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January 2, 2006 -- Vol. 6 Issue 1 Written by Jack R. Simpson (unless otherwise noted), owner of J.R. Simpson & Associates, Inc. and contributing editor to The Waterways Journal.
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 In This Newsletter:
Thought For The Week
“Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement.” — Henry Ford. A Personal Note From Jack
 Getting started on this issue of B&B was like trying to get up the next morning after being half beaten to death by a better fighter. I enjoyed the time out of the ring.
I want to thank all readers who were kind enough to send season’s greetings and ask them to understand why I can’t respond in kind. One thing I have learned as a journalist of 50 years is that you are at the small end of the funnel. The degree of knowledge you have about most of those who read your material and contact you is quite limited, but trying to stay in touch with all of them is impossible. I read many thoughtful comments sent my way and appreciate them. What we can expect to read about in 2006 relates, of course, to the horrendous events of 2005, the hurricanes along the Gulf being among the most obvious. The impact of this event will be with us for decades as some struggle to bring about recovery and others deal with the failure of the New Orleans levee system. We have talked about blame numerous times. I guess that is human nature. There is always an effort to find a scapegoat. If I can suggest one thing for 2006, let it be that we keep in mind that responders have never had to deal with so much destruction before. It is all new ground. Officially, Katrina came ashore as a Category 3 hurricane. So we gain nothing by using as an excuse that we have never faced such a large storm before. The failure of the Nola levee system was a major player in determining the degree of damage that resulted. But it is a system that appears to have been under the control of at least five levee boards, all served by patronage appointees who had no expertise in levee construction. The first levees were built above and below New Orleans before the Louisiana Purchase was made, so there has been an accumulation of errors made that might have contributed to the devastation. Then, too, after the calamity took place, communications between various factions of first responders was virtually nil. The big question now is how will recovery be handled? Will Nola be rebuilt as it was? Or will cooler heads prevail and insist that it is not very intelligent to rebuild a city exactly as it was before — in harm’s way. Seems if Corps flood-plain boundaries depend on flood water (or storm surge?), the determinations will be much stricter with insurance companies. Among the prevalent demands is that the levee system be built to handle the kind of beating the area took. But we’ve already said, it was a Category 3 storm; so other factors played into the issue. Destruction of the offshore wetlands, chopped up as they were by channels to allow the delivery of oil rigs (as just one example), eliminated the natural barrier that could have reduced the storm surge. So while planners go about the business of recovery, they should not fail to think about restoration of the wetlands. They should also replace levee-board patronage personnel with levee-construction experts. There are factors related to storm damage that will not be made clear for months, perhaps years. I am reminded of one quote I read atop a news story. It focuses on the “deafening sounds of a huge barge slamming against the Industrial Canal floodwall” and it went on to say, “It’s obvious that the barge wasn’t properly tied up.” How does one “properly tie up” a large barge to withstand a storm surge that some estimated to be upwards of 30 feet? I could suggest that many vessels that were thought to be tied up adequately were ripped from the moorings and deposited where they were not intended to be. The damage in the aftermath of Katrina is obvious. But not everything else is. Years ago I wrote for “The Waterways Journal” a column called “Editor’s Notebook.” In it I was able to name many of the people with whom I am in contact and repeat little anecdotes I found interesting. The column was filled with bits and pieces of news not extensive enough to make separate news stories but which did, I think, contribute to reader interest and, hopefully, pleasure. The column will not start this week, and it may not be weekly. It can be if I hear from enough people. An example of what I might include would be a sentence telling readers how much effort Jeff Yates put into getting pictures of the Elly Lane after she sank. He put himself (or allowed someone else) to put him in potential danger as he tried to reach a riverside vantage point from which to shoot pictures. But Jeff is like that. Put a challenge before him and he just digs in. I know that from having worked with him on and off for more than 20 years. (Or is it longer, Jeff?) Web Site News
I keep reminding you about the Christmas package specials presently on our web site because they will change or be discontinued at the end of January. There really are some good books there. For Those Inclined To Pray
 We have modified the steps for joining our Prayer Circle. If you visit the Prayer Circle link on at www.littleriverbooks.com, you will find that those who sign up are completely anonymous. We do not ask for first names nor states of residence. Joining is as simple as providing an email address to which we can send future prayer requests. Each prayer request list includes a link for including requests.
By joining our Prayer Circle, you can tap into the prayerful support of circle members wherever they are. Membership and prayer requests are open to everyone.
On The Waterfront
Re: The Sinking of the Elly Lane (an update)  (Editor’s note: When the Elly Lane sank at the First Marine Corporation dock at Tennessee River Mile 11 (near Calvert City, Ky.,) on December 16, 2005, Jeff Yates assured us he was working hard to get pictures. In fact, he did get them and sent them to us in what would have been plenty of time for our December 19th issue of B&B—in time had it not been for complications at this end that prevented us from using them. As those of you who are subscribers to “The Waterways Journal” know, the full story along with one of Jeff’s pictures was published the day after Christmas. We were glad to see that it made the WJ in time and sorry that we didn’t get it in B&B. However, for those B&B readers who are not subscribers to the WJ, we are including in the Photo Center this week, two photos posted by Jeff. The only additional bit of information we are including is that the crew of the Elly Lane was tying up the vessel to the dock to take on supplies when the incident occurred. The vessel settled to the bottom in fifteen minutes after they discovered she was taking on water. Jeff said she was raised on the 29th and was still in slings when the Coast Guard sought permission to board for inspection.) WJ Features “Language of the River” in Old Boat Column I call your attention (if you are a WJ reader) to the Old Boat Column of January 2. Alan L. Bates presents an interesting review of how blue-water and brown-water terms differ and how maritime vernacular changes over time. Still around is the book “As They Say on the River” by the late Capt. Jack Ross, who, after years of presenting expert testimony during maritime lawsuits, decided that more than a few participants needed a guide. Not understanding terminology actually can be sufficiently bad enough to cause the loss of a case. Alan sent me scrambling for my old “Bluejackets Manual” to see if I could find the “norman bar” that he mentions in the column. I couldn’t. I couldn’t even find a listing for the “norman pin” that my former communications officer insisted that we learn about. But the manual had a picture of it, right there at the top of the king post in the bow of the motor whaleboat-nomenclature picture where it was supposed to be. “As They Say…” is still available, and we have it. It’s a modest price to confirm that you know (or don’t know) what you’re talking about. Re: The Fire on Jennie Dehmer (update)  (Editor’s note: In December, Jesse “Jake” Lybarger sent us an email describing how the starboard engine of the Jennie Dehmer caught fire on December 9 while the vessel was moving a barge from the Conoco/Phillips dock to Magnolia Marine’s dock in Wood River, Ill. The Mvs. Gilda Shurden and Miss Kathy came to their rescue, and the fire was put out within 30 minutes. The engine room suffered a lot of smoke and heat damage. At that time Jesse said the Jennie would be going into drydock at Greenville, Miss., in December. He sent us pictures of the Jennie.) Note: A lot of water has gone under the bridge since our December 19 edition. We can’t begin to cover it all. What we can do is offer some condensations. Corps Proposes Boundary Change The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proposed a boundary change that would make the Huntington Engineer District responsible for all regulatory programs in Southern Ohio, and the Louisville Engineer District would be responsible for all of Eastern Kentucky. The Corps says the change will eliminate confusion about where to submit requests for permits. There is opposition to the proposal. Comments will be accepted until January 18 and should be addressed to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: Ms. Suzanne Chubb, P.O. Box 1159, Cincinnati, OH 45201-1159. (For more detail, see the January 2 issue of “The Waterways Journal.” Tulsa Port of Catoosa Grows, Sees Post-Hurricane Recovery Other stories found in this week’s WJ include reports that the Tulsa Port of Catoosa is not only continuing to grow but that it is seeing post-hurricane recovery. Industrial expansion during 2005 included opening of a new manufacturing plant by an Ohio company. Preparations also are underway for the beginning of operations at a new storage and shipping facility. As for post-hurricane recovery, statistics show that shipping is on the rebound as barges return to the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. St. Louis Engineer District Ends Dredging Season The St. Louis Engineer District dredge Potter arrived at the Corps service base and is demobilizing following the completion of a busy dredging season in late December. The contract dredge America finished its work on December 13. Because of low water, the Potter was activated July 29, 2005, 13 days ahead of schedule. The two dredges completed 40 jobs and moved 7.9 million cubic yards of sediment. Port of New Orleans Operating At Half Strength Hurricane Katrina destroyed about a third of the Port of New Orleans, and now the port director reports that about half of the port’s business has been recovered. Director Gary LaGrange predicts the port will be back to 70 percent by March or April. Ship calls prior to Katrina were 36 to 40 ships a week. The count is now back to 18 or 20. Damage estimates by LaGrange include: $100 million to the port and upwards of $300 million to port-dependent businesses. The portion of the port nearest the Industrial Canal was virtually wiped out, LaGrange said. Demand For Missouri River Caviar Booming, “Post-Dispatch” Reports Because prices for Russian caviar have gone berserk, the demand for caviar obtained from Missouri River sturgeon has boomed, according to a December 30 report in the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch.” Most of the world’s supply of caviar comes from the Caspian Sea and beluga sturgeon, the population of which has dropped about 90 percent in the last two decades. In the Missouri and Mississippi rivers in the St. Louis region can be found the lake, shovelnose and pallid sturgeon. Harvesting eggs from pallids is verboten, since the fish is on the endangered list. The lake sturgeon is state-protected. So the shovelnose is the only sturgeon that can be fished legally. Between 1998 and 2001, the harvest of them in Missouri rose 1,000 percent, regulators found. A major problem is that less experienced sturgeon fisherman can’t always tell the difference between the species and end up harvesting protected ones illegally. 2,000 Sex Offenders Evacuated Gulf Coast During Hurricane Katrina It is reported that some 2,000 sex offenders evacuated the Gulf Coast during Hurricane Katrina, and officials are scrambling to check registries and track them down. Cape Girardeau Residents Prepare For Filming About 100 to 150 residents of Cape Girardeau, Mo., will be hired as extras for four days of filming for the movie “Killshot” beginning January 9. The movie is based on Elmore Leonard’s book about a couple who enters the federal witness protection program and are sent to Cape. Shooting will include historic downtown streets and spots along the Mississippi. Most of the movie was filmed in Toronto, but the purpose of the shooting at Cape was to capture the atmosphere of the 1989 novel, our good Gulf Coast friend Fred Seckendorf tells us. In town will be the cast and crew of about 70 people. Crossing The Bar
Since we have no listing of departed for this week, let me include one version of “Crossing The Bar”, of which there seem to be several. This one is by Tennyson (and in the public domain, I believe). Crossing the Bar Alfred Lord Tennyson Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me. And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea. But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam, When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home. Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark; And may there be no sadness of farewell, When I embark. For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place The flood may bear me far, I hope to see my pilot face to face, When I have crost the bar. advertisement
The River School - Deck and engineer licenses, radar observer, tankerman, fire and water safety courses, video programs. Travel classes in convenient locations. (800) 238-7113 www.riverschool.com From Our Readers
If You Have An Interest In The Old Raft Boats, Go Here Author Kathy Flippo (“Between The Saints: Louis And Paul”) tips us to some good reading about the old raft boats that disappeared in such short order way back when. The material is quite detailed. The material came out of Scott County, Iowa. Welcome To Our Inland Waterways Site Ring Site Name: Dick’s Riverfront Gallery Owner: Richard E. “Dick” Dunbar Web Site: http://www.riverboatgallery.com Description: Dedicated to pictures of and information about riverboats of all types on the rivers of the United States. An extension of or complement to Dick’s Towboat Gallery, which is dedicated primarily to towboats. Photo Center
Once while working for a South Dakota newspaper, I photographed a prairie fire. Another editor said: “Seen one fire, you’ve seen them all.” Well, there is a likeness that we cannot deny. But many of our B&B readers may never have seen the aftermath of an engine-room fire. To be sure, they vary in degree.  In this week’s picture selection we have 12 pictures, eight of the Mv. Jennie Dehmer engine-room fire from Jesse “Jake” Lybarger. Three show the Jennie with the Miss Kathy and Gilda Shurden coming to the rescue, and five show the aftermath of the fire. Also included this week are two views of the Elly Lane from Jeffrey L. Yates, and a picture of the old Raymond Horner from John Miller. We have another entry, the Paul Striegel from Jeff Yates. Recipe Box
Do you have a good recipe you’d like to share? Submit your recipes here! The Book Beat
Let me prepare you for a new book that is coming to us within a few days. I have known Capt. Bill Bowell for more than 25 years. It will be a dandy. My copy should have been here by now, but the publishers overlooked my name on the list of those to receive it. It is sort of a rags to riches story by a former magazine editor/publisher and very successful owner and operator of a fleet of cruise boats at St. Paul. Hopefully my review will appear within a week or two, and we will have it available as soon as possible. In the meantime, our Christmas offerings are still available at reduced prices. The Gift Shop
Steamboat Clock & Barometer - The hinged porthole-style case is solid brass with a lacquered antique finish. It has quartz movement for convenience and accuracy and runs on one AA battery. The matching Steamboat Barometer has visible aneroid barometer movement, and the antique brass case is hinged so that the movement is accessible from the front.280522 Steamboat Quartz Clock $136.49 280722 Steamboat Barometer $146.99 Get More Visitors To Your Web Site - Join The U.S. Inland Waterways Site Ring!
This is a web ring owned by Little River Books. It is dedicated to those who work, rest, or play on the inland waterways of the United States. Owners of commercial and private sites can apply to join, bringing together as many waterways related sites as possible. Sign up (FREE), put the code on your page, and watch your hits skyrocket! Let’s see if we can make this one of the biggest and best river site rings on the web. Benefit from other river sites’ traffic and gain new visitors. If you sell a river-related product on your site, this is the ring for you! (You must add the site ring graphic and code onto your website.) Check out the sites currently in the ring and their hit statistics as a direct result of being in the site ring. Tow Talkin'
December 26, 2005 By Kathy Flippo  Christmas may be over, but for Seaman’s Church, the joy that they receive from helping towboat crews to have a merry Christmas goes on all year long. However, Seaman’s Church as we know it to day is not the first organization to reach out to river people.
In June of 1949, Rev. Herbert Turner, age 69, of Wauzeka, Wisconsin, built a floating chapel to reach not only those that work on the river but those that live along the river. His plan was to stay summers in the Prairie du Chein, Wisconsin, area and then as fall approached head south as St. Louis. (If he thought he was going to escape from winter by going to St. Louis, he was in for the surprise of his life!) …to continue reading, click here. See you on the Web, Jack Little River Books jacksimpson@littleriverbooks.com Don't forget to visit our website! |
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