Boat names/ River familes?

This could really open up a whole lot of discussion. Here in Cincinnati alone you had first and second J.L. BEATTY, first and second CLARE E.BEATTY, the CLEM BEATTY, the W.C. BEATTY and the MISS B. All named for members of Capt. John Beatty's family. His early competitor here James Murphy had the JIM MURPHY, PAT MURPHY, TIM MURPHY and MIKE MURPHY. Then when Bill Kinzeler took over the harbor we had the BILL K, JOHN K, CHARLES K, MARGARET K, KATHLEEN K. THe same holds true in Louisville with all the zillion names of McBride boats. As to steam boats of course the Greene family had the CHRIS GREENE, TOM GREENE and GORDON C.GREENE. Same holds true with the Streckfus family.Today in our big corporate world most of the towing companies honor exec or big clients. The one notable exception is the Eckstein family. Ecksteins must have a big family !!

You metioned the MIKE MURPHY at Cincinnati. That boat ended up, I believe, being sold to Murphy Marine in Memphis, and I had always thought it was named for a member of the Murphy family in Memphis.

And ACBL really runs the gamut, from execs and former execs to boat captains, even U.S. Senators!

I know, too, that Mid-South had the ELEANOR GORDON, named for Capt. Noble Gordon's wife. Capt. Noble Gordon started the practice of taking coal down the river to below NOLA, transloading it on seagoing barges and sending it to Tampa, FL to fire the powerplants there. Crounse Corp. -- that would be interesting to know who all those ladies are who have boats named after them!

Sometimes boats are re-named with a very similar name, and that has always confused and/or intrigued me...Ingram has the DAVID K. WILSON, which was originally just the DAVID K., owned by someone else before they bought it.

Bill, what about those M/G boats out of Cinci? Who were David Sheehy and others who had boats named for them in that company?

We can really get going on history on this one!

Going way back, I have often wondered if there was some connection between the well known steamboating families of Kountz and Kouns. Both were from Ohio/Indiana but the Kouns' moved to Lousiana at some point. The Kouns' were best known for their ERA boats, but there was a COL. A. P. KOUNS and I have seen the KATIE P. KOUNTZ refered to as KATIE P. KOUNS.

Boat and Bible name

The bible I carry is from the M/V Lady Mignon, gold embossed on the cover. This was saved from a plie of charts and papers headed to the trash when I worked on the change overs to make them OrGulf boats. Bob if I remember correctly, didn't you work the Lady Boats. Who was Lady Mignon?
Most OrGulf boats were named for Excutives in the office. The Ingram boat Mark Stevens was named after a Port Capt. who worked for Scott Chotin, a running buddy of Scotties, who Joe Gale had to put up with when Capt. Scott sent them out on the river. Mark moved to Ingram and somehow got a boat named after him.

Capt. Bill mentioned the Streckfus boats: the JS was named simply for John Streckfus' initials. The W.W. was named after Capt. Walter Wisherd, a Streckfus employee. The other boats all had patriotic names. Another Upper River steamboat line: the Swains - Fred, Verne, Percy, Julia Belle, David, etc. And of course the famous Lee Line downriver. Today's UMR towing company Alter has their vessels named after various family members. Yes, you've really started something here, Bob!

Fred, I worked on the LADY ROSE-MARY. I'm sorry to say I know who NONE of the I.O.T. boats were named for. They were all prefaced by LADY; there was Patricia, Linda, etc. Inland Oil & Transport Co. was the bulk transportation arm of Siteman Oil Co.of St. Louis, owned by Sid Siteman. If you happened to have "Site" gas stations in your area, this was the retail marketing end of the same operation. They've been out of business for some time.

Hey Bob the Mike Murphy is the Gilda Shurden.

DUHHHHH!!! Murphy Marine in Memphis either had a boat named Mike Murphy or they had a person with that name there. Just goes to show your mind can start going at 50!

Towing Steamer Lorraine 1888 Port of Cincinnati

Hello. Does anyone have any info. whatever on the Towing Steamer Lorraine ? It was built in Covington Kentucky and in 1889, Captain Edward Free was included in the Inspection Report at the Port of Cincinnati, District of New Orleans. Thank you.

Marc, the following is from Way's Directory. The boat was a packet, not a towing vessel. Sidewheeler, 155'l x 30'w. Built by the Charles Barnes Co. of Cincinnati at Covington in 1888. Built for and owned by Capt. Henry Higbee. Was still operating in 1896, disposition unknown.

Capt. Bill, I kept hoping that this thread would prompt someone (you!) to post info on the Houglands. They were a pretty big outfit when I started on the river in 1975; gone by 1980. I know they had a number of nice Nashville Bridge boats. Had they always been in the rock trade, or were they more into the petroleum trade? Who were the Houglands, and what happened?

OK Capt. Reynolds, its a cold icy day in Cincy so I hibernated and thought about your last post. Here's what I know about the Hougland tribe and their boats. It's pretty much from memory and old notes I took years ago so I'm willing to stand corrected on my facts.

Capt. Walter G.Hougland started in the river business in 1902 on the Green River with the Str. Kalista and his partner was Capt. J. Porter Hines of Hines Barge Line fame in later years. Originally Hougland was based in Evansville but later located to Paducah. By 1905 they had the Str. Charley Curlin ( Howard built) towing ties on the Green. By 1914 they operated the Str. Lyda (Howard built) abd the new gas boat Resolute, which they had built at Calhoun, Ky. In the period 1920 to 1940 they operated the Strs. M.C. Clay, W.C. Taylor (Howard built), Blue Spot, Red Spot, White Spot and Hibernia. All towing "rock asphalt" out of Green River. Alan B, what is "Kentucky rock asphalt"?

By 1930 Capt. Hougland and his sons were ready to move ahead and had Howard's buils the big sternwheeler M/V Helen H. This boat also started the trend of all Hougland boats having family names. When rebuilt in 1943 it became the Courtney H. and has been discussed on previous threads as the Brooklyn.

From there on Hougland became a major player in the liquid trades. They had eight very fine boats built new at Nashville Bridge Co. ( Nabrico), much like Capt. Joe Chotin did with his company. Many considered a Nabrico boat as the Cadillac of towboats. The Warren Hougland-1938, James H-1940,
Walter G. Hougland-1941, Camilla H-1942, Francis Hougland-1947, Whayne H-1948, Susan Hougland-1949, Jim Hougland-1956 and the flagship of the fleet the Jayne Hougland in 1960.

The Hougland heirs sold out to Marmac, Div. of MsDonough of NOLA in 1976. Marmac gave up the liquid deal and sold off all the Hougland boars piecemeal.
Most if not all the later Hougland boats are still operating today. In fact the editor of S & D Capt. David Smith has the Whayne H.

Cotton Picker

The MIKE MURPHY wore large green shamrocks when she was a favorite in the Cincy harbor during my teen years. My dad took me over to meet Cap'n Murphy, as I wanted a job on the river in the worst way. But Dad started saying things like, "this boy's going to college," so Murph, not wanting to go against my pop's dreams wouldn't give me a job. And to college I reluctantly went, but that, like Captain Harry Louden was fond of saying, "... ruined a good cotton-picker."

http://groups.msn.com/WillieandBustersWhirlwindTouroftheWorld/towboats2007.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=4924

Thank you , Sir! You have satisfied my curiosity.

Other Murphy Boats

Murphy also had the PAT MURPHY, perhaps that was the one I was actually on, and it wasn't Murph, himself, that I talked to, but rather Capt. Bob Schletker, Murphy's right-hand-man, and also the son of Captain Arthur J. Red" Schletker, who, ironically, was the one who got me my first paying job on the river, decking on the Steamer AVALON.

Captain Murphy also had a magnificant, wooden, sternwheel houseboat, but I cannot recall its name. The sweet paddlewheeler was fleeted in amongst Murphy's barges in Riverside, Ohio, below Cincinnati, and like what too often happens to such fragile beauties in a sea of beasts, the wedding cake was smashed.

Lorraine - Edward Free master --Bill Judd

Bill Judd -- thanks for your reply to my post. I just now saw it. I am not familiar with Way's (or the term Packet) and would love to know where I can get a copy of Way's. The information I have on the Lorraine was from the Inspection Report that said she was a Towing Steamer. The measurements are the same. Here is her description on the document:
BLANK a citizen of the United States and sole owner of the ship or vessel called the Lorraine, of Cincinnati O, whereof Edward Free is at present master, and is a citizen of the United States, and that said ship or vessel was built at Covington in the State of Kentucky in the year 1888, as appears by certificate or 'Eurolhueres' ??? No34 dated and issued at Port of Cincinnati Dist of New Orleans April 9th, in the year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Eight Nine
and
'Blank'
having certified that the said ship or vessel has
Two deck and no mast, and that
her length is One hundred and thirty five 135 0/10 feet;
her breadth Thirty 30 0/10 feet;
her depth Four 4 8/10 feet;
her height (BLANK)
that she measures One hundred and four 104 and 00/100 tons viz:
Capacity under tonnage deck --- 138 tons 49 100ths
Capacity between decks above tonnage deck --- 'BLANK'
Capacity of inclosures on the upper deck, viz:
Deduction under act Aug 5, 1882 --- 34 tons 40 100ths
Total Tonnage - 104 tons 09 100ths
that the following described spaces, and no others have been omitted, viz: 'BLANK'
and that she is a Towing Steamer, has a 'Plain'??? head and a Wheel stern.
And 'BLANK'
sufficient security having been given, according to the said Title, the
said ship or vessel has been duly enrolled at the Port of Cincinnati O.
GIVEN under my hand and seal at the Port of Cincinnati
in the District of New Orleans
(missing word, probably 'this')
15th day of June
(missing word, probably 'One')
thousand eight hundred and eighty nine
Signature line 'BLANK' beside the 'Naval Officer' Seal

My interest in the vessel is the Edward Free mentioned above as the captain is my uncle. I have been trying to find out how to get a copy of his Pilot's license, or certificate and all I have come up with is the Lorraine Inspection Report, so I would love to know more about her. Now you know the whole story and I appreciate your patience and your help. Marc

Something blew away my answer, so I'll try again. There were three natural asphalt mines a short distance up Nolin River. This stuff was a natural ready-mixed paving. Dig it up, grind it, heat it and roll it with a steamroller and, "Vye-OHLER!" as Andy Griffith would say, you got instant highway. Hougland owned the quarries and he and Hines towed the stuff in wooden barges to Bowling Green and elsewhere. They owned a flock of little steam and gasboats for this service. Streets and roads all over central Kentucky were made of this stuff. I think they stopped using it during the 1930's, but I am probably wrong about that. Kyrock was a contraction of Kentucky Rock Asphalt Company. Kyrock landing was on Nolin River, a tributary of the Green River.

Roads made of Kyrock had a distressing habit of softening in the hot summer sunshine. In my barefoot days we used to break the bubbles with our big toes

Marc: When you open steamboats. org look to the left under links. Hit History & education, then hit book recommendation and just scroll down and you'll see both of Way's Directory's listed. As to more information on your relative, the University of Missouri has a lot of license information now computerized. Judy Patsch knows a lot on this subject and probably will read and respond.

Marc:

To the best of my knowledge unless the Family saved the license, You are out of luck. I Think the National Archives may have copies of the hand written or typed reports from the officers doing the inspections and these were printed in a annual report. I don't have copies from the 1880's of the published lists. And it takes some looking when you have the lists as they were not always issued where you would expect them. in big libraries, land grant collages look for List of Masters, Mates, Pilots and Engineers. likely Doc T38.7 or doc C11.5 I did a search of the most likely books and my data bases and didn't find Edward Free.

Carl Jones

Carl - George or Edward Free

Thank you for the info. Carl & Bill. My search started with a childhood story from my dad saying that his grandfather was a riverboat pilot on the Ohio River. His name (grandfather) was George Marcus Free. My dad died 20 years ago and I just now discovered that a cousin, previously unknown to me, had a copy of a copy, etc. of George M's license from 1896. I contacted the Cincinnati library to see if they had a copy and was told that they only found a record of his brother, Edward Free, being mentioned as the master of the Lorraine in the previously mentioned inspection report for the Lorraine from the National Archives. So, I'm tying to find documentation for either George or Edward Free, and/or their riverboats as a legacy. You guys have been a great help. Hopefully, I can come up with more.

Walter G. Hougland sold both the Kalista and a boat called the Agnes May to my grandfather, T.A. Tichenor in August 1907. The mining of the natural asphalt in Edmondson County at Kyrock has started again, the natural asphalt is used as in "superpave asphalt." Agnes S. Harralson in Steamboats on the Green reports that Walter G. Hougland was a native of Indiana. He died in 1939 and is buried in the cemetery at Calhoun, Kentucky.

Marc

I also was looking for licenses. The Fed archives do not have copies, but they do have an annual publication of who was licensed,where they got it, and the number of issues. I located a man with access who charged $30 to look up my captains and pilots. I never acted. But if you want his name and address, let me know.

I did find one dated 11 Dec 1882 for Jacob Poe. A fun story.

Ohio River Museum Donation Georgetown Steamboats

Fran Nash

I spend most of my time in that “way back” time period. My ancestors sold boats to the Kountz Line and were charted by Kountz to travel to the upper Missouri. I believe the Kountz and Kouns are two different families.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Capt William J Kountz of Pittsburgh was appointed by Sec or War Cameron, also of PA, to serve as commodore of river transportation. Kountz tried to run the operation like a steamboat business offering cost saving suggestions on fuel, the purchase of steamboats, etc. He tried to work with rivermen who were already unhappy with him and their government pay that was far below their pre-war level. Gen Grant was trying to move an army. That explains the difficulties between Gen Grant and Capt William J Kountz. Grant arrested Kountz on Jan 14, 1862. Kountz made formal accusations against Grant in a letter to Gen Halleck at HQ in St Louis hoping to have Grant replaced. (Men of Fire by Jack Hurst (2007) focuses on Grant opening the TN and Cumberland rivers.)

After the war, Kountz and Coulson lines, both out of Pittsburgh, were formidable competitors in the Missouri River trade.

I’ve not come across the Kouns captains in the Missouri River commerce research. From Ways directory some of their boats plied the Mississippi and Red River in LA. Without spending a lot of time and on that thin thread of evidence, I believe the Kountz and Kouns are not connected.

That said almost every boat in the Poe family of Georgetown was based on a daughter’s name:

Owmer/Capt Packet name
Jacob Poe Jacob Poe
Thomas W Poe Clara Poe
Amelia Poe
Mary E Poe
Adam Poe Ella
George W Ebert Mollie Ebert
Jackman T Stockdale Ida Stockdale
Katie Stockdale

Fran Nash