Topic starter
04/04/2010 5:49 pm
Well...you could call it the 199th steamboating season on the Ohio OR it is also the 96th season starter for the Str. BELLE OF LOUISVILLE. This afternoon at 12:15 the first seasonal strains of the calliope rang out under the capable hands of Martha Gibbs who played Easter favourites along with steamboatin' standards. At 1:22 Capt. Mark Doty called the crew into readiness, lines were let go, and Capt. Edward G. "Pete" O'Connell steered the boat out into the river. A prettier sight has never been seen on the river!
Steamboating is BACK on the Ohio!
Happy Easter!
The pictures I have attached were taken today between 1:25pm and 1:35pm Eastern Daylight Savings Time...for you historians out there!
05/04/2010 3:00 am
Nice pics, Travis. I note some new objects on the roof aft of the calliope and assume those are part of the new AC equipment. But what is that red thing mounted forward on the starboard side of the main deck bulkhead?
05/04/2010 3:55 am
John,
That's a "Red Dress" I think it's a Cancer campaign for (err, against!) breast cancer---I forget, but the campaign was going on back in '08 when the DQ made her "final" stop there.
S'
David D.
05/04/2010 2:02 pm
Thanks, Travis, for the great photos of the BELLE "alive and well" for yet another season in her long career. My family had Easter luncheon on the Jeffersonville waterfront, but was too early to see the BELLE depart on her cruise.
I just received an invitation to a dinner cruise and presentation aboard the BELLE on Friday evening, April 23rd for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers History & Heritage Committee. Since 1973, ASME has recognized historically significant mechanical engineering contributions to society by designating them as Historic Mechanical Engineer Landmarks. This year the BELLE has been chosen for the award. Nice to see the old gal getting such deserved recognition!
Topic starter
05/04/2010 2:48 pm
John,
The things on the roof aft of the calliope and ahead of the Pilothouse are the A/C compressor units. There are 8 in each location. There is talk they will be either enclosed in something that looks like her railing, or they may be enclosed in something which looks like some form of skylight trunk (with ventilating windows). Either way, there is talk of 3 sided enclosure (open on the top for the ability to breathe) to attempt to hide them.
The red thing...it is a dancing dress, as Dave says. That used to only be there in the winter. Maybe there is a reason it is still there this spring? I don't know about that one!
Travis
Topic starter
05/04/2010 4:33 pm
Here's a little more news from the Lousiville waterfront and some more info on yesterdays first cruise.
Spirit of Jefferson work ends before Jeffboat strike | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal
05/04/2010 5:12 pm
SPIRIT ready
Too bad they got the SPIRIT done - they could have used the BELLE instead and we could have taken a ride on Chautauqua weekend!
Topic starter
05/04/2010 8:33 pm
The BELLE will be running charters at that time...maybe we can beg our way aboard or somethin Ig.n the day, river people could do that. There is probably something in the book of Homeland Security about that...perhaps we better not!
05/04/2010 8:51 pm
Depends on who the "charterer" is. I've gotten on before just by paying my money on the landing to the "charterer". You gotta want "religion" pretty bad though.
06/04/2010 8:28 am
Travis: Thanks for the updates and pix. Happy day, 96 yrs..
OMG. that reminds me April 17th on the BOL 22 years ago marks , WHAT ?!?
Sorry, No Snicker bar for this one.. 🙁
Topic starter
06/04/2010 1:32 pm
The date you and I installed the 32-steam whistles from Indiana Steam Music (serial No 32-002) onboard the Str. BELLE OF LOUISVILLE for a trial run that lasted all of 2 months till an anonymous donation was made (and I know who it was) to pay for the calliope. If I remember right it was another month till you were paid though.
The original plan was you'd leave it on through Tall Stacks as a marketing ploy for the BELLE and who ever else was there to market it to and if the BELLE wanted it they had to pay for it by the return to Louisville. I was so in love with the sound (being that it is an original Nichol replica and sounded so historically accurate to the instrumnt the boat had at one time) that I kept on everyone who'd listen to me till we got it paid for early!
In my 14 year tenure with the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE (not counting the 2 half seasons I worked in 2005 and 2006) the one thing I am most proud of is securing and installing this set of calliope whistles. Until the installation of this calliope the boat had a replica steam calliope (Ernest J. Wilde, Cincinnati, OH. built 1966) that was functional...but not accurate to her original sound.
What kind of a cheap, one pony operation is this that I don't get a snickers bar for all this information!!!! I want my money back!!!
Travis
09/04/2010 1:28 am
Here are two other views of the BELLE snapped prior to March 31 this year, as she was undergoing some tests or inspection by the USCG prior to the start of her 95th season (I didn't count 1962 since that wasn't a full season.) These two dandy shots were taken by Capt. John Vaughn.
Topic starter
09/04/2010 5:06 am
Dave,
If you look closely, the SPIRIT OF JEFFERSON is peeking out of drydock DD10, just behind the BELLE in the bow shot. Which by the way, shows her lines beautifully. She looks spectacular in that picture!
Travis