Snagboats

If I remember correctly, the hull of the snagboat Charles West became the hull for the restaurant boat Lt. Robert E. Lee which was at St. Louis for quite some time and I believe it is now just downriver in Kimmswick, MO.
Dan Maguire

from Way's Towboat Directory: AID prop tug wh 1889-1917? b. Jeffersonville In by Howard 51x12x6. built for James T. Duffy, Pittsburgh at a contract price of $875. Operated by the Combine in latter days and burned with the tug WASP at West Elizabeth Pa June 15, 1912. Capt. A Reed was master. Was sold to Capt. Buck Muller and he repaired it and used her out of Shousetown,Pa for a year or so. C.A. CULBERSON stw snagboat wh 1908-27 b. Jeffersonville In 106x28x5. Owned by USE and from 1909 through 1920 assigned to Dallas and Galveston Districts, used on the Red River in Texas. In 1921 she had been reassigned to the Vicksburg District. Sold at public sale in 1927 to Woods Bros. Construction Co. Missouri River and renamed COLONEL WOODS. In April 1928 Capt .Wm Tippitt master, James Manning Chief Engineer. Capt.W.M Walter on later in year. Dismantled in 1938. C.W. HOWELL stw snagboat tb ih 1881-1935. bu. Carondelet Mo 165x36x5. She was completely rebuilt in 1920 with the hull then measuring 140x36x4.7. Engines 15's 4ft 3in stroke. This snagboat was designed and built for service on the Red River and operated by USE Vicksburg. However, in her long career, she was almost everywhere. She was on the UMR in 1927 and in March 1932 she and the CONTROL went to Silver City MS away u p the Yazoo, first boat there in many years. She then was commanded by Capt. Bernard Reynolds, Herbert McMurray pilot, Roy Fuller Chief Engineer, Dan Luckett 2nd. She was sold to the J.M Jones Lumber Co. of Ferriday LA in early 1935 and renamed J.M. JONES. CHARLES H. WEST stw snagboat tb sh 1934-1958 b. Nashville TN by Nashville Bridge co 195x38x7.6. Compound engines with low pressure cylinders aft 14's, 28's 6 ft. stroke built by Iowa Machine Works. 2 Foster-Wheeler boilers 250 psi with 65 degree superheat. Sternwheel 19 ft by 22.5, 14 buckets, 30 in dip. Rated 500 hp at 20 rpm. Named for Charles H. West of Greenville Ms long a member of the Miss River Commission who died in 1933 and owned by USE, Vicksburg. One of few 20th century steamboats which has been up the Red River above Alexandria La. She ascended to Colfax in Grant Parish March 1939 with Capt. J N Ferguson master pilot. Decommissioned 1958. Yes her hull is under the Lt. Lee. COLUMBIA stw snagboat wh 1894-1917. Originally the COL.HOOKER built 1877 at Gainesville MS. Purchased in 1888 at Shreveport LA by USE and renamed 1894 following a rebuilding with a new hull at Jeffersonville In 116x24.3. GOPHER stw snagboat wh 1844-1848? b. Louisville KY Described as a light draft snagboat, a duplicate of the DRAGON built at the same time, designed by Capt. John Russell. these boats had single hulls with a 'bow transom' replacing the sang-beam of the Shreve designed double hull boats. John Curry, engine builer of Louisville, built the machinery and said this was a small tender used to transport materials, probably in connection with the larger twin-hull snagboat HERCULES. Construction was superintended by Stephen H. Long. The USQMD acquired her in Sept 1846 along with the DRAGON for Rio Grande Rvier service during the Mexican War. JOHN R. MEIGS stw snagboat ih 1879-1898 b. South S. Louis Mo 172x38x5. This snagboat was used byt he USE on the lower Miss and her demise was spectacular. During the Spanish American War of 1898, the Miss River below Forts Jackson and St. Phillip, downriver from NOLA, was mined to prevent the approach of the Spanish fleet. It is not disclosed who was responsible for the inspired bit of defensive strategy, but the Splendid Little WAr was over about as soon as the mines were laid and then there was the problem of removing them. The MEIGS drew this assignment and commanded by Capt. Phineas Ross Starr, proceeded to lift mines. On Sept. 3, 1898, a mine exploded under or on the forescastle of the boat and removed it completely to the pilothouse. 6 killed. Pilot not injured, engineer blown in river but escaped injury. The hull bulkheads kept it afloat for an hour and neither the wreck nor victims were recovered. WJ Nov. 2, 1987 JOS. E RANSDELL stw snag tb sh 1908-1939 b. Jeffersonville IN by Howard 137x32x5 Contract price $42,443 Built for USE Vicksburg, a sister boat to the BEN HUMPHREYS. Used on the Yazoo and Ouachita rivers.....Whistle on display in Ohio River Museum Marietta (too much to type) O.G. WAGNER stw snagboat ih 1875-1905. b. South St. Louis 130x36x4.8. She was rebuilt 1886 and the hull described as iron and steel. Org operated by USE on the Arkansas and Ouachita rivers IN 1905 she is shown as laid up with a value of $1500, off the list by 1906. THOMAS B. FLORENCE stw snagboat sh 1875-1920 b. South St. Louis 96x20x4. Owned by USE She was rebuilt in 1901 at Dubuque Ia and was laid up at Vicksburg most of 1900-04. In 1908 was employed on Ouachita and Red Rivers in the Vicksburg District. Gone by 1921. If you have a continuing interest in history of steamboats, you really need a copy of Ways Towboat Directory too. Check Amazon or Ebay, or maybe a board member has an extra copy to sell....

Ways Towboat Directory is still availabe I believe from the Ohio University Press at Athens, Ohio, at least it was just before Christmas. You can't do riverboat research with out it. It is copy writed by S & D

There is a superb model of the STR. Charles H. West in the Smithsonian.

Thank you so much, Judy. Copying all that was extremely generous of you. There is a considerable list of books and publications that I need, and Way's Towboats is at the top of the list. Circumstances however have meant that I've had to defer that purchase.

Hank Bloomer: My great, great uncle was Phineas Ross Starr. Are you still intereste

Hank Bloomer;3620 wrote: Help! I'm looking for information on the following steam powered snagboats. All were owned or chartered by the C of E except ALGERINE which belonged to the State of Louisiana. All worked on the Red R. system at some time in their careers. One or two are listed in Way's Packet Directory, but most are not. I don't have a copy of his Towboat Directory, so I don't know whether they there or not. I would appreciate any leads that anyone can point me to.

AID blt 1869, Pittsburgh, ALGERINE blt 1856, Cincinnati, ARCHIMEDES blt. ca. 1830, BRECK blt ca. 1890, C. A. CULBERTSON blt 1908, Jeffersonville, C. W. HOWELL blt 1881, St. Louis, CHARLES H. WEST blt 1934, Nashville?, COLUMBIA, blt??, ERADICATOR blt mid 1830s, GOPHER blt 1853, Jeffersonville, by Howards, HELIOPOLIS blt ca. 1830, New Albany, JAVA blt ca. 1830, JOHN R. MEIGS blt 1879, St. Louis, JOSEPH E. RANSDELL blt 1908, Jeffersonville, by Howards, O. A. WAGNER blt 1875, St. Louis, SOUVENIR blt ca. 1828, New Albany, and THOMAS B. FLORENCE blt 1875, St. Louis.

Thanks, HPB

My g,g,uncle was Phineas Ross Starr. I have archival info on his death as he removed mines in Miss. Are you still interested in this info? Happy to supply. Sandy Allen [email protected]

Sandy,

Please post the archival info on Captain Starr's demise on this thread as many of us would enjoy your sharing of such interesting, and unusual, river history.

Thank you. I emailed you, but am not sure it went trhough as sometimes the mail link here does not work. I would be delighted to have any information you can supply. Would you, as Shipyard Sam requests, consider posting it here?
HPB3