The MQ auction

They simply HAD to choose the ugliest one!

Cap'n Roddy called the MQ the "Big Ugly", and it's a shame she was built to look like she does. And who was it who dubbed her a "Holiday Inn on a Raft"? But in spite of all that, she looked good from onboard, and was a comfortable and a fun boat to work on.

Whatever happens to the MQ, I hope the machinery is kept out of the breaker's yard.

Travis Vasconcelos;19282 wrote: Hey all,

Does anyone know if the auction is still on for Monday of the MQ? My sources say everything of value has been taken off her and moved onto the wharf in preparation.

Lets hope someone with deep pockets comes along and saves at least one of our steamboats!

Travis

Hey wait a minute! I left my TV in my cabin! I'd better get down there and retrieve it!

Paul

Thats where I met you Sam, I was Head deckhand and you came on as mate. Jim Blum was Capt. And ugly as she was and for all her faults she was my first Steamboat to work on and gave me the best days of my life Deckin on her without a care in the world. Sometimes I'd ride that boat 2 or 3 and even 4 months once without getting off. Back then they had no vac. schedule and you could ride as long as you wanted. Ahhh those were the days.

Speaking of leaving stuff, I remember going into many a layup in which I stayed on and going through rooms and gathering all kinds of stuff from posters to alarm clocks and radios, books, towels, clothes. It was a scavengers dream. I still have a Levis Poster of a steamboat made of Denim and jeans and an etching of an olympia beer add. and a few lamps. even got a small aquarium once.

Holiday Inn on a raft

Shipyard Sam;19289 wrote: Cap'n Roddy called the MQ the "Big Ugly", and it's a shame she was built to look like she does. And who was it who dubbed her a "Holiday Inn on a Raft"? But in spite of all that, she looked good from onboard, and was a comfortable and a fun boat to work on.

Whatever happens to the MQ, I hope the machinery is kept out of the breaker's yard.

That description was conjured up by Capt. Fred Way Jr., who angered BB and others by referring to the MQ as the MISS-Q in the Reflectors.

Wharf?

Travis Vasconcelos;19282 wrote: Hey all,

Does anyone know if the auction is still on for Monday of the MQ? My sources say everything of value has been taken off her and moved onto the wharf in preparation.

Lets hope someone with deep pockets comes along and saves at least one of our steamboats!

Travis

When you say the stuff has been moved onto the wharf, do you mean the Perry St. Wharf where the MQ is molding away? If so, interested bidders better know how to get there. It's not a normal destination for taxi drivers - JoAnn and Barb can attest to that!

Any Pictures??

What does she look like after being laid up for this long? I hear mold and rust are a huge problem at the moment. With any luck will she run again? I was hoping someone would have some pictures of her in her current state.

Is the boat itself being sold or just the interior items? I hope someone with a considerable amount of cash flow can revive the old boat and get her running again...

Judy,
Yes, it is an interesting location. Both times I went over there, I walked all the way from the Canal Street Ferry landing in Algiers cause any taxi driver may have looked at me weird had I told him where I wanted to go. Its behind a bunch of train tracks if my mind serves me correctly and the nearest road is a good walk from the entrance to the wharf. Taylor, I was over there January 1st of this year, and I have pictures of both her and the DQ. The night watchman and I both had to wear masks because the mold was so bad on the MQ. Do you have a personal e-mail I can send these to?

current MQ state

Taylor Abbott;19297 wrote: What does she look like after being laid up for this long? I hear mold and rust are a huge problem at the moment. With any luck will she run again? I was hoping someone would have some pictures of her in her current state.

Is the boat itself being sold or just the interior items? I hope someone with a considerable amount of cash flow can revive the old boat and get her running again...

Check my postings about the NATCHEZ last month in the Steamboat History category. There are pix of the MQ there.

Tied off at Stone Fuel a few minuets ago. From a slight angle, the M.Q. 3 upper decks look as if they are painted in Battle Ship Gray. The wheel house is dull white and the main deck is only partly gray.
Having been on her back when the D.Q. was tied off, there is NOTHING left on board.
I have at least 5 gals of sweat and a few pints of blood on that boat. Kinda makes trying to do a good job pointless if she is the out come of mine and many others efforts.

Not really, Fred. Whether it be a boat, a house or whatever, what is "ours" or at least under our care in this life is just passing. We (and countless others) cared for the DQ, MQ, AQ and any and all other boats while we were there, and made them a better thing or place by the time we left. To say that what you or I or anyone else did was for naught is not true. We do the best we can while we can and move on. Larger forces are at work. Capt. Fred Way said of the DELTA QUEEN in his book "The Saga of the DELTA QUEEN" that "...the officers that tread her decks are but grist for her mill." As true today as the day he wrote it, and it applies to any boat.

I know Capt. It's kind of like being married. Just once I'd like to find something, where, or as I left it. Baring a few things I left in worse shape than I found them :-).

Hey all,

Just looked at the River Cam at New Orleans, LA Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - NOLA.com and the MISSISSIPPI QUEEN still sits at Perry Street. So, I guess they haven't sold her yet. Never heard anything about the auction from my sources down there. Perhaps it was cancelled or is being held on another date? If anyone hears anything...let us know!

Travis

Hi - My dad called it a Howard Johnsons on a Barge. Anyways, today I built a new page for the MQ, which has a photo taken this year by my brother, showing the boat sinking in a New Orleans boat yard. The new URL is:
The Mississippi Queen at Steamboats.com steamboats.com/museum/mississippiqueen.html
I was hunting around for that article from a British paper (?) that described the looting of the boat. Or is that a rumor? Where is her calliope?

Clarifications of MQ's status

Nori Muster;19484 wrote: Hi - My dad called it a Howard Johnsons on a Barge. Anyways, today I built a new page for the MQ, which has a photo taken this year by my brother, showing the boat sinking in a New Orleans boat yard. The new URL is:
The Mississippi Queen at Steamboats.com steamboats.com/museum/mississippiqueen.html
I was hunting around for that article from a British paper (?) that described the looting of the boat. Or is that a rumor? Where is her calliope?

Some clarifications: 1) she is not sinking here. All of the fuel and water are out of the forward tanks, raising the bow higher than usual. The wheel, pitmans, and stern machinery are still there, keeping the stern low. She did take on water through a problem in the hull a year or so ago, but that was temporarily fixed and I believe pumps are still going as a precaution. Her hull is not in good shape, but she isn't sinking- yet.
2) She is at the Perry St. Wharf, which is on the Mississippi, across from Robin St. Wharf. Repairs are done here, but it is not a shipyard, per se.
3) Looting - reportedly things have disappeared over the 3 years she has sat there. However, the interior was gutted by the owners, ostensibly in preparation for a great renovation, so not a lot was left on the boat legally. Some remaining items, such as the calliope, were to be sold at an auction this month, but we haven't heard any results of that.

Shipyard Sam;19289 wrote: Cap'n Roddy called the MQ the "Big Ugly", and it's a shame she was built to look like she does. And who was it who dubbed her a "Holiday Inn on a Raft"? But in spite of all that, she looked good from onboard, and was a comfortable and a fun boat to work on.

Whatever happens to the MQ, I hope the machinery is kept out of the breaker's yard.

Amen, Shipyard, I spent 8 of the happiest years of my life on her. She was beautiful inside
and I think the Paddlewheel Bar is second only to the DQ's Texas Bar. I remember hearing about a quote attributed to Fred Way ( you probably know for sure) that " she looks like a breadbox with a rolling pin behind her."

mel hartsough;19292 wrote: Speaking of leaving stuff, I remember going into many a layup in which I stayed on and going through rooms and gathering all kinds of stuff from posters to alarm clocks and radios, books, towels, clothes. It was a scavengers dream. I still have a Levis Poster of a steamboat made of Denim and jeans and an etching of an olympia beer add. and a few lamps. even got a small aquarium once.

THey warned us about guys like you. :O)

Hey Paul those were the days. People didnt want to tote stuff off so they just left it. You werent guarenteed your old room unless you were an officer. Some of which I actually still have.

mel hartsough;19502 wrote: Hey Paul those were the days. People didnt want to tote stuff off so they just left it. You werent guarenteed your old room unless you were an officer. Some of which I actually still have.

I used to hide my stuff under lock and key on the AQ. Not telling you where, either. :O)