onlinesteamboatmuseum

Steamboat Photos, page 9


SteamerS.R.VANMETREforNORI

Steamboat S.R. VANMETRE
S. R. VAN METRE
Way's Packet Directory Number 4899
Sternwheel steamboat
In 1888 the hull was built at Murraysville, West Virginia the construction was completed at Marietta, Ohio.
98 tons. 112 x 18.3 x 3.4.
Named for a Marietta merchant, and ran Marietta-Zanesville, under Captain O. J. Stowe during the first two years.

Damaged by fire at Lowell, Ohio, in 1889.

Ran Vanceburg-Maysville on the Ohio.

Sold 1894 to Captain D.W. Wisherd who ran her in the Quincy-Keokuk-Burlington trade and continued there until she was destroyed by fire while laid up in at Quincy, Illinois on the Mississippi River at Quincy Bay on March 1, 1899.


KeokukLockGateClosingFromAboardSteamboatRevised

Keokuk, Iowa, lock closing as seen from the hurricane roof on a steamboat

Keokuk, Iowa lock Number 19 (see article about the Lock and Dam below) is closing on the right as seen from the "hurricane roof" of a steamboat.

The "texas" cabin with pilot house above are on the left, "hog posts" hold up the trusses that keep the hull from sagging (see wikipedia article below).

Wikipedia

Hog chains were a technological device that permitted riverboats to have lightly built hulls so they could travel in shallow water.

It was advantageous for river vessels to operate in very shallow water, so that work could be done at all seasons and in areas that lacked deeper rivers. This required flat-bottomed boats with lightly built hulls. However, the hulls tended to bend out of shape over time, particularly with sternwheelers, which had heavy components at stern (the sternwheel) and also towards the bow (the boilers).

If the boat hull became bowed upwards in the middle, this was called "hogging". If the boat bowed down in the middle, this was called "sagging." To forestall hogging and sagging, since about 1850, the hulls of wooden river boats were held in shape by a system of wire trusses, called "hog chains". These were not chains at all, but rather iron rods 1 to 2.5 inches in diameter, which ran from strong points in the hull to vertical timbers, called "hog posts," which looked like masts, rising above the hull. Tension on the hog chains was adjusted through the use of turnbuckles.

Generally the hog posts which carried the chains did not rise above the cabins on Mississippi River-style steamers. This was not the case with steamboats designed in the Pacific Northwest style, where the hogposts were often clearly visible rising above the superstructure.

Should the hog-chains break, the hull would come out of tension, and start sagging on the ends. This was called being "hogged". In some cases the sagging on the ends would be so great that a boat's hull would break in half. Accidents such as running aground were the kind of things that could cause hog-chains to break.

Lock and Dam No. 19
Keokuk, Iowa
Greatriverroad.com
In 1905 the U.S. Congress passed a bill granting the Keokuk and Hamilton Water Power Company the right to dam the Mississippi River and construct a hydro-electric plant at the foot of the rapids and to build a new lock and dry dock to replace the canal which had become too small to handle the newer boats of the day. Construction on Lock and Dam No. 19 was started in 1910 and completed in 1913 with the cost being borne by the power company. The Keokuk Power House was the largest capacity, single powerhouse electricity generating plant in the world. The power house provided electricity for Keokuk and cities as far away as St. Louis. The power house also attracted a lot of industry to the Keokuk area.

In 1957, the lock was replaced and upgraded to measure 1,200 feet by 110 feet at a cost of 13.5 million dollars. The lock and dam obliterated the Des Moines Rapids and created Lake Cooper, named after Hugh L. Cooper, the designer of the Keokuk Dam.

Lake Cooper is the largest pool in the series of dams with 240 miles of shoreline. With a 38 feet (11.6 m) difference between the normal pool above and below the dam, the lock has the highest "step" in the stairway of the Rock Island District locks and dams.

Lock and Dam #19 is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The power house is owned and operated by AmerenUE, a privately owned utility company. The facility was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.


JuliaBelleDeltaQueenWarmToCoolEXP

UPI news photo. The caption says:

October 8, 1974 PEORIA, Illinois

Peoria's third annual steamboat race ends with Peoria's JULIA BELLE SWAIN coming under the finish line well ahead of Cincinnati's DELTA QUEEN. The race was for five miles downstream and was completed in 33 minutes. The race is a part of the Steamboat Days celebration here. (United Press International)


StrMINNIEatNatchezUnderTheHillForNORI

The li'l MINNIE at Natchez-Under-the-Hill

Picturesque little steamer with colorful Mississippi River landing at Natchez-Under-the-Hill in the background. This image is featured in the 1987 Dover softcover pictorial book "The Mississippi Steamboat Era in Historic Photographs"

MINNIE

Way's Packet Directory Number 3959

Sternwheel steamboat built at California, Pennsylvania in 1869. 40 tons. 83.2 x 18 x 3.3.
Built for Capt. Samuel R. Bell, Franklin, Louisiana. This small-fry had a long career in the southland. First ran Minden-Loggy Bayou connecting with the LA BELLE for New Orleans.
In 1896 she was owned by the New Orleans amp; Washington Packet Co., with Capt. J.E. Trudeau listed as master.

The Mississippi Steamboat Era in Historic Photographs: Natchez to New Orleans, 1870-1920

Joan W. Gandy amp; Thomas H. Gandy, Editors
Dover Publications, 1987

https://www.amazon.com/Mississippi-Steamboat-Era-Historic-Photographs/dp/0486252604

5.0 out of 5 stars
THE WAY IT WAS
ByLightningon December 14, 2006
This book is a wonderful look back at life in the South during the years after the Civil War. The MINNIE shown on page 62 used to pick up cotton from my grandfather's farm. Great photos of the boats, the trains, and the people.


FloridaSilverSpringsSteamboatApproachingViewFromMorganHouse1880-90SepiaEXP

Florida SilverSprings Steamboat Approaches Dock circa mid 1880's

Detail of a classic photo circa mid 1880's, often reproduced . . . probably more than any other American Steamboat image. George Barker stands well alongside Ansel Adams whose photos of Yosemite and other locales in the American West are iconic.

Was able to download the Library of Congress file and retouched the obvious flaws then reduced it to 33 percent from which this is a detail

Steamboat approaching dock, view from the Morgan house, Silver Springs, Florida
Barker, George, 1844-1894, photographer

Date Created/Published: [Niagara Falls, N.Y. : Geo. Barker,] c1886 June 15.

1 photographic print : albumen.

No known restrictions on publication.

Call Number: LOT 3282 [item] [Pamp;P]
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Copyright by Geo. Barker.
Blind stamp: Barker, Photographer, Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Silver Springs is an unincorporated community in Marion County, Florida, United States. It is the site of Silver Springs, a group of artesian springs and a historic tourist attraction that is now part of Silver Springs State Park. One of Florida's first tourist attractions, the springs drew visitors even before the U.S. Civil War. Glass-bottom boats have been a popular way to see the 242-acre (98 ha) complex.


J.S.starboardReducedForNORI

J.S. of the Strekfus line, starboard view.


paddlewheel boat

The Guiding Star (above) and observations by John Fryant:

"Wow! She looks brand new. Stage gunnels haven't been painted yet. You can see that there was steel plating around the bow. Some sort of big spar or derrick laying inside on the main deck as well as a yawl boat. You can also see that the 'scape pipes and stacks slanted outward from the vertical. Great photo! Thanks for sharing."


WolfSmallFile

Wisconsin's Fox and Wolf River steamboat WOLF acquired through eBay. A very small original print on thin paper but in pretty sharp focus.

Note door to the pilot house on the port side with short name board forward of it, believe there would have been another door on the starboard side as well.

Generous sized skylights for what must have been the boiler room. Only the one gent standing in front of the steep stairs moved and gave away the short time exposure. Even the lady and her dog stood still enough not to blur.

What follows is Jim Hale's comments on the vertical object with rectangular holes in it which is standing straight up on the main deck:

THE U. S. BETWEEN THE STACKS SUGGESTS THAT THE WOLF WAS A CORPS OF ENGINEERS BOAT.

THE THING THAT YOU THOUGHT MIGHT BE A SPAR MAY HAVE BEEN WHAT WAS CALLED A "SPUD."

A SPUD IS A LARGE POST THAT CAN BE LOWERED STRAIGHT THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF THE HULL AND INTO THE RIVER BOTTOM TO HOLD THE BOAT IN PLACE WHILE IT IS DOING HEAVY WORK LIKE PULLING SNAGS OR FOR HOLDING A BARGE WITH A PILE DRIVER ON IT.

THE SPUD SLIPS THROUGH A SLEEVE THAT IS BUILT INTO THE HULL FROM BOTTOM OF HULL UP THROUGH THE MAIN DECK.

THIS BOAT LOOKS SMALL FOR DOING SUCH HEAVY WORK BUT WHO KNOWS?


XYZ_Sidewheeler_ADAM_JACOBs_Pittsburgh_Brownsville_Geneva Packet_Co1895

Image and caption from:
TEN MILE CREEK COUNTRY
A blog devoted to the history of Southwestern Pennsylvania
tenmilecreekcountry.blogspot.com
The Str. ADAM JACOBS at Brownsville, Pennsylvania in 1895.
Owned by the Pittsburgh Brownsville & Geneva Packet Co.
She regularly ran between these places.
She was built at Brownsville in 1885.


old steamboats

Attached from the Murphy of the ADAM JACOBS has always been a favorite of mine. The African American couple with their little girl on the hurricane roof and the Victorian fashions of all the ladies including two with parasols are charming. The upside down "waterfall" effect of the steam rising was probably due to a time exposure, only other blurs are down by the main deck which may have been the white jackets of stewards scampering aboard the boat. The front of the cabin with shuttered windows on the boiler deck looks very homey.

Photo Courtesy of Murphy Library at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Steamboat Collection Photographs


Liberty

Another favorite. The girl in white and the overall authenticity of the details give it a verisimilitude that few others convey as well. The Liberty at Alton, Illinois 1903.


Vicksburg1864sSteamersDetail_55percent

The levee at Vicksburg, Miss., February, 1864

Detail of 3 steamboats from the right eye of a Civil War stereoview taken in February, 1864 at Vicksburg, Mississippi. Library of Congress.

The JAMES WATSON left, the LUMINARY center and the WHITE CLOUD right.

The levee at Vicksburg, Miss., February, 1864

William Redish Pywell 1843-1886, photographer. In the Library of Congress.

Published by the The War Photograph & Exhibition Co., Hartford, Conn. February. 1864

"Stereograph showing steamboats at the dock. The Mississippi river in the background."

On the Left:

JAMES WATSON

1863-1865

Sternwheel Packet

Way's Packet Directory Number 2954

Built in 1863 at Cincinnati, Ohio which was also her first home port.

Her Captain was John T. Watson.

She was in U.S. service most of 1864 in the Vicksburg-Memphis area.

Sank and was lost at Island 76 on the Mississippi River, near Caulk Neck Cut Off on March 2, 1865

When she sank, she had many passengers, 86 soldiers and a cargo of U.S. freight and Adams Express on board.

Thirty-five people were lost, including 20 soldiers, three women, two children and five male passengers and some deckhands.

The ISABELLA and the WILLIAM BUTLER came to the aid of the survivors.

In the Center:

LUMINARY

1863-1869

Sidewheel packet boat

Way's Packet Directory Number 3644

Built in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1863. 260 x 42 x 7. Engines, 25's- 8 ft. Four boilers, each 44" by 26 ft. 1,023 tons.

She carried troops and supplies for the U.S. during the war. On April 2, 1863, came to the rescue of Tinclad #19 (formerly the ST. CLAIR) above Fort Donelson where Rebels had attacked. Ran St. Louis-New Orleans in the Atlantic & Mississippi Steamship Co., 1865, and was in the Anchor Line after that, Capt. William Blake.

In latter January 1867 was ice-bound at Hat Island, aground, in precarious shape along with ENTERPRISE, ANNA WHITE and W.B. DANCE. Took survivors from the wrecked CLERMONT at Helena, Ark., March 8, 1867.

Snagged and lost at Montezuma, 10 miles below Helena, Ark., Dec. 18, 1869. The hull was recovered and taken to Jeffersonville, Indiana, repaired, and in 1870 was sent to Hickman, Kentucky at a wharf boat.

On the Right:

WHITE CLOUD

1857 - 1867

Sidewheel packet boat

Way's Packet Directory 5769

Built in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, 1857. 345 tons. 200 x 35 x 5.5. Four boilers. Had double rudders. Reputation for speed.

Ran St. Louis-St. Paul, Capt. Alford, 1857. In 1858 was running up the Missouri River from St. Louis, Capt. James O'Neal, in the Great Mail and Transportation Co. Served as a transport during the war; handled the 7th Iowa Volunteers after Fort Donelson, taking them up the Tennessee to Pittsburg Landing; they lived aboard until the eve of the battle there. Was with Porter on Red River in 1864. Sank in ice at St. Louis Feb. 12, 1867; a gorge shoved her on top of the submerged wreck of the BELLE MEMPHIS.


RRtransferNorthMissouri25percentEXP

North Missouri Railroad Company transfer steamer

ATTACHED PHOTO OF THE NORTH MISSOURI RAILROAD TRANSFER STEAMBOAT WAS SCANNED FROM A 5 X 8 INCH ALBUMEN PRINT WHICH HAD BEEN CUT FROM ITS ORIGINAL CARDBOARD MOUNT.

THE ROOTS WEB GENEALOGICAL SITE HAS A TRANSCRIPT OF AN 1870 PROMOTIONAL FLYER ADVERTISING THE NORTH MISSOURI RAILROAD AND ADJOINING LANDS TO PROSPECTIVE EMIGRANTS.

HAVE INCLUDED ONLY BRIEF EXCERPTS FROM THAT FLYER BELOW, THE ENTIRE TEXT CAN BE ACCESSED AT THIS LINK: http://rootsweb.ancestry.com/~momonroe/nmrcompany.htm

THIS PHOTOGRAPH WAS PROBABLY TAKEN AT A CROSSING SOMEWHERE ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER.

North Missouri Railroad Company
St. Louis 1870

The North Missouri Railroad traverses a section of country bounded east, west, and south by the Missouri river, and north by the Des Moines, the portion of country now reached by the North Missouri railroad and its branches. It has an area of about 25,000 square miles, and comprises North Missouri and a few counties of Southeastern Iowa.

It extends from St. Louis to Kansas City, on the west, and to Bloomfield, Iowa on the north.

It is operated in three divisions:

Eastern Division (St. Louis to Moberly Junction)..............145 miles.

Western Division (Moberly Junction to Kansas City)........127 "

Northern Division (Moberly Junction to Bloomfield) .........112 "

The Hannibal and Moberly, and Hannibal and Naples railroads, now in course of construction, will form the link to a new and important route between the East and the West via North Missouri; Toledo, Wabash and Western; Lake Shore and New York Central line.

The distances by this new road will be:

Kansas City to Moberly . . . . . 127 miles.

Moberly to Hannibal . . . . . 70 "

Hannibal to Naples . . . . . 44 "

total . . . . . 241 miles.





moremusejmphotosclickhere

With the exception of images credited to public institutions,
everything on this page is from a private collection.
Please contact Steamboats.com for permission for commercial use.*

All captions provided by Dave Thomson, Steamboats.com primary contributor and historian.

logo