Tourist Boats

GCG paddlewheel

Does annybody know why the GCGs paddlewheeel was black?

*Paddlewheel painted/Not painted Etc.*
Hi, Jonathan & Steamboating colleagues:
Great picture of the GORDON C. GREENE with her "black wheel" and I don't know the answer. The GREENE LINE here for years used their own mix of dark green paint to their mixing specifications called GREENE LINE green. Dark paints get even darker with water, time, weather, oxidation. This discussed eons ago here on Steamboats.org with other more knowledgeable contributors making comments. Seems the conventional red we see more common today on 'Tourist Boats' and other excursion vessels still under steam or now diesel. Capt. Don Sanders [Shipyard Sam] and others have/had experience working to keep these wheels painted and kept pristine. Lots of work for sure. Capt. Bill Judd and I have laughed over experiences dropping a can of tinted paint or...YIKES!...aluminum paint in the water with disastrous results. That stuff spreads fast over the water surface being oil based.

Other packets, towboats often didn't paint the wheels at all or another shade like an 'off' brown. Paint experts from the Ohio Historical Society did a paint study of the wheel on the steam towboat W.P. SNYDER finding some evidence of other dark colors--or no paint at all from those who saw her in operation. Frank Prudent realls his dad, Bill Prudent, Chief Engineer, commenting on the sidewheels of the last ISLAND QUEEN not painted at all. Some of the boats were out and running constantly; thus no time to have guys doing all that work. The steam tows GEORGE M. VERITY, OMAR had wheels dark, dirty compared to the rest of the boat in pristine condition. Same went for the big sidewheel steamers on the East Coast with paddle housings. Some had metal 'fethered wheels' painted with 'red lead.' If the wheel in a covered housing; then who would see it? Same question asked about the DELTA KING/DELTA QUEEN running on the Sacramento River back then with the big wheel housings of wood lined with copper. Some photos show, indicate their wheels not painted at all. Night boats were in and out constantly taking quite a beating in a year.

Somebody commented on here recently RE: why the big sidwheelers went out? There was indeed a big 'wheel wash' that showered back evident in photos. Many of those sidewheel housings actually had outside 'vents' or on top to reduce the air and water pressure. The old GREENE LINE was conservative, sensible with their boats in using paint here and there. Packets, 'tourist boats' and towboats hated all the locks and dams on the upper Ohio because the lock walls "scraped the paint on the guards." Paint cost money then like now. Yet, "a steamboat with a pretty red wheel" fits the image. In her early days even the classic packet QUEEN CITY here was launched, operated for a time with a totally pristine white sternwheel. That didn't last long.

Our own late Capt. Alan Bates wrote/spoke on steamboat paint. "The crew often just painted with whatever they had left in the boat's paint locker when they could do it." Capt. Fred Way went back even further using his term "sailormen" in place of crew who, "Walked around constantly with scraper, paint to touch up." Other companies had strict rules on paint, 'house colors' etc. Those pretty red wheels we often see are lovely to look at, delightful to behold but come with a lot of very hard work. Any others with more experience out there please step up to the microphone. Again, what do I know?

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati.

The sidewheel Str. Admiral & Sidewheel Str. President did not have painted wheels. In the off season the lower part of the wheels of the Admiral were removed to keep them out of the water for the approx 250 days of non operation.

When lead was removed from paint the lifespan of holding color seriously decreased.

Wood when exposed to water for a considerable time will turn very dark so quite possibly the GCG photo in question first suffered from negative aging or possibly a 35 mm slide of non Kodachrome film deterioration. [I have some slides from 'off brand' slide film (when there wasn't sufficient coin in th epoacket to purchase Kodachrome) that have suffered deterioration or possibly red lead was used to paint the wheel of the GCG as a preserative rather as 'photogenic'

Just a couple off the wall thoughts.

Dad liked telling the story about the two lady passengers on the GCG admiring the beauty of the wheel to Chief Engineer Frank Heath. Frank agreed with them immediately and proceeded to tell them how he had been after Tom Greene to build a covering over the wheel as it keeps on getting wet. They were squarely in the Chief's corner about the wheel needing a cover until the engines were started to be warmed up.

Wheel colors

And then there are the reddish-orange wheels of many Corps boats...

Captain Roddy Hammett used to say that when passengers looked at the boat they they always noticed the paddlewheel, smokestacks and pilot house. Of all the parts of a steamboat to keep painted these should be on the top of the list. He also would say that nothing looks like fresh paint other than fresh paint.

Painting the Belle's wheel was always a tough and messy job. I always wondered why it was such a challenge to paint the white oak and steel paddlewheel wheel that had more "air" than solid surface. The crew had a constant challenge of keeping the wheel from growing a beard of dark green algae. Spreading sodium hypochlorite bleach solution on the wheel was also not a favorite job of anyone. Experimenting with adding algaecide to the paint was not an improvement. I agree with Captain Jim, while the paint was certainly "healthier" without lead, the modern versions are not as durable in color retention.

Glad to see your post here, Kevin. I hope to see more in the future.

Last time I was on the AQ the top deck was painted with some sort of new high tech white gloss. WOW, I've never seen such a smooth and shiny painted surface; I was in awe. All of the bulkheads covered with this miracle paint looked like brand new steel. I mentioned it to the captain, and he was glad that someone noticed. I gather that the paint ain't cheap either, and more of it is to be spread during lay up.