Calliope Capers Continue!

Betty Bryant in Marietta

I remember listening to her fascinating talk about showboat life that year - but it seems to me that was held somewhere other than the Lafayette, wasn't it?

Correct you are Judy. Betty's one person performance about growing up on her father's showboat was given in the theatre aboard the BECKY THATCHER. Many months prior, Ohio Showboat Drama had engaged Betty to do her historical presentation on Saturday afternoon of S&D meeting weekend in September, 1995. Seeing this golden opportunity, likely never to come again, I lobbied BIG time for her to be the speaker at the S&D banquet on Saturday night, but it fell upon deaf ears -- and we had a NON-river program about the incline trolley cars in Cincinnati! I refused to give up and Betty was invited to attend the S&D luncheon where she was introduced and later visited the Ohio River Museum to see the calliope that her mother played on their showboat. Aboard the W.P. SNYDER, JR., I remember Betty's fascination with the engine room and her vivid remembrances of the engine room of the towboat VALLEY BELLE which pushed the showboat. Needless to say, Betty's show on the BECKY was fabulous and left people wanting MORE!

At my instigation, we had featured Betty at the Howard Steamboat Museum for the spring festival in 1995, where she was a big "hit", telling humorous stories and even doing brief demonstrations of dances they did on the showboat such as the "buck and wing", etc. At the time, her new and profusely illustrated book, Here Comes the Showboat, had just recently been published and she was delighted to autograph copies at a table with Capt. Alan Bates, who made available his drawings of the Bryant showboat and towboat. Betty's book was a wonderful sequel to her father's earlier tome, Children of Old Man River - The Life and Times of a Showboat Trouper, by Capt. Billy Bryant, published in 1936.

Betty wouldn't fly, but rode Greyhound buses (she lived at Park Ridge, IL) to her program venues and asked only for a small honorarium. The museum also provided for her hotel lodging and it was my pleasure to have her as a guest in my home as well. She was a lovely, generous and enthusiastic person who was worth her weight in gold. In January, 1999, I had just received a card from Betty containing some showboat photos when the telephone rang. It was her daughter in Chicago calling to tell me that her mother had died suddenly of a heart attack while they were talking during morning coffee. It would be an understatement to say her passing was devastating and a great loss to her family and multitude of friends who loved her dearly.

For my River Room, Betty gave me an old villian's coat and top hat (Capt. Doc Hawley tried them on!) from a trunk of costumes she saved from the showboat, as well as a few other mementoes. Her extensive showboat collection of photographs, costumes, posters, props, etc., was bequeathed to the river museum at Dubuque, Iowa.

I will always treasure the memories of Betty's kindness and friendship. A long whistle salute to a wonderful lady of the river!

Photos:
(1) Betty reminiscing in engine room of W.P. SNYDER, JR - September, 1995.
(2) Betty and Keith having fun at the calliope from BRYANT'S SHOWBOAT.
(3) Betty looking at model of BRYANT'S SHOWBOAT & towboat VALLEY BELLE in Ohio River Museum.

A mystery calliope to me

I guess since Jonathan is on the road, this isn't the best time to pose this question, but we have other resident experts at home now:
Here is a picture I bought on Ebay. It was taken in Davenport(you can see the Clocktower Building on the Arsenal in the background) and it looks like the printing says 1917. We would have had the Streckfus nee Diamond Jo boats here then, as well as several others, but does anyone know by the type of calliope on which boat this is? Or at least give some info on the calliope.
On the back of the photo, as best I can make out: "You will notice that the steam from the calliope doesn't show up well - I am playing in both pictures. This one see the steam launch in the distance - rather gasoline."
And the name on the front, George Dolan, does this ring a bell as a calliope player to anyone?

Judy, Dad and I searched for what this boat could be, all to no avail. Our money is on the G. W. HILL. We're basing this on the railing around the roof and the bracing for the hog chains outboard of the lifeboats. Don't know who George Dolan was, but we're adding him to our calliopist list.

Jon,

Notice the instrument is backwards. This picture was printed in a mirror image of reality, as the whistles are backwards. So don't get to confused in the details of the boat, as they are appearing opposite of what they really were.

Next thing I noticed was the regulator...it is rather narrow and almost looks as if the picture is stretched as well. Can't say that I have ever seen anything like it before.

Where ever it is, it is defiantely aboard a boat...great find Judy! Keep the pics and stories coming!

Gee, Franz...have you ever thought of publishing all the history we are posting here? You could make a fortune sending this kind of information to those who are not internet enabled!

Just a thought!

Travis

I had to take the laptop to the mirror and look at it ..LOL...Your right Travis the photo is reversed.. (nice find Judy)
Its a nice 32 note Nichol ...
I'm in Baraboo,Wisconsin myself,..
Last message from Jon and David they were in the NOLA ..(as of last night) or Friday ...

Calliope caperers

The Calliope Caperers are indeed in NOLA, and will ride the NATCHEZ Sunday morning when Doc both narrates and plays the calliope - a twofer!

MORE on Bryant's Showboat and the calliope. . .

(1) Josephine Bryant (Capt. Billy's wife and mother of Betty Bryant) at the showboat calliope.
(2) Bryant's Showboat and towboat Valley Belle at Cincinnati. Note "steam orgel" on roof of towboat.
(3) Betty Bryant and Doug Morris ("Crafton" the villian) on roof of showboat - 1930's. Coat and hat now in KN's collection.

Improved picture of the mystery calliope.

I flipped the picture, removed some of the writing and tried to sharpen it. Perhaps this will help one of our astute .orger identify the boat. Remember a giant Snickers bar is awaiting the person who correctly identifies the boat.

I can even see the gasoline launch he referred to now, but still don't see a clue to the boat's identity. Two possibilities have been brought to my attention: the G W HILL and the MAJESTIC. Since I am packing for NOLA and giving a talk tonight too, I don't think I'll have time to check those photos.

Jim,

I am not gonna guess which boat it was (yet)...however, this is a 32-note calliope. All the Streckfus calliopes (except the ADMIRAL, which had a 32-noter) were 28-note varieties...so she ain't one of the Streckfus boats (cause this is not the ADMIRAL for sure!).

What ever boat it was, she has lifeboats on davits and no apparant gingerbread on the deck the calliope is mounted on. Doesn't look like she is up on the Skylight roof...more a Texas deck location from the looks of things.

Now...who had lifeboats on davits and no gingerbread on the Texas? This should be a big clue.

However, what is to say we aren't on top of a towboat pushing a showboat on the upper?

Now we have to figure who was on the Upper with a 32-note calliope in this time frame.

Travis

And a few more CALLY-OPE photos:

(1) Calliope and musicians aboard excursion steamer HOMER SMITH.
(2) Calliope rendering from Harper's Magazine 1866
(3) Calliope on the Str. ISLAND QUEEN (2nd) Note the rack of fire buckets.

Nice pics Keith... Both 32 note Nichol CaLLiopes .

Here is a little chunk of Steam CaLLiope history ,. A Video I shot last week while working on the America Steam CaLLiope at Circus World Museum. This short video shows some of the workings of a Nichol tracker Steam CaLLiope up close..(AND ON STEAM) ..
This CaLLiope came from the QUEEN CITY (1933), and was also used on the R.J. HESLOP (1934)
and I. LAMONT HUGHES before going to the Circus in 1935 ..

You will also notice a Thomas J. Nichol Co.manufactures plate, proudly mounted on the keyboard Lid ,.. This is a reproduction and was donated by yours truly ..I thought This Historic CaLLiope deserved the company name that built it,,TO BE THERE..!.!.!

If anyone has information on what years the CaLLiope was first on the QUEEN CITY and if there are any pix of it !?!.. Would be most welcome ..!!
Thanks and enjoy..
DAVE,,,...

YouTube - Steam CaLLiope America up close

Thanks Dave! You most likely have seen this image, but in case you haven't... here's the calliope on the towboat R.J. HESLOP for the 1934 parade celebrating the centennial of Elizabeth, Pennsylvania on the Monongahela River.

Imagine getting that crowd over that skinny walkboard. Wouldn't attempt it today with lawyers ready to pounce. Lots of folks drowned falling off those things... mostly novices, greenhorns, and delivery truck drivers, but they must have snagged a riverman, or woman, now and then, too.

The photo was actually taken at West Elizabeth, PA., loading passengers across that "perilous plank" for the river parade on July 2, 1934, celebrating the centennial of Elizabeth, PA, seen across the river. There is an excellent video of the parade, showing various boats, and more scenes of the calliope, accessed by clicking on Elizabeth PA Centennial Parades 1934 on Vimeo.

Meanwhile, here's another calliope photo - taken aboard the Str. SAINT PAUL in 1913.

Shipyard Sam;17390 wrote: Imagine getting that crowd over that skinny walkboard. Wouldn't attempt it today with lawyers ready to pounce. Lots of folks drowned falling off those things... mostly novices, greenhorns, and delivery truck drivers, but they must have snagged a riverman, or woman, now and then, too.

Sam, If you look closely, you can see another rail on the left side of that walkway. It appears to be about 4 feet wide. Agree?

Keith; Thanks for the shot of the HESLOP.. Have not seen that one before ..
My understanding is the HESLOP was a rather new Boat in 1934 ??

Dave, the HESLOP was actually the oldest boat in the 1934 parade. Most of the other boats were relatively new.

The R.J. HESLOP was originally the HARRY NO. 2, built at Pittsburgh in 1893. Later she was the MACKBELL, before being renamed in January, 1931, to honor Col. Robert J. Heslop of Pt. Pleasant, WV, owner of Heslop's Machine Shop. For many years Bob Heslop ran a machine shop near the mouth of the Kanawha River which supplied all sorts of boat parts and was a clearing house for river information. Many wood casting patterns for steamboat engine parts from the Heslop firm survive in museums and private collections.

The R.J. HESLOP burned at Pittsburgh on December 4, 1936.

While looking through photos, I came across yet another view of the calliope from BRYANT'S SHOWBOAT, this one giving a unique perspective from the brass keyboard.

Forays into filing cabinets unearthed another photo of the BRYANT'S SHOWBOAT calliope, with Mrs. Josephine Bryant at the keyboard.