Delta King Poster

Cool poster Keith! I have a black and white photo of the DK framed at home, showing an up close view of her (looking at the bow and hull) in dry dock. I bought it on eBay awhile back, and haven't seen one like it since.

Hi, Keith & steamboating colleagues:
Keith, thanks for jolting our memories with that great poster of the DELTA KING in California days. It's a gem. The company also did other such renditions of the KING/QUEEN with added tinting/color. The CALIFORNIA TRANSPORTATION CO. also had them printed as post cards for use on the boats and for promotional purposes. I'll have to rip through the junk here and see if I can uncover the other variations on the theme. The post cards here have no writing or postal cancel on the back; so were never mailed.

Steamboat/steamship post cards, as you all know, are becoming hot items for collectors in antique and book stores. Those with writing on the back are most interesting if the sender happened to mention dates, destinations or what was going on aboard. Keep your eyes peeled. Whenever I stop at an estate or yard sale my first question is, "Are there any old steamboat photos, cards, letters or documents?" Have to play it 'cool' and be coy or the sellers will instantly see $$$ signs dancing before their eyes. Twice I've tragically been told, "Yeah, there was some stuff like that. We didn't know what it was and pitched it out." Oh, my.

Cheers,
R. Dale Flick

I know this is the Delta King thread, and I appologize for highjacking, but check out this dandy picture of the "California" DQ...was for sale on eBay a few weeks back...

I've got 222 different post cards of the DQ, but none of them have the tinted pix from California days. My California cards are all real photos or that generic picnic scene linen card. My various schedules from the California days of course have the similar artwork to Keith's poster. I did actually get a new DQ postcard this past year on Ebay... the problem with collecting is you reach a point where its difficult to find anything you don't have already, and that's where I'm at with the DQ and Streckfus boats. But on the positive side, that saves a lot of money!!!! 1)Oops, I just found a colorized linen from California, but its not like what Keith and Dale are talking about. 2)As Dale said, the messages are often interesting. This one: "Dear Mother, This is the boat I went to SF on. Viola and I are having boats of fun."(wonder if Mom got worried about that?) 3) This one is dated Jan 17 1943: "We eat on this boat and have our engine training. But we sleep ashore in barracks. We get boat drills there too."

Steamboating colleagues:
Judy's incredible photos ['Windows on the past.'] have elicited a remarkable flow of other photos and comments bringing steamboat history alive in a sharing way like no other. Each photo is a learning experience with views of the boats, people and events. I don't know who on this web could ever be 'bored' with all. Multiple post cards and photos can always be shared, traded or sold to other fans enriching collections. About two years ago I received an unusual E=Mail from a scholarly gentlemen living in St. Petersburg, Russia asking for information on how to link with others to obtain photos and information. I gave him names, addresses but never heard again from him.

Years ago the late Loretta Howard of the Howard Yards said to me as a kid, "I am amazed how all you young people are so interested in all of this 'old steamboat stuff.'" Again thanks to you all and keep it coming.

Cheers,
R. Dale Flick

Thanks Bruno! That's a really great view of the DQ in her early days! Here's another "long ago" broadside picture of either the King or the Queen.

Keith and Judy,
Wonderful pictures...Gawd, how I love to ponder the "what was she like" pictures. Eight, count 'em, eight lifeboats! I wonder how that worked for them. And did you notice in the last of Judy's pictures it looks like they were ready to launch one of the back port lifeboats and the front two lifeboats mounted on the "gentlemen's quarters" appear to be removed? And check out that original stack, obviously taller than the GL stack. Maybe the "new" stack is just a return to her roots, and the tremendous advantages of a taller stack are gravy? Thanks bunches.