 The Island Queen was a boat that folks could ride from downtown Cincinnati to the old Coney Island amusement park. Ed's note: Built at Midland, PA in in 1924. On Sept. 9, 1947, the fuel tanks exploded, destroying the boat. No passengers were on board, but 19 crew members died. One crew member, Earnest Wagner, jumped from the roof to save himself. The Delta Queen had just moved to the Mississippi River. In 1960 Ernest Wagner became master of the Delta Queen and served for about 20 years. The Delta Queen also got the Island Queen's calliope. From the Delta Queen Archive: January 1958: "[Richard] Simonton asked his associate EJ Quinby to locate a steam calliope for the vessel. By April, Quinby had tracked one down. It had been aboard the Island Queen steamboat, which sank in 1936. It was retrieved by the boat's calliopist, "Crazy Ray," and later acquired by a circus couple who offered it to Greene Line Steamers for $1,000. By June, Quinby made a $100 down payment."* 
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