Topic starter
10/08/2009 7:03 pm
Some weeks ago Judy posted excerpts from Cat. Hawleys 1962 log with an impressive list of crew on the DQ's trip to Pittsburgh. I was impressed till looking through "Judd's Junk" and found this in a log book of the Gordon C. Greene for 1938. Entry is on September 13, 1938, ready to leave Cairo for St. Louis. Check out the officers roster. Master, Capt. Tom R. Greene; Pilots were Capts. Jesse P. Hughes, Lawrence "Bo" Allen, J.E. Broadway, Sam W. Felts and Ed C. Pell. Riding as guests were Capt. W.C. Dugan and the famous Capt. James Rowley of Vanceburg, Ky. Capt. Rowley was pilot with Capt. Gordon C. Greene on the H.K. Bedford. Also on board was Capt. S.E. Leonard of Great Lakes carrier fame. The Purser was Robt. McCann, Mates were Capt. H.M. Carr and Capt. W.H. Suter. Capt. Mary B. Greene was hostess and Capt. Roy L. Barkhau was aboard as the passenger agent. Also Capt. Nelson M. Broadfoot had gotten off at Evansville and was to catch the boat again at St. Louis.
Can you ever imagine the tall tales and stories being told on that boat.
10/08/2009 9:21 pm
GCG passengers
The licensed almost outnumbered the unlicensed passengers on that trip.
This brings up a few questions:
1) What was the passenger capacity for the GCG, and how many crew did she carry?
2) When did Capt. Mary quit working as a captain, or when was her last license renewal issued?
3) There were 4 pilots listed as working on the trip - were they all on the whole trip, or did a couple work one segment and a couple the other?
See what happens when you start digging through the pilefiles!
11/08/2009 3:02 am
And I want to know about Nelson M. Broadfoot. Who was he? I know Ingram had a boat named after him that Ray Prichard was Captain on.
Topic starter
11/08/2009 3:54 pm
Judy I have no idea as tp passenger numbers or crew size. "Ma" Greene pretty much gave up her active piloting and Master role when the Gordon C. Greene was placed in service. Capt. Tom Greene saw that his mother was a instant hit with passengers and that's where she was needed. I believe her license was still good at the time of her death. NOBODY, BUT NOBODY in the Coast Guard would have had the nerve to mess with her license. As to the four pilots they all were on board to St. Louis. They all signed off in the log daily but seemed to work unusual hours.
Topic starter
11/08/2009 5:27 pm
Capt. Bob it seems there is not a lot known as to Capt. Nelson Broadfoot. Your right in that Ingram named a brand new boat for him in 1949 so he must have up pretty high in the peecking order. Here's what little I know about him. He was pretty much involved in the lower Ohio and Cumberland rivers as a young man. In 1915 he was listed as a cub pilot on the packet John S. Hopkins under the watchful eye of his father, Roy Broadfoot. He served as master on several boats for the Ayer & Lord Tie Co. of Paducah. It seems he moved to the upper Ohio in 1935 as Master of the Fairplay for Campbell. He served as Master of the Atlas for Sohio towing Memphis to Mt. Vernon in 1942. Now his Ingram connection starts in 1943 when Orrin Ingram bought the Wood River Oil & Refinery Co. To move product he formed the Wood River Oil Barge Co. and hired Nelson Broadfoot as General Mgr. This was beginning of Ingram as we know it. They had terminals in Nola, Louisville and St. Paul. One of the young pilots Broadfoot hired was Capt. Noble L. Gordon. Wood River Oil Barge became Ingram Products Co. in 1946 and Broadfoot was listed as Mgr. river operations. That's all I know.
11/08/2009 9:30 pm
Okay, thanks Dale -- I mean Bill! Couldn't you find out what he had for breakfast when he rode the GORDON?
12/08/2009 11:43 am
*RE: Capt. Mary B. Greene's license.*
Steamboating colleagues:
Just catching up on .org postings following several busy weeks here along with unexpected dental work. OUCH!
Intersting postings/comments on this thread and Judy's question is a good one. I pulled via computer my files/archives back at the Literary Club of Cincinnati and found the following entry. This also mentioned some years back in posting the interview of Capt. Mary B. Greene by Mr. Espy in 1948. The following from a copy of her license:
'H.A. Voight, Officer in charge of Marine Inspections, U.S. Coast Guard, issued on June 6, 1947, Mary Becker Greene's 12th pilot's certificate in 56 years good for a period of five years.'
I can't recall now where the U.S. Coast Guard offices were in Cincinnati at the time and leave that to Cap'n Bill Judd. There are past postings on this web covering the transition from the old Steamboat Inspection Service to the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard.
Foggy, misty here on the shores of Lake Michigan with temp at 56 degrees. Yesterday it hit a whopping 67 degrees. Yes, the west bound crossing of the SS BADGER on Aug 1st some experience for the MOR group. More than a few went down with sea sickness and the lake reminded me of the north Atlantic. Well, our Great Lakes are known as 'inland seas' with many professional ocean yacht crews [CNN's Ted Turner for one] here for regattas complaining. Once the BADGER cleared the harbor and sea walls in Ludgintgon she began to dip and roll. Yet, the smell of coal smoke and live steam a pleasure.
R. Dale Flick