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April 3, 2006 -- Vol. 6 Issue 14 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
For the New Orleans region to be rebuilt and adequately protected by a levee system, reason must prevail. A Personal Note From Jack
 Last week Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and other state officials launched criticism of President George Bush and the administration, charging that they are reneging on a pledge to rebuild New Orleans “higher and better.” The criticism followed an announcement by the Donald Powell, the administration’s rebuilding coordinator, that there may not be sufficient money to build the region’s levee system to meet national flood insurance program requirements. The present federal plan for levee repair is in the neighborhood of $3.5 billion, with $1.5 billion of that to be considered by the Senate this week. Powell says it will take $9.5 billion to construct a levee system that will meet national flood insurance program requirements for those living in the region. Consider: When Bush made his “pledge” on September 15 (just days after hurricane Katrina struck), no one had any idea why the levees failed and how much it would cost to rebuild them to the required standards. Shortly after his pledge, engineers launched extensive levee studies and concluded that some of the levee failures were caused by poor engineering. Consider: Levees have been in use in the region for more than 300 years, obviously not all part of a well-thought out, long-range plan. We think the system was added to as needed and simply grew like Topsy. Most likely the best engineering practices known at the time were put to use. Consider: Too many people believe the federal government (U.S. taxpayers) should totally rebuild New Orleans as it was. One state legislature even put in a request for $250 billion. But putting New Orleans back in place as it was before Katrina means that thousands of homes would be located in areas that hold promise only for future disaster. The federal government owes it to the taxpayer to see that property owners are not given an opportunity to rebuild in the same location without holding the required flood insurance. There are known examples of Florida homeowners being paid several times for homes destroyed by hurricanes. They chose to rebuild in the same locations and not buy insurance. So we cannot say it doesn’t happen. Even now there is a battle underway because insurance companies don’t want to pay for damage done by storm surge. Well, what is the storm surge? It’s water. Water means flood. It also means that with that storm surge came debris of all shapes and sizes, thus adding to the potential damage in the path of the onrushing water. Yet, it is disaster related and it is water. The insurance companies should pay. Katrina victims do have a legitimate complaint about the failure of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to perform as we might have expected it to. The Red Cross, too, had its problems. The Red Cross had 235,000 volunteer workers responding to the Katrina recovery effort. That’s six times more than the previous peak of 40,000. The Red Cross says the Federal Bureau of Investigation is now part of the probe into the relief effort. But what we should all keep in mind is that of those 235,000 volunteers, most of them, we believe, have done a lot of good things for storm victims. The military, especially the Coast Guard, performed admirably in the wake of the hurricane. They deserve recognition for that service, during which many of them risked their lives to save others. As for President Bush, his “pledge” was made before anyone had any idea as to the extent of the damage or the cost of recovery. He did say New Orleans would be built “higher” didn’t he? Well, that is part of the pledge, too. So perhaps thought should be given to using common sense in the rebuilding of the New Orleans region. Putting many civilian homes right back into the fish bowl where they can be struck again doesn’t make sense. Wherever they build, they should be required to buy flood insurance. And if they get struck again and haven’t purchased flood insurance, they should suffer the loss themselves, not expect taxpayers to pick up the tab for ongoing stupidity. On the other hand, Louisiana officials should not allow building in dangerous areas under any conditions. 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. Web Site News
We are pleased to announced that visitors to our web site during March reached a whopping 19,586. The most we have ever recorded. That rings out to 631 daily visitors, who were responsible for 452,997 hits. Now that’s a lot of clicks. This is one more reason why www.littleriverbooks.com is a great place to visit and it makes sense to advertise on our site. A business advertisement on our site can be had 24/7 for 365 days a year for less than the price it would cost to place an ad just once in some publications. And our “circulation” is available worldwide. Give Jack a call at 314/921-4419.
On The Waterfront
Two, Maybe More, Die When Vehicle Plunges Into Ohio River The “Henderson (Ky.) Gleaner” reports that at least two persons and possibly as many as five perished when the Ford Explorer they were in ran down the Henderson Boat Ramp Sunday morning about 2:30 a.m. (April 2) and into the Ohio River. The ramp is located near the downtown Henderson river front. A female witness, who claims to have gotten out of the car and swam to shore, said there were at least five other people in the car. The vehicle was recovered about 75 feet from shore, and two bodies were found in it. The survivor said she and her friend (also female) were giving a ride to four men they had met at a nearby bar when the incident occurred. Henderson police and the Henderson County Coroner’s office were investigating the incident. Involved in search and rescue activities are the Henderson City-County Rescue Squad and the Knight Township Rescue Squad. FBI Involved In Probe Of Red Cross Relief Effort The American Red Cross has announced that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has agreed to look into allegations of wrongdoing by Red Cross volunteers in the distribution of relief supplies after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. The Associated Press reported that Louisiana Atty. Gen. Charles Foti confirmed that he was looking into the matter after a Red Cross spokesman told Congress recently that the organization is investigating allegations of widespread theft by Red Cross Hurricane Katrina volunteers. Stay tuned! Questionable Contractor Practices at New Orleans Share Spotlight In addition to the new announcement that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into possible theft of relief supplies in New Orleans by Red Cross volunteers, The “Washington Post” is now shining the spotlight on contractors, some of whom the publication says charge the government up to 15 times for the same work being done by other contractors. When the “Post” asks, “How many contractors does it take to haul a pile of tree branches?” It provides its own answer: “If it’s government work, at least four: a contractor, his subcontractor, the subcontractor’s subcontractor, and finally, the local man with a truck and chainsaw.” If the job is patching a roof, says the “Post”, “the answer may be five contractors, or even six.” The implication is that millions of dollars are being spent unnecessarily. Again, stayed tuned! You can contact the editor directly at jacksimpson@littleriverbooks.com. advertisement
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Re: Pilot/Captain’s License Records Can someone tell me who I should write to in order to obtain a copy of my father’s pilot/captain’s license for the Ohio River. I need an address for doing so. Thanks for any help. Charles Wright cjowright@comcast.net Re: Lachlan Macleay That was a good Bitts and Bites last week, and there seemed to be a lot of people interested in that Mv. Lachlan Macleay. I really liked that boat. It was really built for the Missouri River, and one of the big pluses was the shallow draft of five and a half feet. It also had the tow knees on the back, saying for sure you are going to need them when you start running over those sand bars. Leonard Thompson was the main captain on the Macleay; there was a big magazine article written about him and the boat, towing on the Missouri. It was one of the big magazines, like “Cosmopolitan” or “Collier’s”. The name escapes me now, but it was a super article, because it captured the feelings of the 12-mile-an-hour river and towboating. Byron Rozier Salem, Ark. Boat Photo Center
 Another big batch of pictures to share again this week, starting with the Nolan R. Borden from Ron Richardson; the R. L. Ireland, Janet Marie and Sierra Dawn from Eric M. Johnson; the Stephanie Stone from Tom Waller; the Edwin L. Kennedy, Rick Ellis & Elizabeth Ann, two views of the Jerry W. Tichenor, and a view of the Cape Girardeau Bridge at night from Barry Griffith; the Mary Ellen from Tara Jacquin; a view of a 1920s built shanty boat from Jan McDonald; the Mv. Magnolia from Ed Rahe; and two views of the Chattanooga Star from Capt. Frank D. Murray.
Some of you shutterbugs who haven’t sent in pictures for a while can do so now if you’d be so kind. Click here to see the latest pictures. 
Recipe Box
Do you have a good recipe you’d like to share? Submit your recipes here! The Book Beat
In previous issues of B&B we advertised at special fire-sale prices: “Views of the Mississippi”, “Father Mississippi”, “Taming The Upper Mississippi”, “Steamboats on the Fox”, “In Search of Moon River”, and “Let The Lower Lights Be Burning”.  This week we will add as special bargains: “North America Inland Waterways Map And Index”, which we will sell for $20 plus S&H. Normally the retail price is $26.00. We have 10 left; when they are gone, they are gone.  Our next offer is “For Wood and Water: Steamboating on the Missouri River from Saint Louis to Fort Union, Dakota Territory 1841-1846.” This book normally sells for $12.95 plus S&H. We will offer it now for $8.00 plus S&H. Note: This book is not being discontinued. The author gave us a good price on a quantity purchase, we are passing it along.  Finally, for this week, “Delta Queen” (a novel). This normally sells for $19.95 plus S&H. We offer it for $15.00 plus S&H. This book has a very enjoyable plot, but also provides throughout a greatly detailed description of the amenities on the str. Delta Queen. One feels as though they have actually cruised on the boat itself. Self-publishing your book: J. R. Simpson & Associates is now accepting submissions from authors who wish to self-publish their manuscripts. When you self-publish “our way,” you pay for the project and you get virtually all of the books. Many existing publishing schemes do not pave the way for you to profit. Self-publishing “our way” does. If you have a book project in mind, call Jack at 314-921-4419 to discuss it. I’ll even talk to you on my nickel if you give me your phone number so I can return your call. The world of publishing is filled with booby traps. I can help you avoid them, even if you do not use our service. If your desire is to earn money from your book, if you believe in your project and are dedicated enough to work with it, you can do well with self-publishing. We walk you through it step by step until the books are on your doorstep. Give a call. — Jack 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 web site 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'
April 3, 2006 By Kathy Flippo  It always amazes me when big line boats come down Beaver Slough to ARTCO’s 3rd Street Dock. Back when I was a kid, the Municipal Dock wasn’t used hardly at all. To see a barge in there was an EVENT. The water was so low that dad even poked a willow pole into the bar that had built up out from the Municipal Dock so everyone would steer clear and not sheer a pin.
Now of course the Slough has been dredged, and not only the Municipal Dock is a beehive of work but so it the old Pillsbury Mill dock at the foot of 4th Street. Barges are fleeted three wide along Beaver Island from the Point nearly down to Upper Cut. Dredging does wonders! Why, they even dredged all the way down the Slough to the lower end of the Island at Camanche. It still surprises me that when one of ARTCO’s harbor tugs goes up or down the full length with a barge or two, I can see all of this activity from…to continue reading, click here. See you on the Web, Jack Little River Books jacksimpson@littleriverbooks.com Don't forget to visit our web site! |
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