Topic starter
27/08/2007 4:31 am
I found a few slides I shot on The Natchez on June 18, 1980. One of the shots shows the calliope being played but it's hard to see who was playing it. I'm enclosing an enlargement of that scene so perhaps Judy or someone else can identify the player.
The shots show the boat at it's dock a view of the roof with the calliope being played and the close up I mentioned above.
A couple more shots follow.
-Jim Herron
Topic starter
27/08/2007 4:33 am
More with the paddle wheel while underway and a waitress. Does anyone know her?
27/08/2007 12:15 pm
I'll have to go back and look at the DQ schedule, but we might have been on the NATCHEZ the same day! I came down from St. Louis on the DQ and then went over to ride the N. Back then the DQ landed at Bienville St., right above the N. That's Lee Lanier on the calliope. He played for many years. He works for Delta Airlines and had transferred to Cincinnati. Perhaps Frank knows if he's still up there. Lee and Roddy had a common interest in classical music. I don't know the waitress, but I'll email her pix and see if anyone recognizes her. We used to have cocktail waitresses walking the decks in the summer, I had forgotten that. That June 1980 was my first time and trip on the NATCHEZ. I first saw her in 1976, at the end of the race with the DQ. I came through the Bienville Wharf and saw the NATCHEZ go by. I wondered where the DQ was, she had just cleared the bridge! I of course was there to board the DQ for a NOLA round trip over Easter vacation. Note on the pix that you could see the calliope and player, which you can't now, due to the awnings. They were put on for the 1985 season since there wasn't enough shaded area in the hot summer weather. They did a nice job of keeping the sheer in them.