The Mississipps Queens mermaids.

ed frazier;21006 wrote: Has anyone contacted the owners of the Mississippi Queen and checked to see it they might donate her mermaids for the Howard Museun?

Why do I think they won't know what you're talking about?

(Sorry, temporary moment of lingering bitterness. And I thought I was over that.)

Paul

I was googling on how big her mermaids are, when I ran across a myspace conversation. This was talking about how her colliope is for sale for $70,000. Is ths the case? If so why cant I find this info.

Ed,

The mermaids are "lifesized". They look bigger because they are mounded on 3" tall, square blocks so they stand out over the calliope.

They were designed by a British scupltress Patricia (Lord, her last name escapes me! If someone else remembers, please chime in!) ----. She was paid $10,000 for her endeavour. They are made from fibreglass. Funny story (oft repeated in these journals), when they arrived in America they uncrated them at JeffBoat shipyard for installation and one had to go back to England. They were to be twin caucasion mermaids...one wasn't!

I can't imagine the Howard Museum would want them. They aren't authentic steamboatabelia. They were in pretty bad shape last time I saw them. One had fibres sticking out of its nether regions where it was damaged, and several of the pilot wheel handles were missing. They were often the butt of several rivermens jokes (They were nicknamed "Lazy" and "Daisy"...there were even attempts to cover their ample bosoms many times by passengers!)!

One thing I would love to see is the MySpace conversation you found on her calliope. I can't imagine ANYONE wiling to pay $70,000.00 for THAT calliope. It wasn't in good working order the last time I played it (I was the last person to play it while underway in 2006). Having sat in New Orleans sun untouched and undrained for 4 years now, there are certain to be many cracked valve bodies. The gold plate is pretty much gone, the electronics were exposed to weather for far too long....and last I saw the keytray was missing out of the keyboard (I suspect Don Elbers has it, as he "maintained" the calliopes for the old DQSCo and would rush...guns a blazin....to remove the keytrays of each of the boats the minute they laid up for the season).

Speaking purely from the lowly perspective of expert....I wouldn't pay $10,000.00 for that hunk of junk to melt it down for recycling! It was a nice calliope when it played right (early 1980's)...but, board poster David Morecraft builds the most excellent calliopes built in modern times. If I was gonna spend $70,000.00, I'd have him build one and have change left over to buy the boiler and the truck to pull the whole thing with!

That said, I hope someone preserves the calliope of the MISSISSIPPI QUEEN somewhere somehow. At that price, I seriously doubt it will ever happen.

Travis

here is the web address. sorry it was facebook

Mississippi Queen | Facebook

MQ CaLLiope

Travis: Thank You for your kind words and vote confidants in my CaLLiope construction skills..
There was for a day a set of 32 Morecraft CaLLiope Whistles aboard the MQ for a test, before the construction of the AMERICAN QUEEN'S CaLLiope .. At the conclusion of the test, the player turned to the DQSC officers and said Quote ( Can We Keep UM ) !
Ha Ha Thanks.. 🙂

What Dave didn't mention about the "calliope test" on the MISSISSIPPI QUEEN was whowas playing and who made the comment about it. Mr. Dan Foreman, long time Pianist, Calliopist, and Entertainer par excellance abpard the DELTA QUEEN and MISSISSIPPPI QUEEN was the person who made this comment. Dan is one of the most learned keyboard artists to come up in the ranks with Vic Tooker and the Riverboat Ramblers. To get this kind of commendation from him was the highest praise available at the time...less than it coming directly from the highest authority on the subject and the Dean of the School of Calliope, Captain Clarke Campbell "Doc" Hawley!

Dan Foreman

Wow Travis. That really would have been high praise coming from Dan Foreman. Dan was my very favorite calliope player back in those days. He had his own particular style like every calliope player does. I was usually standing right up under the calliope listening if my other duties allowed me to get away. Oddly enough, I don't think Dan ever LIKED playing the instrument. He knew it was part of the job and played when requested and did it graceously with much skill. But I always got the impression from him that he was glad it was over when he finished. Maybe I was just misreading his thoughts because I never could get enough.

How in a word are the mermaids not part of steamboat history/ If this is the case then the Mississippi Queen is not a steamboat. Why I sugested this is that due to great mismanagement of the boatit will become another Becky Thatcher, in pieces in a scrap yard or sunk to become an artificial reef. Either way the mermaids are part of this boat which is steam powered, so it would seem that would make them steamboat memorabilia. It seems like all intrest is in the Delta Queen which is in good hands and content at becoming like her sister the Delta King, but the MQ and AQ are left for the vultures without a care or fond good bye. The bigest obstical is the people who own the boat, they seem as though the MQ could become a savior with the neglect she will sink and they can file a claim for 40 - 50 million dollars since that is what it would take to build or rebuild this style of boat. Very smart idea if this is their intention, and all the people would pay the pay off with increased premiums. Sorry just idle ramblings, I can't help get upset that a boat as nice as the Mississippi Queen was could get to this position.

Dan Forman

Ted Guillaum;21219 wrote: Wow Travis. That really would have been high praise coming from Dan Foreman. Dan was my very favorite calliope player back in those days. He had his own particular style like every calliope player does. I was usually standing right up under the calliope listening if my other duties allowed me to get away. Oddly enough, I don't think Dan ever LIKED playing the instrument. He knew it was part of the job and played when requested and did it graceously with much skill. But I always got the impression from him that he was glad it was over when he finished. Maybe I was just misreading his thoughts because I never could get enough.

Dan didn't really like playing the calliope, but it became his personal 'voice of the river', and he did enjoy pleasing people with their special songs. His background from the Cincinnati Orchestra, sorry I don't remember the exact name of the organization, showed up as we were leaving Cincinnati. He played something that left even Ann Zeiger speechless, and those who knew AZ know how difficult that was! As we passed under the Roebling, the strains of the Triumphal? March from Aida reverberated on its superstructure. I don't know that there was ever a more goose-bump moment on the DQ for me. He usually played that upon first night departures from then on. Many repeaters had their favorite songs and Dan would always play them for the people, be they on board or on shore as the boat passed. My song was MaryLou, based on a verbal faux paus he committed as my tape recorder was on in 1977. Back in April 1992 as I rode the NATCHEZ evening trip, the DQ had dropped down past Toulouse before heading upriver. We left and departed from our normal route to follow her upriver. As we were in her wheelwash just below Algiers Point, here came the MQ downriver, with Dan on calliope. I could hear the familiar strains of Marylou and cracked up. Nobody else in the pilothouse could figure out what was so funny... Dan left the MQ to take care of his brother Richard and never returned. He rarely plays keyboard today due to Arthur Itis visiting his hands, but he has learned to make a mean pasta. He makes homemade pastas for his church dinners, among other events. He lives in the family home in Cincinnati - and Birdman Dan is now owned by a cat! You can change a leopard's spots, I guess. Hard to believe, but he just celebrated his 75th birthday this month.

Dan

Judy:.. Thanks so much for the updates on Dan 🙂 ..
I always had a great admiration for his playing skills and his scents of humor. ha ha .. What few times we had to spend together on the DQ and MQ will always be cherished..
Only wish it could have been many many more..

Wow, Judy, Triumphal March on the calliope! I'd give a pretty to hear that! Stand my hair on end just to think about it. Cap'n Walnut

Cap'n Walnut,

I have several recordings of Dan performing The Triumphal March on calliope. One of these days I wil digitize them and get you one.

When it comes to the styles of the different Calliopists on the boats I have mixed feelings about saying anyone is my favourite. I like all of them for different reasons. "Doc" for his historically accurate style, Vic Tooker for his Dixieland and Jazz stylings, Dan for everything he ever did (specially the Broadway stuff...he marveled me with many songs over the years), Steve Spracklen for his ability to pull songs out of his hat you'd never expect and perform them flawlessly (despite being on calliope), Jazzou Jones for his Rag Time stylings and penchant for flourishings ala Vic Tooker....they all added their own unique twist to the instrument with their own great talent!

Hand me a calliope recording from the BoL, DQ, or MQ from the 1970's-1990's and I can most likely tell you who it is playing based on style. Those were the years I stole everything I heard to make my own style. I guess you could say I was paying alot of attention back then.

Travis

And you're the ONLY one who can do a Vic Tooker rendition of "Eli Greene's Cakewalk" and bring tears to the eyes!

Travis, Bob: I got tears in me eyes just readin' this! And, Travis, I'll put the recording in brother John's boom box under the front seat of MISS FORTUNE! Cap'n Walnut

Tom Schiffer;21237 wrote: Travis, Bob: I got tears in me eyes just readin' this! And, Travis, I'll put the recording in brother John's boom box under the front seat of MISS FORTUNE! Cap'n Walnut

Let me know, Cap'n when it happens. I'd sure like to get a picture of the MISS FORTUNE as she pudders 'round. And hearing Aida's Triumphal March played on a calliope, even if it is a recording, sure can stir a man's soul.