Changes in the DQ since she last carried overnight passengers?

I'll be visiting her next week and will try to answer your questions when I get back.

Sorry this has taken so long but anyway better late than never.

Quoting from a post by Phillip Johnson last November 2nd in another thread:

"As for the boat itself, she's doing just fine. The boat has been made weather tight and all the leaks have been stopped, and deck cracks repaired to prevent any further deterioration.

The primary goal of any work done in the slip at Houma has always been to stop the water leaks and deterioration of the wood. Hence why the roof was sealed, decks repaired and drains replaced. Most of that work has already been completed. All of the heavy major renovations will be undertaken when the boat is moved into a shipyard proper and a larger work force brought in. This will happen once the exemption passes. The boat is in a good area, has constant patrolling security onboard and is well lit at night. All is well on the Delta Queen."

This pretty much sums up what has been completed. For those of you on Facebook there are many pictures of the work that was done and things look the same as they did in those pictures except that the Queen has gotten a little dirty just sitting in the slip. They did a complete wash last fall but dirt is in the air and sticks, what can I say.

The slip is in a secure location and there is 24/7 365 security on board to keep scrappers and vandals out.

What we need now is to get Congress off there duffs and act on the exemption bills. The House and Senate are both going on Easter break until after April 1st maybe some of you can make personal visits to your reps office and ask for support.

re: Staterooms opened up into larger rooms?

Morning Mike,

Someplace I think I remember the small staterooms we all loved were opened up to make fewer larger rooms. Was this in fact done? If so, what does the new layout look like?

Keep your steam up!

Russ Ryle

No alterations have been made to any of the staterooms that weren't made prior to the current owners taking over.

Many years ago (I don't remember exactly when) there was some enlarging when they added toilets to every room and removed the community one's on all the stateroom decks.

Last enlarging

That happened in the layup between 1983-84, when the Skid Row rooms were combined into the two rooms with bathtubs and the bathroomless rooms were added to their adjoining rooms to enlarge them. This was all on the Cabin Deck. Then at some later point, can't remember the year, they removed the Officers Quarters on the Sundeck and made large staterooms. This happened when they added the outside stairs to the pilothouse since they eliminated the original steep interior stairs for those rooms. But as Mike said, nothing has been done in this ownership, and reading between the lines, it really means nothing has been done since the last report last fall, period.

*Changes on DQ over the years*
Steamboating colleagues:
Judy, thanks for your keen memory RE: 'Last enlarging' with renovation, expansion of DQ cabins with new baths, elimination of other aspects as I drew one big [?] here myself. Years back there were also several small--very small--outside cabins on the Cabin Deck also removed in the combining work. Original drawings of the DQ in Capt. Tom Greene's day were never realized with them being scratched, new plans drawn up with the bar off the Orleans Room, relocation of the gift shop. One issue with the DQ was no interior hall ways on the top decks for people to use avoiding bad weather. In California days there had also been a barbershop in that one place. The DQ then, in essence, was built for the then packet and 'night boat' service. Cabins adequate to small compared to today as most people only on the DK/DQ one night or on a two night R/T--not luxury cruise boats like today. DQ bath/toilet facilities not expected in all cabins other than the higher tariff ones. Hard to believe that even many of the period ocean liners of the time had relatively small cabins with no bath facilities other than a bowl sink/hot, cold running water. You 'bird bathed' or made a reservation with the bath stewad for your time to bathe. Back then 1st Class meant just that. And don't even expect air-conditioning with ventilation being forced air by trunk fans or air ducts outside. Heat was...well...steam heat. The DQ's early air-conditioning system always a headache with later modifications for improvements. I recall one Kentucky Lake trip on the DQ about 1960 so hot people abandoned their cabins to sleep in deck chairs out on the deck. Ended up like a pajama party. At midnight the temps only dipped to 99. Those were the day and nobody thought a thing about it. Again, what do I know?

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

Dale we ran into the same situation on our first cruise back in summer 1973, it was a Kentucky Lake cruise to. So darn hot at night everyone slept with their door open or out on deck in the chairs or just on the floor. Luckily we were on the sundeck and usually had a nice breeze to cool off.

We had one of the rooms with a sink and non-drinkable water, maids came by twice a day to fill pitchers in your room with water and ice or you could get it from water from the spigot that was about in the middle. Toilet and showers were men on the port side and women on starboard for those rooms lacking facilities.

Kinda fun thinking back about it now.

Yep, my first trip too

My first trip Aug. 20-23, 1973 room 131, same deal Mike! No bathroom, but hey right across our 'sitting room' was a large 3 stall bathroom/shower!

*Air-conditioning/Ice water/Sleep on deck*
Morning, Steamboating colleagues:
Thanks to Judy and Mike for their memories of the 'old days' tripping the DQ in the heat of summer. Again, no fault of the DQ or the company as that's how it was then with nearly all taking it in stride. Dig back in those old logs, diaries, letters on what it was like back in the 'wonderful, romantic' old steamboat days tripping in summer and winter.
A cold weather trip on the DQ remembered by many when they first stepped aboard and inside feeling the steam heat and not air-conditioning.

Lack of private baths, walking down the deck or through the cabin with a robe or pants/shirt pulled on never bothered me. The several water fountains on the deck for pitchers in rooms were the norm as the water in sinks not potable. The water fountains were, if I remember, stainless steel. Social hostesses Marty Stouder and Peg Baker at the start of each trip would clearly remind, inform passengers about the water in a PA announcement and where/how they could get it. Marty Stouder used to joke in her kind way, "And in no time you all will feel like the story in the Bible of Rebecca at the well." A few clever wags would say, "Or baptism in the River Jordan."

Back in the engineroom, starboard side, was the sanitary water testing station. Several times a day Cal Benefel, or somebody else, would take samples of water to do a test using chemicals, dye and litmus paper in vials and flasks. This entered in a special log book. If people think it hot in their cabins then think of the cookhouse crew down below standing over those big ranges cooking, baking. After work they would come up and out on the lower bow deck to rest and cool off. The DQ air-conditioning system had to be totally removed with new installed in 1948. The old system in California used a kind of water spray, forced air. Here they converted to the conventional compression system with coolant I imagine was freon--and even freon now on the no no list by public health for environmental reasons. A few surviving old photos show the DQ/DK in California days docked at Sacramento in the summer with those huge white canvas awnings stretched with lanyard into brass eyelets over the top sundeck in an attempt to keep some semblance of cool in those rooms. Before steaming out the big awnings taken down, rolled and stored until the next trip up to Sacramento.

Some of us, as mentioned on this web, recall the days when there were white porcelain chamber pots under beds in rooms without toilet facilities. The maids, when cleaning rooms, would check and then take the offending recepticles down to dump in the river, wash and return. A lot of this came as a shock to those passengers experienced in 1st Class aboard ocean liners. One lady and man aboard the DQ for the first time

after a recent crossing on the QUEEN MARY [old one] threatened to leave the boat before she even steamed out. Passengers invited them for a drink, talk and in no time they changed their minds, stayed for the trip, returned a number of times loving it. Entertainment was rudimentary but good, clean fun. Now-and-then, one or more passengers would lend their talents being classically trained vocally, instruments, piano that wowed the passengers. Even a political or military notable asked to speak to the passengers after dinner or in the day between meals.

And, as was Capt. Tom Greene's guiding credo, "Hot foods hot. Cold foods cold." Again, what do I know?

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

None of the small cabins (the deck hand rooms on the W.P.SYNDER, JR. are larger than those cabins) on the boiler deck (the only ones we could afford) were air conditioned back in the day. Only the parlor rooms and the aft lounge had air conditioning.
From the pursers office forward mother nature provided the only cooling to be had and, what is now the Texas Bar, was always hot, on a summers day too hot to sit in. But, back then very few homes had air conditioning and only the rich had car air conditioning so we were used to the heat.
I remember a family vacation to Florida in July in our 1957 non-air conditioned Chevy station wagon, although it's hard to imagine now, we lived through it and enjoyed it.
Dale, my memory fails me, was it bingo in the morning and horse racing in the afternoon, or the other way around? At nine every morning Mary Greene, the summer social hostess, would lead the march around the sun deck...10 laps equaled a mile...accompanied by marches played over the PA system. Hokey by todays standards, but wonderful.
And the dining room (now the Orleans room) had two big York air conditioners. Before dinner they would turn those down so when dinner started the room was ice cold but after the room was filled with people and warm food it began to warm up, by the time dessert was served the ice cream was melting.

re: memories of trips on the DQ

My wife and I made two trips on the Delta Queen. The first was in the summer of 1978 round trip out of Cincinnati to the Ox Bow Bend area. The next summer we rode from Cincinnati via Kentucky Lake to St. Louis.

Capt. Harry Louden, an old family friend, was aboard both trips as well as Keith Norrington and Lexi Palamore. No cell phones, televisions, or other instant communications. If you needed something at the next port of call just check Captian Waganer's notes on the pilot house blinds.

Many stories shared and memories made. We were never bothered by limited or the lack of modern conveniences.

Keep your steam up!

Russ Ryle

*Bingo/Horse Racing/Deck Marching*
Steamboating colleagues,
Jim, I think we have a real 'roll' with this posting thread. Some things posted previously but memories elicit other memories in a cascade. Depended who was social hostess then ['Riverlorian' came years later] when Bingo or Horse Racing was held. Also cabin tables filled with men and women playing cards--endless cards. The round table and divider shelf between front and aft cabin had boxes of games, puzzles same as up in the Texas Lounge with books, magazines, Corps of Engineers river charts in bound books. The Texas Bar also came years later. Some people thought the upper Texas Lounge often a quiet but wasted space at times. Aft cabin had those writing tables with paper, envelopes and pens. The long leather sofa aft end by the famed Skid Row cabins. In former California days the aft cabin had an upright piano with me wondering how passengers in the rooms felt with music and partying. Perhaps on the run to 'Frisco and Sacramento people partied.

Mary Greene also a trained vocalist and hostess in the summer. Mary also ran the concession for renting the deck chairs at a very low cost with your name tag attached. Mary, Peg Baker, Marty Stouder also had that cabinet in the aft cabin filled with art paper, glue, tape, streamers etc. for 'Hat Night' when you made your own hat for the party and awards for most original. Some trips people brought their own unusual costume to wear. I won 1st prize one trip for taking a chamber pot [Clean one] to decorate, turn upside down on my head with a big sign reading, "Best seat in the house." The '10 laps' or more around the deck got people up and moving after all that food. Remember the 'Hokey Pokey' dance in the evenings? Some passengers threw parties on deck outside of their cabins with tables, linen, ice, booze brought up from below or set out family style from liquor stashes people carted aboard along with peanuts, pretzels. Those porter guys worked hard setting up and I am sure they were tipped--by most at least. Today using the polically incorrect term 'boys' a big no no. Remember the Black crew men and women singing gospel music called a 'Juba', clapping, praying early in the mornings from way down inside the boat? Some men made little instruments out of cigar boxes to strum, play on the lower deck at night dancing with appreciative passengers leaning over the rail in silence listening. You sensed then something surviving of the old south. All of that long, long gone when ownership, managment changed to all our loss.

Yes, the big YORK air-conditioners in the dining room recalled. Chef Henry Mitchell suffered from the heat sitting at night on the bow with a towel around his neck looking exhausted. There was the big 'Green Door' from the dining room back to the upper serving pantry. Thus the term [And from speakeasies] "What's behind the green door?" with various meanings to various people. How those cabin maids and cabin boys worked cleaning, making up beds. The bunk beds were done by maids using a kind of wood paddle to flip the bed linen in shape slick as a whistle while tucking the folds. Each day the then linoleum decks inside damp mopped, polished with a buffer before present carpeting. The crew swept, hosed outside decks daily according to weather due to the soot from the DQ's stack. Also the man with the broom, bucket, sponge who knocked down spider webs late summer and fall, washed the upper works by hand known as 'The spider man.' I never failed to note that cetain pleasant smell aboard of a freshly cleaned boat, wax, soap, food cooking, smoke, steam and river water. Magical.

How the guys worked in the dining room setting up, serving, tearing down, cleaning--often with sweat on their faces. I doubt people would work today under those conditions as then. You metioned once the boat's porters on sailing day lugging luggage on and up to rooms drenched in sweat. On steamboats it was called "smashing bags."

A number of those old men and women then had chalked up hundreds of trips on not only the DQ but many GREENE LINE boats before here surpassing by far many later claims to "the most trips" of later years. There was Doris Schriber from St. Louis who virtually lived on the DQ most of the years like in a sweepstake. Various DQ captains always led Doris in on their arm for the big Captain's Dinner when they saw ladies fussing as to who would be with him. Diplomacy in action. Another was the older man named, I 'think,' Harry Braybush or Breibush [Sp?] always dressed with nice but comfortable slacks, sport jacket, hat. Jack Cleary back then had the band on the boat. Jack one big man for sure. When he and Purser Bob McCann talked on break together people joked the boat listed according to what side they were on. *And I say this with all respect. When Mrs. Letha C. Greene on for a trip or to check the boat before steaming out, ALL in the crew were on their toes. Some trips they drove Mrs. Greene's car on the bow so she could greet and meet passengers on the fist night; then drive back from Louisville in the morning--or the other way around. She was a 'hands on' manager. It seemed for generations everbody in Cincinnati knew the Greene family with their name remembered even today as I noted in a conversation last night at my club. Again, what do I know?

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

The aft lounge........the Courier Journal web sight now has an archive section, the other day I typed in DELTA QUEEN, 1947, just to see what our local paper reported on the coming of the new boat. There was an interview with Ma Greene (sources say she hated being called Ma , preferred Captain or Mother Greene) and in the article she said the nightly band and entertainment would be held in the new boats "beautiful aft cabin". That idea never panned out. In all fairness at the time of the interview I don't think Tom Greene had finalized plans to move the dining room from the boiler deck down to the cargo area on the main deck.

*DQ's Aft Lounge/Tom Greene's changed plans*
Steamboating colleagues:
Jim, I think you are right about the 'Aft Lounge.' Yet, very early photos show a much younger Capt. Fred Way standing at the microphone in the lower Dining Room. Behind him sits Capt. Tom Greene in uniform at the drums listening, watching Fred. It was in the Dining Room below for sure with the band stand, baby grand piano, ceiling with the panels and the little holes. Photo taken up close with no view of tables or chairs for some kind of program. I sent that photo for inclusion in one S&D REFLECTOR but can't recall the year or issue. Who knows or remembers?

As stated, the original plan Capt. Tom had possibly changed several times as the boat in 1947 still a work in progress as they found their way. I have that detailed plan here but will have to do a seek and search in my 'dusty boxes.' The original bar for the DQ in California days was forward of the Purser Office, top of the main stairs divided off with a paneled walls. This one of the first things they tore out along with the two stained glass domes in the aft cabin that "irked" Tom Greene. Now we wish they had been retained but space was needed above to alter passenger cabins. As stated earlier here, all of the DQ wood paneling painted over with that then popular 'Apple Green' paint--even the stained glass upper windows etc. Styles changed with the 'river liner' as the DQ was then called being modernized. In 1947 the Greenes were not thinking 'old time steamboat romance.' Just look at her then very modern, sleek ocean liner style stack and casing, later removed with the stack raised, present casing around. I still personally think the DQ looked better then actually sleek and unadorned with what we later saw. Beauty in the eye of the beholder. Plans show the original bar on the port side back aft of the present gift shop in detail down to the windows, bar and round bar stools. Additional Parlor Rooms added where the former cabin dining room had been in California. The lower deck was needed for cargo, autos, some trucks, agricultural goods on the Sacramento.

Interesting to me finding the original specs and registration numbers for the DK/DQ at 'Denny Brothers' Dumbarton, Scotland that the two were registered there simply as 'Ferry Boats.' This even as in Great Britain and continental Europe 'Packet' was known and used. This possible as 'Denny' planned the lower freight decks also to carry, house autos, trucks like the ferry boats we have here. No matter to debate at this late date.

Previously we did post here about 'Ma' Greene. That was the creation of a local news reporter of the time. To my family it was always Mrs. Gordon C. Greene, Capt. Mary Greene, Mrs. Greene or, to those close to her, 'Mame.' The Greenes always tolerated but laughed at her name 'Ma' like Tugboat Annie--which she was far from. Capt. Mary Greene loved flowers and growing plants. Way, way back my own grandmother gave her a potted plant Mrs. Greene took off one of the packets for her home in Cincinnati. WOW! What memories this thread has stimulated. These things I do know--I think.

R. Dale Flick
Old coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati

Dale, that newspaper interview with Capt. Mary B. Greene took place before the boat got to the Mississippi or shortly there after.
What surprised me was how little coverage the DQ got that year in the Courier Journal, there were more articles about the GORDON C.GREENE than there were about the DQ.

Most interesting reflections on the DQ in an era (and immediately following) greatly loved by many, self included.

In absolute total contrast is a piece of publicity I saw recently-Crystal River Cruises-'Where all inclusive is all inclusive(tm).....ultra luxury River Yachts.....the largest luxury suites of any river vessel in Europe......Butler service to every suite', and on & on.....one interesting trip Amsterdam to Frankfort, 14 nights, fares for 2017, even two for one specials, start in the 4 figure range, the first digit beginning with a 5 and on up
into the 5 digit range.