Steamboat Whistle Signals

Whistle sequences

Each company had their own whistle sequence. The NATCHEZ is a long/2 shorts/a long/2 shorts. The New Orleans harbor salute is 3 longs, then get the reply, and follow it with another long. I'm sure we'll get a listing of other signature whistle sequences here.

I always thought the DQ's was 1 long, 2 shorts, 1 long 2 shorts. This is the landing whistle and the 20-minute-before-departure whistle. A whistle salute is 1 long and 2 shorts.

Wesley, the reason for blowing the whistle slow starting out is just because most think it sounds better. Capt. Howard Tate was probably the crustiest old man we had a pilot in my day. He usually just yanked the chain down and let it go from chest level, making an abrupt start and stop, but when he wanted to, Capt. Tate could make that whistle "talk" like no one I have ever heard before or simce.

The salute that Judy speaks of I had also always heard called a New Orleans Harbor salute, too. However, when we were in New York several years ago and took a Circle Line cruise, there was a cruise ship departing at the same time. As one of his tugs got off him, the tug blew 3 sorts, the ship answered with 3 shorts, and each then blew and was answered by a long. So, I found out that it is also a New York Harbor (and maybe other places as well?) salute.

There is another old thread in here about legal whistle signals. There are passing signals, fog signals, etc., but what we have just been discussing here are not legal whistle signals -- they're not ILLEGAL, but they are not the type required to be sounded.

I remember Capt. Bill Carroll always giving people a warning when he was about to blow the landing whistle on Admiral and on the little boats would always preface it with the remark that "now we will sound the traditional Streckfus Steamer landing whistle which date back to (I think) 1895 of one long blast, two short and another long." If I remember correctly, i believe that he told me that this was also the landing whistle of the Diamond Jo Line.
Dan Maguire St. Louis

OK: but is the "landing whistle" the same as the "begging whistle? Cap'n Walnut

Cap'n Walnut:
On Admiral, the landing whistle was also blown as the "beg" whistle if I remember correctly. Captain Jim or Annie Blum would be able to confirm of correct me on this.
Dan

Well I can back Capt. Reynolds up on that 20 minute whistle as I've blown it a few dozen times but I thought the 3 longs were a departure or "backing out" whistle. And when the Creole Queen was christened I blew 4 longs from the MQ because thats what they asked for.

3 whistles

Mel, 3 whistles is the backing signal, but the harbor salute we are talking about is 3 whistles followed by 1, after the other boat returns the 3...

Ok thanks Judy I kinda thought that and knew for sure about the backing whistle, had to write that in my 2 days of essay questions for mates License. 2 days of writing I'll never forget but am proud to say I got my the "Old Way".

You are showing your age, Melville! Under the "old" Rules of the Road (prior to 1982 or so -- don't remember the exact year), for WESTERN RIVERS the signal to be blown upon departure was 3 short blasts of the whistle. The INLAND signal was one long blast. Now, since the "unified" rules were put into place, the signal for departure on both Western Rivers and Inland Waters is one long blast. IF THERE IS ANOTHER VESSEL IN SIGHT, after the long blast has been sounded, three short blasts are sounded if the boat is backing out, which the DQ, MQ, AQ and BELLE OF LOUISVILLE do 98% of the time. The NATCHEZ almost always heels out on a stern line using the bow thruster as an assist to get the head going out, then stops and drives out from the wharf, hence, they usually only blow one long blast upon departure as they almost never back out.

Capt. Reynolds chides Mel for showing his age, now let a real "old fossil" shows his. In the yesteryear of real riverboating, here are some of the official landing whistles.
Ohio River Co.: Long, short,long and two shorts.
Houghland: long, short,long and a short.
Ashland Oil: long, two shorts, long and one short
ACBL: same as Ashland
Federal Barge Line: long, two shorts, long and two shorts
Mississippi Valley Line: Two longs and three shorts
J & L Steel: two longs and three shorts
Union/ Dravo Mechling: two longs and two shorts
U.S. Coast Guard: Long and three shorts
Greene Line Steamers: long, short and a long.

Those were the major players in the "good ole days"

Annie Blum here, please one of you tell me what a begging whistle is. While on the Admiral I never heard the term "beg" whistle.

Very good Cap, and yes I have shown my age, I reckon I'm just an old Western Rivers man. I've still got a copy of specimen questions for western rivers Mates and Masters exams copyright 1966. and a copy of the Unified Rules from the mid-80's. And.......Robert, a copy of your drawing of the New Orleans Harbor for first class Pilot license.

Thanks Bill I'd forgotten about the individual Landing whistles. I have a tape of Capt. Fred Way and that whistle blowing Hootenany in West Virginia in April 1961 and they did touch on some landing whistles I remember. Its a really sweet tape if ya like whistles.

Annie: an excursion boat would not need a begging whistle. It worked on a fixed schedule. But some packet boats (most? all?) kept erratic schedules. The begging whistle was blown to awaken, arouse or alert the wharf-boat master to get the doors open and was blown from as yet a way off to give them a chance to scurry about and recruit rousters for the loading/unloading soon to follow. Cap'n Walnut.

Annie Blum here. Thanks Tom, for answering my question. So, as you wrote, boats like the Admiral and President, etc. did not have need for a begging whistle since they ran on public schedule and pretty much kept to it.

Thinking back, the only thing I can remember the pilot using as a "begging" whistle of sorts was one very short pull on the whistle which indicated he needed the Texas tender for his lunch or other food!

Yes indeed, the Streckfus signal was and is one long, two short and one long. I think it also was used by Diamond Jo but I will research that.

While rummaging through files last night I ran across a note from Ruth Ferris in which she mentioned the landing whistle used on the Str. GOLDEN EAGLE (which she often rode) as well as for the other boats of the Eagle Packet Company, St. Louis. It was a long, two shorts, another long and a short.