Steamers carrying calliopes

Don't forget the Chautauqua Belle carried a steam calliope for two seasons in her early life! and as I'm sure the other Matt will chime in that Minne-Ha-Ha still has hers onboard...

Also at the height of the steamboat era here on the Chautauqua lake when there were 32 steamboats at one time, the "Jamestown" had a calliope onboard which was a four deck sternwheeler that had the passenger capacity of 3,000. I believe there were two other steamboats either before or after the "Jamestown" time (1875-1892) that had calliopes onboard... I'll have to dig threw my records of the old steamers and find out which ones again...

And the River Queen in Sacramento had/has a calliope on board. She's now the Alaska Queen in Alaska.
S'
David D.

The ATTABOY in your list was the little tow boat that towed the Showboat MAJESTIC; she's not listed in Way's Towboat Directory because she was a gas boat. Last time I saw her, in rather altered shape, she was serving as the head boat of a boat dock in Aurora, Indiana.

David,

That's the ELIZABETH LOUISE that you are talking about. She was built by Hal Wilmunder in 1985 and operated out of her landing across from Old Sacramento. I believe Harry White sold him the engines from the Ohio River towboat COP-R-LOY/DETROITER to use.

The ELIZABETH LOUISE was taken up to Ketchikan, Alaska in 2007, and renamed ALASKA QUEEN, where she sometimes ran that season and sometimes didn't! God willing, in about three weeks she'll be behaving herself, and I'll get to trod her gently trembling decks.

*RE: Calliopes/Ship GREAT EASTERN.*
Hi, Jon & steamboating colleagues:
Fascinating study and intensive work you've done on calliopes. The list may 'grow' longer. While in England I recall museum curators in Bristol 'mentioning' and seeing period records RE: the use of a calliope on the famed leviathan GREAT EASTERN, 1859-1889, in her later days docked as a tourist attraction there before being broken up in 1889. A later book appearing here also briefly mentions the same. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the GREAT EASTERN was the giant of her day at 700 ft., 4,000 passenger compliment but termed "Brunel's brilliant failure" incorporating a propellor, huge sidewheels, mast/spars/sails. The ship never earned her way and ended up stripped sering as a 'layer' for the North Atlantic Cable. She also had the distinction of suffering a devastating boiler explosion at sea on her maiden voyage with prominent British dignitaries, lierary/news reporters, polticos, representatives of the mercantile world aboard. I've no idea how wide spread the use of calliopes were in Great Britain or continental Europe. I always assumed in my ignorance it was primarily an 'American invention.' Any ideas?

Not to belabor the above, but I recall, while touring the Howard Museum some years back, seeing a large, fine litho of the GREAT EASTERN stored in the upper floors of the museum. Aapparently the Howard family at the time were impressed enough to have obtained this piece. Keith Norrington's [And others] keen memory and familarity with the Howard collection may know if it still exists.

Well, what do I know?

Shores of chilly, breezy north Lake Michigan,
R. Dale Flick

Right you are! I thought "River Queen" didn't sound quite right. Hal's son and family live not far from me now. He always has interesting stories about his Dad and the boat.
You'd better take pictures on that trip! We'd like to hear about her.
S'
David D.
PS Gittin' kinda colder up there by now, yer a bit late in "the season"!

David Dewey;18211 wrote: Gittin' kinda colder up there by now, yer a bit late in "the season"!

You're right, but for $580.00 p.p. for a week long cruise in an outside room, I couldn't resist. Also, I recently checked the U.S. Navy web site that has diagrams of the wave heights of the World's seven seas, well, if we left yesterday we would of had the ride of our lives. The waves in the Gulf of Alaska were shown as being from 12 to 15 feet...whoopee!

If we're counting East Coast Steamers, remember to include the Minne Ha Ha as well 🙂

Dang, that IS good. How's airfare? Where do you board?
S'
David

David Dewey;18224 wrote: Dang, that IS good. How's airfare? Where do you board?
S'
David

We're heading from Seward down to Vancouver on the CELEBRITY MILLENNIUM. Sorry, I can't help you with the airfare.

Matt S./D., thanks for reminding me about the Chautauqua Belle and Minne Ha Ha! Totally slipped my mind for some reason. Do you know if the instrument on the Jamestown was a steam job or air? When was the "height of the steamboat era" on Chautauqua Lake?

David and Frank, you're right, the Alaska Queen should have made it on the list. It's got one of the old Wilde models now. Thanks for the info on the Attaboy. I suppose they had a little donkey boiler aboard for that purpose?

Dale, the steam calliope never caught on overseas like it did in its land of origin. An agent of the American Steam Music Company (Joshua Stoddard's firm in the late 1850s) named Arthur S. Denny attempted to market his "improved" steam calliope in London, even claiming to have invented the instrument himself. The reception was less than positive: all newspaper accounts made a mockery of the Yankee device. It wouldn't be until Thomas J. Nichol and George Kratz came along that they would really catch on anywhere, namely in the U.S. with the steamboats and later circus shows.

Jon, the Hudson River sidewheeler Armenia carried a calliope for a time. Supposedly it was removed later in her career. I don't know any details of this - perhaps no one does.

Thanks, John, you're absolutely right. The calliope lasted for a season or two, until it was decided that the thing was using too much steam, forcing the boat to run too slowly.

Jon ; Are you counting ones in Europe and Japan as well ??

Wasn't planning on it... but that would be the Succes and what other boats?

Jon,

The PIONEER is the excursion boat in Japan which features a authentic American steam calliope (provided by Dave Morecraft).

The calliope is mounted on the bow of the top deck in-front of the Pilothouse. On a manifold similar to the DELTA QUEEN.

Travis