'Pic o/ the Week'/Str. JS DELUXE.

Ah, the J. S. deLuxe! It was rebuilt to attract the creme de la creme of passengers during the 1920's. At that time bridge and mah jongg were fads and playing lessons were given aboard. All of the 'passengers in that brochure are paid models - but we must remember that until Bing Crosby rebelled against neckties in the late 1940's people DID dress up for almost every social event from high mass to low nightclubs. (I looked at my old yellow dance-band tuxedo a few months ago. It was snowy white when bought, but became yellow in a few weeks owing to sweat and cigarette smoke. The point is, dance band musicians were expected to look nice in those days. The ragged, dirty bands of today could not work then.)
There was a half-dome at the head of the main stairway of the J. S. Columns had classic architectural capitals derived from the Acropolis. Most chairs were either upholstered wicker or heavy wooden dining chairs. There were park benches and folding chairs on the roof. Potted plants abounded. You can see the draped canvas overhead on the main deck designed to hide all of the pipes, conduits, etc.
Today, of course, the Coast Guard would electrocute owners, officers and crew of a boat such as this, ignoring the fact that it ran for forty two years without hurting a soul. This firetrap, by today's standards did not burn. Its wide-open hull never capsized nor sank. And, mercy! its officers had no fire-fighting courses, first-aid lessons or radar certificates.
She was an odd-looking boat, especially from head-on. She was tall and at the forward end she was very narrow. She was fast and made day-long excursions that ran more than a hundred miles on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. Even after the President and the Admiral were built, this boat remained the pride of the Streckfus fleet.
How about showing us the rest of the brochure?

The second JS was built from the Diamond Jo Line packet QUINCY in 1919 and was dismantled in St. Louis in 1938-9. While her name never officially had "Deluxe" in it, that was her common name, as Streckfus pushed her as the 'upscale' boat. She ran in tandem with the SAINT PAUL in St. Louis, when not tramping. The SAINT PAUL had cheaper fares, higher capacity, and was more for the 'common' class, while as Alan said, the JS was geared for the more monied crowd, with her deluxe furnishings, attractions, and fares. According to the 1924 Streckfus Line Magazine, fares for the JS were: $2 on Sunday, $1.50 on Monday and Saturday, and $1 the other days. Fares for the SAINT PAUL were: $1 on Sunday, $.75 other days.
This also from the 1924 magazine: "DELUXE EVENINGS Mondays and Fridays are special society evenings on the beautiful J. S. Steamer Deluxe when invitations are issued to club members and others who appreciate the higher-fare policies that assure a select and limited attendance. Mrs. Julia Laughlin Boehmer has been secured as Social Chaperone on these evenings. Jules Buffano and his famous Montmartre Orchestra of Chicago furnish entrancing music for these delightful occasions."
Mary Otte of Quincy Illinois always shares her JS DELUXE and CAPITOL memories with us at Midwest Buffs. She worked on both as Purser back in the mid 30s, she's a real Streckfus treasure and probably one of the few crew members still alive.
Poor Franz has been hearing my sob stories all week with my frustrations at trying to post pix and history of the PRESIDENT, and unlike some who find the board and computers to be a piece of cake, I don't. I'd love to be sharing so much with you all, but I can't get it posted, or even emailed to Franz for him to do. If Dale didn't send Franz the rest of this brochure, I could try to send mine to him, and I will try to email him a couple pix of the JS, illustrating the features Alan pointed out. Oh, Dale, you got me started with your Streckfus stuff!!!

Well, here is a success story! I've received many wonderful brochure scans and pictures from Judy via e-mail, so here they are! (click on the pictures to enlarge)

Picture of the early J.S., showing the original wide bow.

The J.S. with the narrower, longer bow; taken at Red Wing, MN, on July 4, 1934, on her first trip this far north.

Judy's absolute favorite JS Deluxe pix. This was taken by Hiram Lemen, a realtor and photographer, at Madison, Indiana.

... and some more pictures from Judy. Thanks very much, Judy, for taking the effort to scanning and sending them. I know how idfficult this was and how long it took, but it was absotely worth every minute (or hour) you spent on it! Again, thanks!

The dressy apparel to which Alan referred. Also note the new ADMIRAL being finished above the Eads bridge.

And two interior shots showing what Alan was talking about, and what I quoted from the magazine about the social chaperones. The canopies were green and white striped. Note the ferns on the tables.

More Pictures of the JS

I hope I correctly sized the uploaded my JS pictures. There are two of the pilot house and one of the crew. I don't know who the two ladies are, but the pilot is my grandfather, Capt.Kelly King

Many thanks to Judy and Linda for sharing

Many thanks to Judy and Linda for sharing these wonderful pictures from a time never to come again. Linda, your photo of the pilothouse interior of the J.S. DELUXE answered something I have long wondered about -- that being why NO large wooden pilotwheel was ever visible in pictures of the front exterior of the J.S. DELUXE pilothouse. Now I see it's because she did NOT have one! Judy and I have touched - and posed for pictures with - the big pilotwheel from the Streckfus steamer CAPITOL which now is displayed at the Museum of Transport in St. Louis, but I always wondered about the J.S. DELUXE wheel. Her steering system looks more like something to be found on a deep water vessel and is most interesting! She most likely had a big pilotwheel during her tenure as the QUINCY, but apparently Streckfus replaced it with a new steering system. One thing for sure, those Streckfus boats were heavily LADEN with wooden gingerbread trim! I have a piece from the J.S. DELUXE, a small acorn from her pilothouse and a small section of the trademark Streckfus railing from the Str. CAPITOL, all gifts from my steamboating mentor, Miss Ruth Ferris, who related to me how she was told to take whatever she wanted from the numerous piles of "steamboat stuff" stacked high on the St. Louis levee when the boats were dismantled above the Eads Bridge. Imagine that scene!!!

The Herman T. Pott Inland Waterways Library of The St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri-St. Louis contains a large collection of Streckfus Steamers memorabilia, much of it from the collections of Ruth Ferris, Jim Swift and from a bequest by Capt. William F. Carroll, who was married to Betty Streckfus. Many Streckfus photographs, advertising posters and artifacts are also at the library. Contact curator Bette Gorden at [email protected] for further information. The archives of the Missouri Historical Society and at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch and Old Courthouse) also contain Streckfus collections. The Alton (Illinois) Museum of History and Art has a small, but very nice, River Room and one of the exhibits is the large and LOUD engine room backing bell from the Str. J.S. DELUXE, a gift from Ruth Ferris and which Ruth formerly had as an "interactive" display in her Midship Museum aboard the Str. BECKY THATCHER at the St. Louis levee in the late 1960's and early '70s.

JS photos

Wow, thanks for those great photos of your grandfather, Lisa! And welcome to the .org message board! I've sent you an email about further board activity regarding Streckfus Steamers...

Summer Gals

What Wonderful pictures! Is that Captain John Streckfus, front row-left, in the JS crew shot? Go to for a comparison:

http://groups.msn.com/RivermenRiverboats/steamboatsampriverpeople.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=40

"Fiddlin' Sue" Varnell, who has quite a fine collection of Streckfus information, personal family pictures, etc. on her website, RIVERMEN & RIVERBOATS, is the grand-daughter of Streckfus Captain, Cornelius McGee. It seemed that the female friends of the crew, in those days, were sometimes called summer gals, according to information her grandfather left.

Looks like it could be. If it is, that would be John the son of the Commodore John, founder of Streckfus Steamers.

Shipyard Sam;1966 wrote: What Wonderful pictures! Is that Captain John Streckfus, front row-left, in the JS crew shot? Go to for a comparison:

http://groups.msn.com/RivermenRiverboats/steamboatsampriverpeople.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=40

"Fiddlin' Sue" Varnell, who has quite a fine collection of Streckfus information, personal family pictures, etc. on her website, RIVERMEN & RIVERBOATS, is the grand-daughter of Streckfus Captain, Cornelius McGee. It seemed that the female friends of the crew, in those days, were sometimes called summer gals, according to information her grandfather left.

Actually I think it's Capt. Roy Streckfus. The photo was taken in the early 1930s.

This photograph was published by The Waterways Journal some 35+ years ago in a booklet entitled River Drift under the caption of "They Ran the Steamer J.S." or something like that as I recall. The late Jim Swift, longtime WJ business manager, compiled the booklets each year at Christmas time, filling them with all sorts of river history tidbits and photos. I think the first one was issued in 1969 and they did several more. One issue was largely about Streckfus excursion boats at St. Louis, perhaps the 1970 edition. I don't remember if there are identifications of the crew members, but I will dig out my copy and check.

JS Officers photo ids

How in the world Keith could remember that that picture appeared in the River Drift, I don't know. But since Keith is stuck at that nasty four-letter word W O R K, his retired 'river secretary' will post the ids for him from her copy:
front row: Capt. John Streckfus, Master; Jack Champion,Mate; Capt. Kelly King, Pilot; Mr. Smith, Engineer
back row: Ray Marshall, Purser, E.Mabry, Watchman; Capt. Davenport Day,Pilot; Gus Hale, Chief Engineer; G.O. Davidson; Archie Law, Lecturer, and Bill Sloan, Steward.

I presume that E. Mabry Watchman is Edgar Mabry who later was Master of the WASHINGTON, one of the few non-Streckfi to captain a Streckfus boat. Clarence 'Heavy' Elder and Coburn Pratt were other Masters of the WASHINGTON outside of the family...

Thanks Judy! I did look up the booklet last night and it was the 1970 issue of River Drift which contained the photo. There are also some good scenes of the St. Louis levee featuring the Streckfus boats and a dramatic interior view of the main deck of the J.S. DELUXE looking like something out of "Arabian Nights"! The last page of the booklet is a stern view of the DQ with the caption "As We Steam Into The Sunset", for at that point it looked like the boat had come to the end of her operating career due to the Safety at Sea legislation. Jim Swift ended saying, "Here's hoping for a miracle" that would save the boat. And it happened -- thanks to Betty Blake, Rep. Leonor K. Sullivan and people all over the country, many of whom had never even seen the DQ! As a 15 year old "steamboat fanatic" I circulated petitions at school, at church, at the Howard Museum and anywhere else I could convince people to sign their name! I still have the handwritten thank you note from Betty Blake for my efforts to help save the grand old DQ.

"You and I Saved the DELTA QUEEN...Hooray!" BB