Caught On Dead Center

On the sidewheel dredge Captain Meriwether Lewis, the wheels were egg shapped with the shorter arms being in the water at the end to the stroke. I have gind of forgotten where the bucket boards were doubled up to add weight to the wheel to help it move off dead center. Capt, Raymond Holland told me that the used a jack to lift the pitman and move her engines off dead center. This was done near the crank.
In the Missouri Packet, 1820 lost at Boonsville area , sangged in spring 1820 with a load of salt pork and flour for Fort Atkickson, in Nebraska. She had one engine in a boodjack arrangement and a fly wheel on the shaft in the off side of the bootjack her stern wheel had iron arms. and 1 inch thick buckets. engine in the Arabia musem KC.