Admiral photos 8/10

Welcome Mike! It is always great to "meet" new river friends on this forum. And thanks for sharing your fine photos! It is sad to see the ADMIRAL coming to the end of her long career, especially to those of us who rode on her as a sidewheel steamboat!. But even though her demise is an unhappy time for riverboat enthusiasts, it is a part of river history and should be documented. Thank you for doing that. Looking forward to further postings from you!

Thank you for your welcome Sir. It's a pleasure to be allowed to participate. Here are some more pics

Welcome, Mike! Picture #3 tells the story, doesn't it?

Wonder what the Admiral's original plate thickness was? 1/2 inch? I see rivets in that photo, so that is old stuff!

Thank you for the welcome. These pics tell an even sadder story. #2, I think, shows concrete patches to prevent leaks. However #1 is an incredible view through several compartments below the the water line. I don't know the correct nautical term for this section of the boat. But I know that, having been below deck on the Admiral, this photo ( minus the casino boat added stuff ) brings back many memories.

Hello Steve. I do know that the President's hull was 1/2 inch after having measured it on a trip to St. Elmo. Even though it certainly is not the original boat, I still would like to see what's left of her put to some use. Here are some more below deck pics of the Admiral.

the NW "ADMIRAL" KALAKALA in trouble too

Here's dire news about the Washington ferry KALAKALA, which seemed to be the model from which the ADMIRAL's sleek design came:
Associated Press | The Register-Guard

Here are pix of the KALAKALA: kalakala - Google Search

hi All
I had a surprise this morning> I was reading the Wasatch Wave looking for information on the Midway Town Hall when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a 1938 picture of the Admiral being worked on at the St Louis river bank.

High and dry
Utah Riverrat.

The KALAKALA had a Busch-Sluzer Diesel Engine, single screw, which, I believe is still in her. Anheuser-Busch, St Louis had, at one time, the American distribution rights for the Sulzer Diesel Engine. Apparently one of the family decided selling beer had a better--more profitable (?) future.

As 4 p.m. (central time) snow covers the ground here, with one to two inches predicted for today and another one to two inches predicted overnight.

The scrap metal trailer and the Dino box were still parked on the wharf by the ADMIRAL this morning when I paid a drive by visit. There was evidence of some interior activity which could have been on the boat or barge, don't know. No River activity visible.

On another note as of earlier in the week a reliable source provided that the AQ had NOT been sold. Please note however this information is now well over 24hrs old and has we have repeatedly seen, could have changed as often as several times.

Just read a most interesting story concerning the ADMIRAL in the St. Louis Beacon. It was well illustrated with a half dozen photos of the boat being dismantled, including a very shocking scene of the former ballroom area.

Go to Stlbeacon.org. The article is entitled "Admiral Lands on Scrap Heap..."

Just read a most interesting story concerning the ADMIRAL in the St. Louis Beacon. It was well illustrated with a half dozen photos of the boat being dismantled, including a very shocking scene of the former ballroom area.

Go to Stlbeacon.org. The article is entitled "Admiral Lands on Scrap Heap..."

Herewith are a few scenes of the ADMIRAL in happier days...

(1) Preparing to land at the Streckfus wharfboat. The old steam towboat in the foreground is the H.S. DOUGLAS, which was used as a night club for a few years before being moved down to Memphis to be part of a boat store. Aft of her is the GOLDENROD SHOWBOAT. Photo taken June 20, 1951.
(2) An aerial view of the St. Louis riverfront in 1968. The ADMIRAL is at far right with the HUCK FINN alongside. Left to right are the GOLDENROD SHOWBOAT, BECKY THATCHER, MISSISSIPPI BELLE (alongside BECKY), wharfboat for HUCK FINN, GOLDEN ARROW and Minesweeper INAUGURAL.

May I say hello Capt. Blum. It's been many years since I've done that. I was lucky enough to board her on the 17th as our company was removing the last of the equipment that was ours. Our purchasing agent walked me through the ballroom area and I was shocked. Everything was stripped from the walls and ceiling - huge piles of debris strewn throughout. Holes in the 2nd deck looling directly to the 1st deck. It looked like a bomb had went off. I picked up a piece of what I thought was the old dance floor, but I didn't keep it because it had staples in it - which I didn't think would have been what the boards would have been originally attached with. Could have been a later repair however. I didn't have my camera with me, but my buddy did, and I will post some photos as soon as he forwards them to me. As I was leaving the boat, as much as I grieved over it's terrible shape, I marveled at the fact that I could see her skeleton as it was and not covered up with casino fluff.

In tribute to the Str. ADMIRAL, here are a few vintage views from the Capt. C.W. Stoll Collection, all taken by the late J. Mack Gamble, longtime correspondent for The Waterways Journal and well known educator and river historian of Clarington, Ohio.

(1) Under construction at St. Louis - 1937 - Eads Bridge in background
(2) Underway - September, 1941
(3) Under construction -1937

I am amazed that there was that much demand over the years for boat rides on Admiral. Did I read that capacity was 3,000-4,000? Even if the boat ran at 50 percent capacity on average, that was a lot of boat rides.

Wesley

Yes, the ADMIRAL was the "last word" in excursion boating when she came out in 1940. It was a time when the riverfront was a "destination" for thousands of St. Louisans as well as tourists. Her capacity was 4,000 and it was not uncommon for them to turn people away. She ran a daytime trip every day but Monday and also a night time dance cruise with an orchestra. In the early 1960's Streckfus built the HUCK FINN to run one hour harbor trips (about 4 times daily) for those who didn't want to take the longer trips on the ADMIRAL.

Hard to believe when you look at it today, but the St. Louis levee was once a bustling place, with not only the excursion boats, but the GOLDENROD SHOWBOAT offering oldtime melodramas, bars and ragtime music. The RIVER QUEEN (ex-GORDON C. GREENE) and the BECKY THATCHER (ex-MISSISSIPPI) had restaurants, bars, riverboat museums, entertainment and gift shops. Later additions to the riverfront included the restaurant boats MINNESOTA, LT. ROBERT E. LEE, minesweeper INAUGURAL , replica of the SANTA MARIA and the small excursion boats SAMUEL CLEMENS and MISSISSIPPI BELLE. A small sternwheeler, the GOLDEN ARROW, was privately owned by a group of St. Louis businessmen and had a landing just below the south leg of the Gateway Arch for many years. And, in the old Eagle Boat Store building, just a couple of blocks north of the Eads Bridge at 805 North Wharf Street, was THE OLD ST. LOUIS LEVEE HOUSE, offering food, drink and a venue for ragtime music, often provided by the famous St. Louis Ragtimers and Jean Kittrell.

Yes, the historic cobblestone levee was lively in those days, but with the ADMIRAL soon to be towed away to Alton for scrapping, nothing remains except for two small diesel excursion boats, the TOM SAWYER and BECKY THATCHER.

Images:
(1) RIVER QUEEN - moored between Eads and Veterans Bridges - 1965
(2) ADMIRAL, GOLDENROD SHOWBOAT, BECKY THATCHER, HUCK FINN - 1969
(3) GOLDENROD SHOWBOAT - 1969

St. Louis river activity

As Keith pointed out, the St. Louis levee was the place to be, Wesley. Remember that Streckfus had their headquarters there and ran 2 boats, the JSDeluxe and the SAINT PAUL in the harbor for years, so the idea of boat riding was ingrained in St. Louisans. The day trips were all day, 10-4:30, so it was a mini-vacation, and there were activities for the whole family. The main deck was a kid's paradise, and the ballroom featured good bands and plenty of dancing space. Evening trips were quite the dating destination, with famous St. Louis bands providing the entertainment. The ADMIRAL was a destination unto itself. It not only attracted tourists but locals as well. And in the pre-Arch days, the river/levee wasn't hidden or disconnected from town as it is now. And don't forget, the ADMIRAL was airconditioned long before most homes were, and if you've ever been in St. Louis in the summertime, you'll understand how attractive that was.

Ms. Patsch, wasn't the President the Streckfus flag ship based in St. Louis from '32 - '40 when the Admiral debuted. If so was the President just laid up for maintenance in the winter or did it tramp the river?

where are all the interior pictures, deck plan?

PRESIDENT in St. Louis

Right Mike. The PRESIDENT took over the St. Louis harbor trade on July 4, 1933 until the ADMIRAL came out in 1940. This freed up the JS and SAINT PAUL to tramp. The PREZ ran in St. Louis summers and ran in New Orleans the rest of the year. After the ADMIRAL came out, the PREZ tramped the Upper Miss in the summers while working NOLA winters. In 1944, I think, the PREZ moved to NOLA year round, where she stayed until May 1988 when she came to St. Louis to run a while and then get converted into a casino. (She did leave NOLA in the summer from 1985-87 to work the St. Louis summer business, but returned to NOLA each fall.)

ADMIRAL interior pix

Mathew Stage;25194 wrote: where are all the interior pictures, deck plan?

That's a good question Mat. First of all, as to my personal pix, I was too young when I first rode to have a camera, and I don't remember taking many pix on later trips. Truth be told, I was always outside watching the river, not inside. I do remember taking some slides in later years but again probably of the exterior. As to my photo collection, the ADMIRAL pix are not where they are labeled to be - and that is a hopeless situation here!
As to the general existence of ADMIRAL photos, she was kind of a forgotten boat - endeared by St. Louisans but largely ignored by the steamboating community. I suppose her futuristic, nontraditional appearance would have been one factor, and her career at the end of mass excursion steamboating would be another.
Here are 3 postcards I have:
1) the huge ballroom, which was TOO airconditioned for me,
2) the colorized version,
3) the mezzanine or balcony around the ballroom

ADMIRAL souvenir book

The best source for info on the ADMIRAL, including pix, is the souvenir book they sold on board, which often appears on EBay.

Although, after 40+ years of collecting "steamboat stuff", I have artifacts, extensive files on the Streckfus boats and numerous editions of Streckfus Steamers Magazine, my collection and knowledge of that famous steamboating family and operation PALE in comparison to that of Judy ("Miss Streckfus") and her ongoing, vigilant quest for pictures, post cards, information and memorabilia. Her great presentation, "Rise and Shine for the Streckfus Line" for my River Ramblings Series at the Howard Steamboat Museum in 2008 just barely scratched the surface! Judy most assuredly is the "GO TO" person for information on the Northern and Southern factions of "Streckfi" and their steamboating dynasty.

While Judy searches her archives for photos (and we await further bulletins via THE STERNLINE TELGRAPH concerning the meanderings of the MQ!) here are a few more images I thought would be of interest:

(1) PRESIDENT and ADMIRAL alongside each other at St. Louis - Ron Mueller photo.
(2) Swayin' to those river rhythms aboard the ADMIRAL - note the band and singer at right.
(3) "Miss Streckfus" (Judy) with good friend, Capt. Joy Manthey, who has quite an impressive river pedigree with direct ties to the Streckfus family. Michael Blaser artwork of Streckfus Str. J.S. DeLUXE at Davenport, Iowa in background.

Mat, here's a double page spread from the 1968 issue of the Streckfus magazine that gives you an idea as to what was on each deck of the Steamer ADMIRAL.