestone wharf where the boat could be pulled closer in as the river rises! WHY can't they make a new landing for the BELLE further upriver near the Tumbleweed Restaurant or someplace in that vicinity! She'd be much easier for tourists to locate, parking wouldn't be a nightmare, and most of all, the BELLE would be in a SAFE place!

We're losing our old steamboats far too rapidly and it would be a tragedy, in more ways than one, to lose the BELLE at this stage of the game!

Myself and other crewmembers continually stress our vulnerability at our current location, especially in the winter when she's sitting cold. In my opinion, I wish we could, at least, moor her in the surge basin in the winter or behind Towhead Island. An entirely new location for the entire fleet, though, would be the best solution. Anyway, I don't think I've seen that picture of the Avalon before. Do you have a year for that? It looks like her early years as the Avalon. It looks like her wheel has a little funk on it, too.

At approx 1430 cdt I drove down Wharf St. The flood gate at the North end of the Street was put up last night. The Admiral is sitting pretty high as the Gage board was 19.2R. No activity of any sort going on. My estimate is approx 29.8 as the river was just shy of coming on wharf St at Washington Ave.

The City is as I write putting up the flood gate at Poplar Street at Wharf St. There was no activity at the South gate. Still quite a few tourists and a great number of horse drawn carriages waiting customers in front of the Arch.

No rain falling at that time, but rain predicted for Easter Sunday and heavy rains for Monday next week.

AVALON photo

Dan, that photo of the AVALON is from an old calendar and shows her at Plaquemine, Louisiana. Not sure of the exact year, but the boat looked exactly like that when my parents-to-be were aboard for the New Albany High School prom in 1949. I'm sure Dave Tschiggfrie will know!

St.Louis stage

I presume with the river so high it is impossible to get the ADMIRAL under the bridge, much less the thought of handling her in that current. The tornado(s) which hit the airport and vicinity didn't affect the river and downtown area at all? According to the latest graph, we are cresting today at 20.7, (flood 15). Pools 13 and 14 have begun a slow drop. But after all the rain here and south of us, I suspect the river will be on the Arch grounds steps in a couple of days. No horse-drawn carriages, unless they are by seahorses on Leonor Sullivan Drive!

Crest pictures in Davenport

I went over to the Skywalk in downtown Davenport this afternoon and took these shots during the crest, which was 20.7. Most of the area flooded is parking lots and parks, and the main drag River Drive. Buildings close to River Drive have sump pumps going to get seepage out, but flood waters themselves haven't penetrated the businesses.
1) street level view of the forward end of the monstrosity which replaced the PRESIDENT as Davenport's casino. A parking lot and River Drive are inundated.
2) the Skywalk, a bridge to nowhere with colored lights at night. It is largely ridiculed, but is a great observation point during a flood. There is a skycam on it which you can control on your computer to follow river traffic.
3) Alter's KATHY ELLEN holding the Rhythm City complex in place. Note the entranceway to the casino in the water. The casino has been closed for a week so far.

More Davenport pix

1) looking downriver. The Centennial Bridge is in the background, then the minor league baseball park, the bandshell in LeClaire Park where the Bix Jazz Fest is held, and Union RR Station. River Drive is to the right. The tall monument is the Dillon Fountain, honoring a relative of Casey Dillon Stengel!
2) looking upriver. The Government Bridge and the raised roller gates of Dam 15 are in the distance as is the Clock Tower Corps headquarters on Arsenal Island. The empty building was the American Legion and various restaurants over the years. It often appears in old levee shots of Streckfus boats. The foreground is parking for the casino, with River Drive to the left.
3) the famous root beer stand Levee Inn. The record flood in 1993 reached the overhang of the roof. This stand is where my family got a root beer after taking the little ferry TRANSIT over to Davenport, catching the next trip back to Rock Island.

a few more flood shots

1) looking downriver down River Drive. That's the new Figge Art Museum with water against it.
2) This is Sunset Park in Rock Island, a mile away from my house. This is the only flooded area in RI thanks to our seawall.
3) Taken last Sunday before the parking lot went under, the catwalk to the minor league ballpark. Even with the parking lot covered, the stadium was accessible via this catwalk.

Wow frank I had the pleasure of working with 5 of the Pilots you just mentioned.

Most are towboat pilots that my father worked with or that I knew personally on the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE or DELTA QUEEN. Gene Hampton is the exception. Dad never mentioned him and I never met him, but being captain of the SPRAGUE, I thought he deserved to make my very abreviated list.

And its on the way to NOLA....

The river has dropped a foot in 24 hours here, but the water is rolling toward New Orleans, as well as the deluge from the Ohio. Here is the first article from the NOLA paper regarding the river stage prediction there and having to open the Bonnet Carre Spillway: High Mississippi River in New Orleans could lead to May opening of Bonnet Carre Spillway | NOLA.com

Glad to hear it's dropping a foot a day in the Quad Cities. I'm at Wood River and it will be HOT through the St. Louis harbor for a while.

Dan,

That shot of the AVALON was snapped April 20, 1949, at Plaquemine, LA on her opening day of the 1949 season. She had gone into winter layup at Bayou Plaquemine at the end of her previous season under her new name AVALON, that in November 1948. Her new Mate the season this picture was snapped was Ernie Wagner. Owner Ernst Meyer had tried to convince Wagner to come back to the boat the year before right after he had purchased the AVALON from Herod Gorsage, but Cap was managing his brother's trailer court in Dayton, KY at the time and turned him down. Meyer kept after him though, and Wagner finally agreed to return at the start of the 1949 season. The following year he would return to the AVALON as her Master, having just earned his Master's ticket that spring at Cincinnati. The 1949 season was not one that Wagner particularly enjoyed, as master of the boat that year was his old nemesis, Capt. Charles Napoleon Hall, formerly of the ISLAND QUEEN, with whom Wagner never saw eye to eye.

A look at the Ohio River

This afternoon I ran around the Louisville waterfront and with all the flood control and Derby festivities taking center stage, was unable to get pictures over there. So I ran across the bridge...here are a few looks at the Ohio River at Louisville. I will try to do more later int he week. They are talking 10" more rain in the next 48 hours...so this isn't the worst yet!

The pictures are....

1.Under the I-65 (John F. Kennedy Memorial) Bridge in Jeffersonville...looking over to Louisville.

2.Looking at Waterfront Park from the Clark Memorial Bridge while driving to Clarksville, IN

3.A House boat at Jeffersonville on Riverside Drive...about 15 ft higher than is should be. Normally you can't see the boats because they are under a very steep hill here.

As the Upper lowers, the Lower raises...

Our rains have slowed down the receding waters, but the river is 2 feet lower than Saturday's crest and some Davenport streets are reopening. But of course the crest is heading southward, and combine the UMR with Keith's reports of the swollen Ohio and you've got problems on the Lower, specifically right now at Cairo:
Army Corps prepares to blast levee to save Cairo - chicagotribune.com