A Question.

Ron, good question! Pure steamboats (that is those that have all steam power - generators, etc.) usually have or had steam siphons for pumping out the bilges. Other auxiliaries that would discharge exhaust steam would be capstan engines and/or a stage hoist engine. The BELLE OF LOUISVILLE uses a steam steering rig that exhausts out the stern. These are some of the reasons you'd see steam exhausted out of ports in the hull, and should also explain why you would not see it all the time.

On the NATCHEZ, CHAUTAUQUA BELLE and some other more modern steamboats, instead of siphons they use electric pumps and electric motors for the capstan and stage, so you would not see that steam exhausted out the hull.

Nailed it! Capt. Reynolds nailed that question. Maybe some hope yet. Unless the Main Engines or Condensor is being by-past for some reason, This steam should be of fairly short duration. Firemen tend to be very possive of "their steam". If steam is being vented without reason, bilge siphons left open, valves not fully shut, firemen will be less than diplomatic about letting one know you are wasting "their steam". Ed Smith could be very imposing in his quite way.

Once in Cincinnati, there was a film crew shooting some footage of the DELTA QUEEN laying at the public landing. The director (?) came and asked me if there was any way we could "stop that smoke from coming out of the boat". This Mate nearly panicked (I was standing the bow watch) thinking a fire had broken out somewhere on the boat. I asked her, "What smoke?!?" "That smoke here, coming out of the side." Of course, she was referring to a siphon that had sucked a compartment dry and was blowing steam. I told her that that was steam and being a real steam boat, that might be a nice effect for her shot. She told me "That's not really what we're looking for." Go figure.

How did you keep from throwing her --- overboard? Heck, if a steamboat is not oozing steam somewhere, you could almost correctly assume that it is cooled down.

Thanks everyone.

25 characters.

Another source of steam eminating from back near the engineroom would be the cylinder cocks being opened on a high pressure boat. They're open while the engines are being warmed up or being handled. The reasoning being that they will let any condensate drain out of the engines, or, God forbid, a slug of boiler water. While the boat is underway they are closed down but not all the way.

On the Belle these days we have very little of our steam siphoning system left. Only the bow compartments (capstan and forepeak) have steam siphons. The Belle's steam plant being open to atmosphere means every piece of steam equipment on her has a drain of some sort, so you can surely make the steam bellow from her sides! When we've had film crews shoot her while underway, we'll often have steam pouring out of every conceivable pipe we can for effect. When we are out of town we have to be wary of where people are on the wharf because our bottom blow line is usually on the wharf side. Not only can it be hazardous for folks on the wharf to have a large volume of steam, hot water, and river mud to blast them; it can also create some anxiety for any passenger to hear!

Here's a picture of the excursion towboat KALITAN from UW-LAX:

Here again we see steam emanating from a pipe running out to the end of the fantail. But here's my question: on the KALITAN, and on many other vessels I've seen pictures of, the scape is significantly further forward than where the engines are located. Maybe Alan et al can chime in on this: what was the wisdom of this arrangement? The only thing I can figure is that this way the pilot could keep tabs on the actions of the engineer, by listening to the sound of the scape and possibly peering behind him to see with what kind of oomph the spent steam is issuing forth.

Interesting photo of the KALITAN. Seems like an odd location to run the steam out under the end of the fantail. Usually you will see a pair of steam exhaust pipes coming out the splashwall, just above the pitman openings. And those pipes are elbowed down toward the wheel. Apparently this was done as a way to clear ice from a paddlewheel, although I've asked Alan and others, and we could find no one that recalled seeing those pipes in action for clearing ice.

Regarding engine scapes, my guess is they used to run them straight up from the engines to avoid elbows that might cause back-pressure and reduce horsepower. But I'm sure Alan could better answer this.

In the KALITAN picture, the scapes are on either side of the pilothouse, far forward of the sternwheel engines which can be partially seen through the engine room windows. This would necessitate some sort of elbow joint in the pipe. So the question remains, why would a boat builder do this?

Even on the Belle today, the scapes have two elbows in them, while near, they are not directly above the engines.

Is it possible those two pipes are scapes for something else? I couldn't imagine what though. I know for a time as the Avalon the scape pipes were removed and the exhaust went forward and up the main stacks.

Definitely an interesting picture. I'm wondering if what we think are 'scapes are electrical generator and maybe safety valve exhaust? Both are steaming at the same time. The plume behind the wheel seems more logical to be the exhaust, although maybe its exhaust from cylinder cocks? I can see sending the exhaust steam that way, to keep from getting condensate on the passengers out on deck.
Ah, but soot happens!! 🙂
S'
David D.

PS, is that a showboat she's pushing?

Jon,
I was looking at the fantail steam exhaust, and hadn't really noticed the 'scapes location on the KALITAN. They do seem further forward than expected. I looked-up photos of the C.W. COLES, the boat that the KALITAN was rebuilt from, and it looks like the scapes are far forward, even in its previous incarnation! See:
UW La Crosse Historic Steamboat Photographs Record Display
UW La Crosse Historic Steamboat Photographs Record Display

'Scapes don't have to be plumbed perfectly straight up from the engine exhuast, but it makes sense that the straighter they are, the less back-pressure (and perhaps more HP) would result. On the steam towboat LORETTA HOWARD (my wharfboat for the Barbara H) the original scape pipes went directly straight up from the engines...

The answer is I don't know. There could be another device between the cylinder exhausts and the scape pipes such as a feedwater heater or a condenser. As for keeping tabs on the engineer, what good would that do?

KALITAN's barge

David Dewey;24607 wrote: PS, is that a showboat she's pushing?

No. KALITAN was owned by the Butterworth family of Moline who were connected with the John Deere family. They loved to entertain friends, especially with trips out on their boat. The barge was named Markatana, a combination of the first names of Butterworth's 3 daughters.

When warming up the engines the valves are lifted to allow a trifle of steam to flow through both cylinders. On the Belle of Louisville this also keeps a little steam running through the feedwater heater.

The Belle's scapes are not connected directly to the engine exhaust, but through the heater. Incidentally, when they were proposed a USCG inspector asked, "How tall will they be?" I replied, "Oh, about eight feet." Then he showed his thorough knowledge of steam by asking, "What about the carbon monoxide?"

With that much ignorance he is probably an admiral by now!

I would give the feedwater heater a reason for scapes to be so far forward. That would give the steam exhaust plenty of time to heat the water, and the hotter the feedwater, the better. Just a wild guess.

Alan, your Coast Guard stories leave me breathless. Unbelievable.

During the Belle's last adventure at Tall Stacks, Capt. Mullens was on the bridge during a departure. As he called for the pilot to start backing and was listening for the first "chuff" from the engines, the civil war actors across the river fired a cannon. At this moment, before the next "chuff", cap's legs almost went out from under him as he thought the cannon blast was one of the engines running through herself!