she sagged and broke in two. There was another Jim Wood constructed as the Grand Lake in 1866 at Pittsburgh. Her dimensions were:- 168 x 30.4 x 5.2 feet. Her name was changed to Jim Wood on September 24, 1881. She evidently went out of service prior to 1885.
Photo of TOM DODSWORTH and barges. Unidentified boat to the right. Levee in the foreground with R. C. 20 boat. CHARLEY JUTTE in the background, docked at the far bank.
Photograph of the steamboat DELTA QUEEN near a railroad bridge north of Hannibal, Mo. "15 barge tow ran into this bridge knocking down center span. April 1981. Turn table swing section on left side of picture in open position. No loss of life or boat. Accident caused by swing section tender not opening section after train passed over. Fast currant and slow opening left no place to go for the tow.”
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."
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
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