19/03/2012 3:28 pm
Hello All,
A weekend project replacing my tow knees got me thinking about the evolution of tow knees on the Inland Waterways. Have we discovered from history what time period tow knees first came into practical use? Was there a first boat to use them. Were the rafting steamboats of the upper Mississippi the first boats to utilize tow knees, more then likely just in the form of vertical logs somehow affixed to the front of the boat? What boat had the most rows of tow knees as I've seen photos of boats with 4 sets and would wager there were some with more then that. Think of how today's tow knees incorporate steps, storage, etc. for ease of use for the deckhands. Would love to see some photos of odd tow knee arrangements either past or present. Maybe an off the wall topic but inquiring minds want to know!
Aaron
19/03/2012 5:28 pm
Jack Custer addressed this very issue as the featured speaker at the spring meeting of MOR at Carrollton, KY last year. Like so many things tow knees just sort of evolved to fill a need on the river after the Civil War. Yes, rafting boats were certainly part of the progression. The switch from wooden hulls to steel and iron helped to speed up the evolution. With steel hulls a boat could face up directly to a barge so stacking knees along the guard, drivers, and duck ponds became a thing of the past.
19/03/2012 7:05 pm
Thanks Frank,
I was not aware of Jack's talk on this subject. Guess it just means I need to join MOR again.
Aaron
19/03/2012 8:47 pm
*Evolution of 'towing knees' from 'stacking knees'*
Hi, AJ,
Frank 100% correct on Jack Custer's fine presentation on the development of steamboat towing at last April's MOR meeting. Officers/Board of Governor members from S&D joined the group at Gen. Butler State Park for one fine program.
Capt. Fred Way covered this in very early issues of the S&D REFLECTOR. Alan Bates also mentioned it a few times early on this web. I'll sleuth through my REFLECTOR indexes Alan did for any leads. Boats on our waters here 'push' while on the East Coast, and other ports, they 'pull' with a towing cable.
Alan, in his classic STEAMBOAT CYCOPEDIUM, 1968, references towing knees in Figs, 4,5,51,141. Alan briefly mentions the evoluton of 'stacking knees' used for cotton bales and other cargo evoling to 'towing knees' on the bow. He also mentions some knees having steps for crew to climb up on the barges.
R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati
19/03/2012 9:14 pm
AJ Richardson;29181 wrote: Thanks Frank,
I was not aware of Jack's talk on this subject. Guess it just means I need to join MOR again.Aaron
I hope that I can say welcome back real soon! MOR's next meeting is up at Chilo's Lock No. 34 at 2:00 PM on Saturday, April 21 and dinner is at 6:00 PM at Caproni's in Maysville that evening. The guest speaker will be John Williams talking about living the "Deadliest Catch" on the fishing fleets in Alaska.
S&D's Board will also be gathering that morning, so there will be officers of the parent organization present. Meeting headquarters will be at Maysville's French Quarter Inn.