The Iron Age was built for the Gray's Iron Line at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1880. Her dimensions were: - 176 x 38 x 5.5 feet. Tonnage, gross and net, 385 tons. She towed coal south from Pittsburgh and was the first towboat to leave that place with an electric headlight.
Photograph of the towboat DEL COMMUNE. In the lower right corner of photograph are the words,“St. Louis MO. Engineer District Floating Plant / Tow Boat Del Commune Broadside View / MAR 28, 1938 / 3377."
about 12 feet of water. She was raised and repaired at a cost of $2000. Later she was sold to some Cairo, Illinois parties and on June 10, 1898, while lying at the bank of the Cairo, she was swamped and sunk from heavy swells caused by a high wind. She was valued at $10,000 and was raised and repaired. On May 3, 1900, while enroute from Helena, Arkansas to Peter's Landing, Arkansas, and when near
In the struggle of the packet boats against rail competition the Anchor Line put up a bold fight. To reduce operating expenses they built the Bluff City, the only sternwheeler the Anchor Line ever built. She came out new in October 1896, built at Jeffersonville, Indiana. But fate was against her as she lasted but one year. On November 18, 1897, she caught fire at Chester, Illinois on the
The James Lee (2nd) was built at Jeffersonville, Indiana, in 1898. Her dimensions were 204 x 36 x 5 feet. She ran in the Memphis and Friar's Point trade; Captain John H, Darragh, commanding. She was eventually converted into an excursion boat at Memphis and renamed the DeSoto about 1917. She sunk at Memphis after the 1918 ice gorge wrecked her along with the Georgia Lee.
United States Engineer Department. Placing abatis dike to close gap in driven pile dike. In chute between Establishment Island and Missouri shore near Brickeys.
The Helen E. was originally built as a single decker at Point Pleasant, West Virginia in 1913. Her dimensions were:- 105 by 19.7 by 2.8 feet; 33 tons. In January, 1918, she distinguished herself by running away from Point Pleasant in an ice gorge and was not captured until she reached Madison, Indiana, 292 miles below. She ran all bridge piers, passes at the dams, etc., with nobody aboard and
This boat was built for Shelby and Perkins, wealthy Henderson, Kentucky firm, for the Evansville and St. Louis trade in 1887 by the Howards at Jeffersonville, Indiana. She was 257 x 46.2 x 7.0 feet. Tonnage: gross, 932; net, 846 tons. Her engines were of 20-inch diameter with 7 1/2 foot stroke. She came out with compound engines which were removed in 1892 and put on the Grey Eagle. The New South
709,517 bushels or 28,331 tons. It is said that the first coal tow taken down the Ohio by steam was Daniel Bushwell in 1845 with a stern-wheel boat called the Walter Forward, carrying 3 boats of 2000 bushels each. Towboats now carry an average of 18 barges and flats containing 600,000 to 700,000 bushels or 20,000 tons. (This in 1890!) While enroute down the Ohio River in May, 1901, with 31 barges of
Miscellaneous government equipment in tow of U. S. Gen. J. H. Simpson. Morning construction outfit from Establishment Island to Crain's Island - U. S. Engineer Department
The F. Weyerheuser was built at Rock Island, Illinois in 1893. Her dimensions were: 1140 x 31 x 4.5 feet; 216 tons. Her horse power was 300. She was built as a rafter for the Weyerheuser and Denkmann fleet and operated on the Upper Mississippi River. Later she was acquired by the U. S. Government, converted into a \"light house tender\" and renamed the U. S. Dandelion. Still later, after serving