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February 20, 2006 -- Vol. 6 Issue 8 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
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff defends the sale of terminals in U.S. ports to an Arab-owned firm and says we (the U.S.) is not taking a risk. Isn’t that the same Michael Chertoff who appeared on television over the weekend and accepted responsibility for hurricane-recovery efforts that are in total disarray? A Personal Note From Jack
 Carrying forward with the “Thought For The Week”, it is quite obvious that the possibility of an Arab-state-owned firm owning operations in six American ports is drawing a lot of fire. The meeting of government officials who approved it was, we’re told, secretive. Well, I should guess so.
The key issue is national security. Considering our trade deficits, the state of our health care program, the issue of illegal immigrants, the potential failure of our Social Security system to be able to handle future recipients, et al, we can rightly conclude that the U.S. Government does not have the corner on success. To say that, one must consider three questions: (1) Do our leaders seriously desire to solve those problems to the benefit of the electorate? Are they steeped in the idea of strengthening the global community at the expense of further eroding the economic strength of the United States? (3) Are they willing to sacrifice all to advance their own political interests? We are discussing a government of two major political parties who have been fighting tooth and nail over the issue of whether or not we should be allowed to eavesdrop on telephone calls into this country from known terrorists. We are discussing a government made up of people who, according to weekend news analysis, curry the favor of immigrants because they don’t want to lose their vote. It is a huge issue, not one easily solved. The roots of the matter run very deep, and to change the immigration mechanism successfully, we are going to have to change other programs as well. We now have illegal immigrants working in shipyards; hiring out as landscapers all across the nation; and working in our agricultural operations. In addition, we are handing them entitlements right and left, another issue that has resulted in controversy. Immigration is a discussion for another time. But if we think it does not impact waterways, we are wrong! Back to the port issue. Over the weekend, we heard speakers interviewed on television. They represented both sides of the issue over an Arab country taking over operations of companies in six American ports. The firestorm erupted last week when it was announced that London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. was purchased by Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business from the United Arab Emirates. Peninsular and Oriental run commercial operations in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. Our first B&B mention of this subject indicated it might be a major concern. Some obviously agreed. Others hinted that there is nothing to be concerned about. Yet developments since then have revealed that there is a great deal of concern, justified or not, and that critics are not going to let this one slip by without a fight. The firestorm erupted so swiftly and noticeably that the Administration’s Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff appeared during television interviews to defend the purchase by Dubai Ports World. The United Arab Emirates is known to openly support terrorism and the destruction of Israel, a U.S. ally. “We have a very disciplined process, it’s a classified process, for reviewing any acquisition by a foreign company of assets that we consider relevant to national security,” Chertoff told Tim Russert on “Meet The Press.” Chertoff mentioned such things as “very careful reviews”, FBI and Defense Department involvement and built-in safeguards. But U.S. ports have been uppermost on the list of concerns in the U.S. when it comes to homeland security. Is there something the government isn’t telling us? Why should we assume that it is okay to let a country that harbors terrorists and supports the destruction of Israel operate port facilities in major U.S. ports? Roughly half of our government is made up of a political party whose members cannot agree that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, even though much of the world believed it to be so. A former Iraq general has written a book spelling out how WMDs were moved to Syria via airplane in 2002 when it became known that the U.S. was going to invade. We’re waiting for that to hit the fan, but so far we’ve seen only one interview with the author. Shouldn’t that give critics something to chew on? Admittedly, port security is one gargantuan problem. The number of containers that come into the ports daily is astronomical. Are we stuck with the pronouncement by government officials that we have everything under control? Well, the answer is probably yes. To be successful, much of what is done in the name of national security must be done in secret. We have to believe that those who govern have our best interest in mind. “Secret” does not please many who feel left out and ill-informed. Many are demanding hearings that would more than likely reveal more about homeland security than should be revealed — that is, if it is to be successful. What has been demonstrated time and again is that some people to whom secrets are revealed cannot keep their mouths shut. The leaking of choice bits of information to the press, et al, has become in this day and age a tool for gaining celebrity, wealth, favor, whatever you wish to add. We are not in a position to say the government is right or wrong about the potential of port operations in the U.S. by Arabs. One way or another, we are all going to have to live with the outcome. But it is not going to go away quickly. Seven U.S. lawmakers have questioned the UAE’s track record in the War on Terror and called for a six-week investigation. Legislation is planned that would block the takeover. At least one oversight hearing is in the making. Sen. Robert Menendez is working on legislation to prohibit companies owned or controlled by foreign governments from running port operations in the U.S. Chertoff said Congress is “welcome to look into this and can get classified briefings.” Seems evident Congress intends to do just that. On top of all that, Continental Stevedoring and Terminals in Miami, one of the six companies included in the sale, is suing to stop the Arab takeover in the $6.8 billion deal. Continental said it will become “an involuntary partner” with Dubai’s government and said that the sale is prohibited under its partnership agreement with the British firm. Continental believes the sale “may endanger the national security of the United States.” Our own sentiments were mirrored by a statement from Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), who, in a delightfully succinct statement said: “Most Americans are scratching their heads, wondering why this company from this region now.” Newsletter News
Sometimes erroneous statistics provided by newspapers and attributed by them to Coast Guard sources slip by us when, indeed, they should be questioned. Unfortunately, if no red flag is raised, the errors may be repeated. Such is the case with the sinking of asphalt barge against the bridge in Louisville. The figure 80 feet, representing the length of the barge, is wrong we’re told. The red flag should have gone up when it was stated (and we too reported) that the 80-foot barge contained 800,000 gallons of asphalt. We’re told there is no way that one could get that much asphalt in an 80-foot barge. Latest reports show that the barge is 297.5 feet in length and that the Coast Guard corrected its first statements. I apologize for the errors in B&B coverage of the incident. 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
Gulf and Hurricane Recovery Continue as Hot Topics in News — The Louisiana state Department of Natural Resources has released computer models showing that the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet navigation channel contributes little to storm surge height or force during major hurricane storm events. “Complete filling or partial closing will not provide significant immediate, direct mitigation of severe storm surge” said a senior program manager for URS Corp., which did the study. “Closing MRGO is not a short-term hurricane protection project,” the department said. — Last week the Coast Guard began salvaging vessels from waterways. About 30 boats were pulled from the Violet Canal in Bernard Parish. Efforts are currently being made to lease land where salvaged boats can be stored while owners try to repair them. A parish commissioner said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would have to foot the bill because the parish doesn’t own land near the canal and doesn’t have money to pay for a staging area. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is evaluating a plan whereby thruster pumps could be utilized in such a way as to enable a large pump station to keep 10,000 acres of Orleans and Jefferson parishes drained, even when floodgates planned for the 17th Street Canal are closed during storms. A Bring New Orleans Back Commission subcommittee began talking to the Corps about using thrusters in early December. The agency tested one of the pumps last week in a laboratory near Boston. — It is said that repair of battered 12-mile stretch of levee along the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet will require 4 million cubic yards of soil. Some 1.65 million cubic yards will come from local pits. Clay is being barged in from Mississippi to strengthen the local soil. The problem is that the local soil is too sandy, and it is believe insufficient clay is being barged in to strengthen it. Corps officials and some independent engineer investigators disagree over the quality of the soil being used. More than 350 miles of levees are in need of some repair. Another Hot Topic Has Been Ethanol In a recent speech by President Bush, he touted ethanol almost as the answer to our oil-dependency problem. Critics, however, say he has “fallen for the ethanol scam.” They say ethanol is not the “solution” that proponents say it is. They say it takes 29 percent more energy to produce ethanol from corn that is contained in the ethanol itself. Our latest comments about ethanol were related to the decrease in river traffic on the Upper Mississippi. We said the sale of corn to ethanol plants is one of the reasons that river traffic is down. We also suggested the possibility that corn and ethanol might be moved around on the Upper Miss, providing some barge business. The question about how much energy it takes to produce ethanol has not got much coverage in the past few years. We have heard about it before but never did a web search to find critics. One writer suggested that if there was so much profit to be made by producing ethanol, companies like Exxon Mobil Corp. would be investing in it. He had a point. Not only does the Energy Department spend tens of millions of dollars in biomass research annually, it spent $4 billion in 2004 alone to subsidize the production of corn. The federal government subsidizes ethanol producers with a 51-cent-a-gallon tax credit per gallon produced, which is expected to reach $1.4 billion this year, the biomass writer says. The President also talked about making ethanol from switch grass, which biomass writers say requires 50 percent more energy to produce than is in the product. Wood biomass takes 57 percent more energy, they say. It was pointed out during one television interview that if all of the corn in the country were to be turned into ethanol, we could only hope to reach a level of replacing 5 percent of the fuel we burn annually on the highways. Like wind power, it is not the whole answer. It is part of an answer. Like hydroelectric power, it is not the entire answer, but it represents a portion of it, which does represent a lot of gallons. The President, we think, knows this pretty well. He affirmed his support for nuclear power and mentioned that a few years down the line we would be using cars powered by hydrogen. But it isn’t here yet. Some hybrid cars that provide battery power for short trips (like 30 miles or so) are here, and they switch over to gasoline if the batter runs low. (May we remind the government that when speed limits on the interstates were lowered in the 1970s, our oil demands dropped sharply as mileage on cars increased.) Wind power is clean. Hydroelectric power is clean. Ethanol is not. The Environmental Protection Agency has cited ethanol plants for air pollution. We remember one critic saying several years ago that ethanol produced more air pollution than we were getting without its use. When it was announced several years ago that MTBE, as an oxygenation additive, was causing waterway pollution, some states, California for one, banned it. But it has to be banned on a state to state basis. Ethanol is popular with farmers because they can sell their corn closer to home and get more for it than if they had to ship it to tidewater by barge (shipping rates of blue water vessels are too high to send it to the Gulf right now) or they can move it by rail to the West Coast. Many farmers are investing in ethanol plants. So the question, where do we go from here? Effort To Remove Asphalt From Sunken Barge Begins According to Magnolia Marine Transport spokesman Bob Mallette, the heating process to enable removal of asphalt from a barge sunk against the K & I bridge over the Ohio River at Louisville, Ky., began February 18, and it is expected that removal of product from one area of the barge will take from five to eight days. The barge has eight compartments. Removal of all 3,000 barrels could take up to two months, workers said. The barge has been sunk against the bridge since January 26. You can contact the editor directly at jacksimpson@littleriverbooks.com. 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
(Editor’s note: It didn’t take long for the river eagles to come up with names for last week’s mystery boat. Jeff Yates got his ID in one minute before Capt. Luke Moore did, followed by Capt. David K. Smith. They follow.) Re: Mystery Boat 2/13/06 There’s no doubt about the identity of this week’s mystery boat. It’s the former towboat Robin, built in 1950 at Cape Girardeau, Mo., by Erlbacher for Missouri Barge Line and later owned for many years by Arrow Transportation Co. at Sheffield, Ala. Check her out in the B&B photo archives. Capt. Jeff L. Yates Re: Mystery Boat 2/13/06 I have seen the restaurant landing boat in the mystery boat photo as I go through the Cincy area on the American Beauty. It looks a lot like the Pearl B. I remember in the early to mid eighties a small outfit that ran the Tenn-Tom with 3 boats which were the Pearl B, Robin (spelling?) and Red Marvel (now Polaris). I’m not sure of the owner but I believe the operator was Roy Butler of Butler Marine. The Pearl B is off the record books so this could possibly be her. I recall the stack coming up through the living quarters. The boat had the appearance of everything being pushed forward. I have always thought it must have been hot for the crew. I know several boats had this feature over the years but seems like the architect could have sharpened his pencil a little better and placed the exhaust over the upper engine room space to steer the heat, noise and gasses away from the crew quarters. The wheelhouse front window also looks like the Pearl B. With the inward slant of the wheelhouse bulkheads the front window was boxed in and tilted out to shed rain water. St Louis Ship did this with several boats. It is also possible that the Pearl B was a one-lunger rated at or around 1600 to 1800 hp. Just a guess. Luke Moore Re: Mystery Boat 2/13/06 The latest “Mystery Boat” to appear in the Photo Center is the former Robin, long in the Arrow Transportation fleet, built at Cape Girardeau by Missouri Drydock in the early ’50s. David Smith Re: Mystery Boat 2/13/06 Is that mystery boat an old Arrow Marine boat from around the Mobile. Ala., Area. I have a photo of it when I worked on the river. It was on the Ohio when I photographed her. By the way, the New Blessey boat was to have left the shipyard this last weekend. The name of is the Jonathon H. Brown, built by Verret Shipyard of Plaquemine, La. It will be christened on the 21st. Dan Dennis Re: Mystery Boat As I remember, when I used to pass California, on the Ohio side, there used to be a single line of floating docks, w/gas pumps, in that exact spot, and there was a sign: “California Boat Club,” and I think I remember that being shown on the chart. You can see the top of the dock pilings in the creek to the left. Evidently, in the years since I’ve been by there, they have obtained the old towboat and added on to it. JCS Re: Meriwether Lewis The Lewis still survives as a museum operated by the drastically under funded Meriwether Lewis Foundation on the bank of the Missouri river at Brownville, Nebraska. She did get a new roof and a need paint job in the last three years. Volunteers keep her open afternoons in the summer and weekends in the spring and fall. Aided by the National Park Service there is a interesting web site on the Lewis It has plans, pictures and descriptions of her. Carl Jones Lincoln, Nebraska Re: Towboat Cook Writes Book I have enjoyed reading your column for years, and really feel like I know you very well. A cook that I worked with several years ago has written a book about her time working on the river. I haven’t seen it yet, but I thought that you may be interested. Here is the link to her website. Thanks for taking the time to gather the info for your newsletter, I look forward to reading it every week. Capt. John C Carson Jr. Boat Photo Center
 Eleven views have been added to our Photo Center this week. They include the Natchez, Cooperative Ambassador, Gene Herde, Helen Lay and James K. Ellis from Jesse Lybarger; Federal Barge Line’s Huck Finn from John Miller; Two of the A. L. Ireland and two of the Sarah S from Brent Maletic; and the Captain Bill from Tom Waller.
Recipe Box
TOWBOAT STEW
Chuck roast or other form of beef. Cube meat and place in crock pot. Barely cover beef with water and boil. Skim beef fat from top of boiled water. Leave beef and water in crockpot. Add cubed potatoes with skin left on. Add some water. Boil till taters soften. They’ll pick up the beef flavor. Drain juice from canned baked beans and add to crockpot. Stir thoroughly. Add a little Worchestire sauce. Stir thoroughly. Add diced onion, green pepper, if desired. Stir thoroughly. Add barbeque sauce to taste. Stir thoroughly. Salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly. Make a pan of cornbread. Eat and enjoy. Save some cornbread for dessert (warm cornbread stirred into a glass of milk). Submitted by Ron Richardson “Ancient Mariner”, Louisville, Ky. Do you have a good recipe you’d like to share? Submit your recipes here! The Book Beat
 “Ol’ Man River: Memoirs of a Riverboat Captain”
by Capt. Wm. D. Bowell, Sr., the man who turned the Padelford Packet Boat Company into reality at St. Paul, Minn. “He envisioned a thriving St. Paul riverfront decades before anyone else…,” wrote Norm Coleman, a U.S. Senator and former mayor of St. Paul. According to Paul Verret, president emeritus, St. Paul Foundation, “That Bill Bowell returned to St. Paul from World War II to get a college education, raise a family, make a fortune in printing and plastics, and build a successful riverboat excursion company is a riveting tale in itself. That he also beat the odds as a child of the Depression doubles the intrigue. His life’s story is a model for how he and others of ‘the greatest generation’ shaped this country.” This book is absolutely beautiful in its production. It is virtually all in color. Included in its 224 pages are appendices listing (1) boats owned and operated, (2) rivers worked, (3) honors and awards, (4) portrait gallery, and (5) National Rivers Hall of Fame. This is prime stuff for river historians.  “Ol’ Man River” is a river book, but it is much more. Every child of the Great Depression will see mirrored in it experiences they themselves went through. It is a tale of a hard fight to succeed after a very difficult time for the entire country. This book is also a great lesson for those who would like to get ahead in life. Success is due to determination and the gumption to move ahead with new projects. Capt. Bowell is a man, also, who discovered early that by helping make things better for others, he could also make things better for himself. He is an inventor and producer of successful products and has earned a place in history that most of us have never known about.
It is a hardcover, 8 x 10 book with dust jacket, profusely illustrated with color pictures and professionally drawn cartoon renditions of various aspects of Capt. Bowell’s experiences. Price: $32 plus S&H. I will include a free copy of “For Wood And Water: Steamboating on the Missouri River” by Mark Bettis (a $12.95 value). Our Price: $32.00 advertisement
Those interested in learning how you can self-publish your book can find details listed at www.littleriverbooks.com where they appear in the index under other services. 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 river-related commercial or 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 copy and past the site ring graphic onto your website as soon as your site is approved.) Check out the sites currently in the ring and their hit statistics as a direct result of being in the site ring. Tow Talkin'
February 20, 2006 By Kathy Flippo  Can you believe that mid-February, on Valentine’s Day, it was 64 degrees in Clinton, Iowa? Ridiculous! But the weatherman has promised real winter with zero and snow coming our way. We shall see.
In 1900, the boat building business was brisk in Lyons, Iowa. Lyons was once a town of its own but was absorbed by Clinton shortly after 1900. Even so, a hundred years later, the north end of town is still called Lyons. Towboat pilots know it because of the beautiful church spires. Anyway, two steamboats were under construction at the Godfrey Marine Ways in Lyons that year. Neither boat was for the use…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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