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April 25, 2005 -- Vol. 5 Issue 17 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:
Quote of the Week
“Nothing is so precious as when you want it and don’t have it.” A Personal Note From Jack
 (Editor’s note: Here’s a tip to help those seeking “precious” Coast Guard licenses not to make a foolish misstep that can seriously delay their efforts.) Don’t Fib on License Applications Due to the nature of various new media presentations relating to crime and various court activities, there exists a perception that juvenile records are “off the record.” That is, that they are not available when the Coast Guard does background checks. That belief is wrong. All records are available to the FBI and all juvenile records do come popping up when background checks are made. On its applications, the Coast Guard asks very specific questions about “Have you ever…etc.” If the applicant lies about something - or say he/she believes something is not important because he/she was a juvenile at the time an incident occurred and just figures it is not worth mentioning - it can be a costly mistake. B&B has been told that the minute a record surfaces that differs from what the applicant said on his application, the forward progress of the application stops. At that point, the incident in question is investigated. The end result doesn’t always keep the applicant from getting a license, but it could. If the applicant outright lied about something, it may be that his goose is cooked. We have to conclude that “innocent” sins of omission may be something else and if properly explained might not completely block the process. We’re told that Coast Guard skills at doing background checks have greatly improved, and that information about a specific applicant can be in the agency’s hands with a few hours. So be careful how you answer; it may come back to haunt you. Controversial River Issues May Divert Us From Less Visible Threats For the April 25 “Waterways Journal” I have written an editorial focusing on environmental issues that are less visible but may still have impact. Sometimes we don’t hear about them. Sometimes are attention is diverted by bigger and more controversial issues. You can go to the WJ web site and read the entire editorial if you wish. For others I will skim the surface of the issues I wrote about. At the Alternative World Water Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, a one-cent tax on water, worldwide, was introduced. A plan has been devised to equalize the global distribution of water. The United Nations is expected to launch its global campaign called “Water for Life”, as a result of the Geneva forum. One writer says that the U.N.’s “Agenda 21” continues its mission to control all of the world’s natural resources, which actually means all land and all water. That is but one of the troublesome issues that may one day hit us hard if they are not defeated. Closer to home (if you live in Minnesota) is HF-0826, the Clean Water Legacy Act, which would establish a mechanism for evaluating the quality of all Minnesota surface water and declare a degree of pollution. To fund it, households would pay $36 annually. The tax on business would run from $120 to $600. The state would also impose a quarter percent sales tax. The fees would bring in $75 million, while the sales tax would collect $88 million, all to be used in evaluating the quality of water, and all, we’re told, to be put into the hands of environmentalists. The problem arises when the individuals doing the evaluating make the determination. Opponents of the legislation say it calls for citizen monitors to crawl around everyone’s property testing water. If a determination is made, then, according to EPA rules, no development can happen in the ecosystem until those waters are cleaned up. The EPA ruling does not apply for waters not declared impaired. Impaired waters are any waters that have pollution above the natural background, which is the level that existed prior to the Industrial Revolution. The danger, opponents say, is that it will halt economic development. Efforts are being made to have the bill defeated. Still closer to home (if you live in Missouri) is the fact that late during the state’s legislative session last year, Missouri passed HB 1433, opening the door for metering private wells. The bottom line is that legislators claim they were not given all the information needed to properly assess the bill. Efforts are now being made to repeal it. HB 1433 designed nine Missouri counties as a watershed and appointed a body to govern water, the essential ingredient in every ecosystem. But it also gives the authority for ecosystem management to appointed bureaucrats rather than to elected officials. Some ten years ago an attempt was made to do the same thing, but the purpose of the bill was ascertained and it was defeated. This time they sneaked it through. How many such actions exist around the nation today? Who knows. But they can impact us. There is fear that the Minnesota movement could be a model for other states. And as readers know, some Minnesotans are trying to drive commercial navigation off the river so it can be developed further for recreation. Such is the goal of the St. Paul Development Corporation. At least their plans tell about what they want to do with the river but nothing about ways to help marine industries relocate. We need to stay alert. Newsletter News
The name of the W. P. Snyder Jr. was used with a comma last week and should not have been. It has been corrected in the archives and photo description files. Continue to tell friends about our newsletter. Subscriptions (fr^e) are continuing to increase steadily. For Those Inclined To Pray
 Join our Prayer Circle so that you can tap into the prayerful support of the circle members. Membership and prayer requests are open to everyone. The activity of the Prayer Circle is confined totally outside of our weekly newsletter. With the exception of this segment, all contact is made, ultimately, through jacksimpson@littleriverbooks.com. To learn about the prayer circle click here. Web Site News
Judging from inquiries we receive, it is time once again to remind visitors to our web site that there is only one proper way that they can honestly utilize pictures in our Boat Photo Center. They must contact B&B, give us the name of the boat (or other classification under which a picture is listed) and provide the name of the photographer. Our agreement with contributors is that those people who want to use pictures will be redirected to them. All posted pictures are jpegs and have low resolution. Contact with the photographer can help you get permission and pictures with a higher resolution. This serves us all best. -- Jack Very Important Newsletter - Try It. It’s Fr^e. Many of you are already aware of the Vessel Alliance operated by river interests in Washington, D.C. The Alliance distributes a newsletter in PDF format that keeps us updated on a variety of legislative matters pertaining to the inland waterways, both navigation and civil works projects. We have been informed that you can subscribe for free yourself by email. We will occasionally re-publish short items from it, because we know that not everyone will subscribe. But the data is vital and is prepared by extremely knowledgeable people. Advertising
Your classified ad can go in this space for $10 for one week, $20 for two weeks, $25 for three weeks, and $30 for four weeks. For details click here. On The Waterfront
Grafton Towboat Festival Scheduled for June 25 and 26 Start planning now to attend the Grafton (Ill.) Towboat Festival June 25 and 26. As one who has a booth each year, let me tell you that the festival was really jumping last year, and it marked the occasion of the installation of a high quality “viewer” so that guests can (for a nominal coin) look out on the Mississippi and see what is going on. The contribution was from the Golden Eagle Club (which still exists though the museum in Bee Tree Park in South St. Louis County is closed), and the money is earmarked for the towboat festival. (How nice!) The festival is a celebration of life on the Mississippi. Saturday’s activities include: rope throwing competition from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; at 2 p.m. live music by Paul Jarvis & the Zydeco Crawdaddies and towboat tours (conditions permitting) from 12 noon to 4 p.m. On Sunday the fr^e towboat tours will continue from noon to 4 p.m., with live music by the previously named groups during that same time span. These are just sidelights. Popular among those who attend are the various booths that carry everything from books to caps, shirts, towboat models, exhibits, information, food and beverages. Handy (as in less than 100 yards away) is The Dock, a riverside restaurant that can provide all you need in the way of food and beverages, and nearby is a large, under-roof flea market. For those not familiar with the Grafton area, we provide the following names and numbers for establishments that can provide weekend lodging: Tara Point Inn - 618/786-3555 Pere Marquette Lodge/Campground - 618/786-2331 Grafton Homestead Retreat - 618/786-2420 Ruebel Hotel - 618/786-3542 Hurst First Generation - 618/786-2353 The River House - 618/786-3542 LaMarsh Guest House - 618/466-1442 Corner Nest B&B - 618/374-1892 Mapleleaf Cottages - 618/374-1684 Green Tree Inn - 800/701-8003 Frontier Lodge - 618/498-6886 Super 8 Motel - 618/498-7888 The drive to Grafton from north St. Louis County is but 30-40 minutes, so there are plenty of accommodations in the area. For additional information, call 618/786-7000 or 1-800-AltonIL. For those not familiar with the area, the festival is rather compact and takes place in riverside open space made available by The Dock. Parking for The Dock, the flea market and the festival is within a few hundred feet of each attraction. So it is a very convenient event. Little River Books will have a booth (tables) again. Be sure to look for the festival buttons, which will be available this year. The price is low and the money goes to help pay for festival activities that are provided free. A note to anyone inclined to help the festival financially beyond a badge or attendance: The festival committee is still seeking donations to help finance the event. All of the work of the committee is done by volunteers who strive to make Grafton and the festival a fun-activity. A donation may help add another little enjoyable prize to the program. Should anyone care to donate, they can call the numbers listed for additional information and ask about how. Or you can make a check out to the Grafton Towboat Festival and send it to me at Little River Books, 2175 Huntington Drive, Florissant, MO 63033-1227. I will see that they get the money and make sure they know where it is coming from. Presently they are trying to arrange to bring the Barbara H (the old Donald B, a sternwheel towboat) over from Vevay, Ind. But the arrangements are difficult. A big help would be if a towing company offered to let them hitch a ride to get them to Grafton . It would probably take two companies, because it’s a round trip, of course. Any company that might be able to do that can call Jack at 314/921-4419, contact Debbie Wedding (festive committee chairman) at weddings@gtec.com or Steve Huffman at slh@draftware.com. Steve knows about the vessel particulars necessary to make such a piggyback ride work. The Barbara H is operated as a nonprofit and the Huffmans merely need to meet all trip expenses for such a trip to make sense. Hope we can find a towing company that can find it in their “heart” to give the festival a lift in this manner. Howard Steamboat Museum Event is May 21 and 22 (a reminder) We’ve mentioned this before, but we want to remind readers that on May 21 and 22 (a Saturday and Sunday) the Howard Steamboat Museum, Inc., will hold its 13th Annual Spring Arts, Crafts & Garden Festival (a Victorian Chautauqua) at the Howard Steamboat Museum at 1101 East Market Street in Jeffersonville, Ind. 47130. The festival is just as its title indicates, but it is great fun for river watchers and towboat fans as well. The museum is jammed with wonderful exhibits and a gift shop, so if you have never been through, it it’s well worth your time. The garden festival does feature many items for those who love plants and flowers, but it has tons of other booths where a wide variety of items are available. Food is available on the grounds via an outdoor booth run by festival volunteers. There may even still be time yet to register and set up a booth. For information, call the Yvonne B. Knight, Museum Administrator at 812/283-3728. In addition to the festival, you can find within easy distance (right across the river in Louisville) some interesting glass factories to visit (and other attractions as well. Just a few miles upriver on the Indiana side you can visit the Falls of the Ohio, a remarkable site (for fr^e). One doesn’t want to miss the Falls if you get to the area. Little River Books is hoping to be there this year again. We missed a couple years after the passing of our good friend and author James V. Swift, but hopefully the schedule will allow it to happen this year. 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 On The Waterfront Continued
WRDA Could Reach Senate Floor As Early As Next Week The Water Council, Inc., reports out of Washington, D.C., on April 22 that the Water Resources Development Act could reach the Senate floor as early as this week. Barring any last minute holds. All three amendments offered to slow the proposal down by reforming the Corps were rejected. Another report in “Capitol Currents” indicated that the House is busy writing its version of WRDA. It is the general expectation that the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee could mark up the legislation and take it to the floor in about a month, the report said. On a related WRDA issue, it was reported that the Inland Waterways Users Board has urged Congress to provide an additional $100 million more for operations and maintenance. The board would like to see the waterways maintenance backlog adequately funded to prevent “a catastrophic failure.” Reprogramming Vital To Corps Much focus now centers around the Corps’ reprogramming of funds to make the best use of budget money. The Corps claims reprogramming is vital. The issue centers around reprogramming and continuing contracts. This procedure involves the Corps reassigning funds from a project that for some reason cannot use the money at the time. The Corps vows to put it back. In a report accompanying the FY 2005 omnibus appropriations bill, the House and Senate conferees included “reprogramming” guidance, “Capitol Currents” reports. It permits up to 15 percent of the appropriated funding level between construction projects or programs, with approval of both House and Senate required for reprogrammings in excess of $7 million for individual projects or programs.” Some in Congress are definitely not happy with reprogramming. House Subcommittee Okays Coast Guard Funds The U.S. House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation has authorized legislation that authorizes $8.1 billion in FY 2006 for the agency’s maritime strategy for homeland security. Coast Guard’s River Rules May Rile Some But Others Believe They’re Necessary Editor’s note: This is a teaser. The “Cincinnati Post” ran a story on April 15 about the Coast Guard’s presentation on homeland security aboard the Mike Fink Restaurant on the Covington, Ky., riverfront on April 14. One’s first reaction is: don’t even breath wrong! But in the interest of security, one tends to soften that reaction. You can probably search the “Post’s” web site and read it early if you wish. I cannot get it in this week. Good luck! Crossing The Bar
Capt. Joseph E. Robinson, 56, Savannah, Tenn., died April 19 following a long illness, “The Waterways Journal” reports. Capt. Robinson was a towboat pilot many years and was founder and president of Savannah Barge Line, Inc. He often piloted the company’s only towboat, the Mary B. Young on its trips up the Tennessee and Tombigbee rivers. Capt. Robinson also has served as pilot for American Commercial Barge Line, United Barge Company, Ohio River Services, et al. His brother, Capt. Jim Robinson is a working pilot on the rivers, as were their father and grandfather. (Editor’s note: It is not often that I use lengthy obituaries or tributes, etc., but Hugh Ware, who writes news and is a book reviewer for “TugBitts” Magazine recently wrote a tribute that I thought well worth sharing. Hugh granted permission, of course. To me it was a poignant piece. Perhaps some of you knew Matt Lyon, about whom the following was written. Jeff Yates, a regular contributor to our Boat Photo Center, is among those whose photographs sometimes appeared in the calendars that Matt and Judy produced.) Matt Lyon “Many of us remember the "Tugboats and Towboats" calendars produced and published by Matt and Judy Lyon from the late Eighties into the first years of this century. “Matt was a nuclear-health physicist and Judy a registered nurse. Both were tug-nuts. Over the years together, they often changed residences in response to employment demands. Thus they could photograph tugs and towboats in many parts of the US. Matt shot slides and Judy shot prints. The results in either case were good, honest photos of honest working machines at work. The best shots went into the calendars, sometimes, but not often, accompanied by a photo submitted by another photographer. “As their reputations grew and calendar sales went up, they were increasing welcomed by tug companies with, "Oh, you're the calendar people!," often followed by an offer to fire up a tug or two for portraits. Sometimes, Matt ended up on one tug photographing Judy on a sister tug while she tried to look inconspicuous until it was her turn to turn around, aim, and click off a photo of his tug. “The calendars sold well until calendar-giant Browntrout Publishing used its superior distribution powers to swamp their part-time, home-based enterprise. “Matt retired in 1999 and they looked forward to a retirement full of playing duplicate bridge against each other, traveling on cruise ships, and doing volunteer work at the local hospital. His retirement followed this plan until, not long after their Fiftieth Anniversary celebration, Matt was diagnosed with Ambyloidosis. It progressed very rapidly and he died on April 14 of complications of this disease. As Judy later expressed it, "The good times just stopped sooner than expected." “He is survived by Judy, three children, four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, two brothers, and a sister. Also the respect of many people and thousands of tugboat and towboat photos. Not a bad legacy, eh? “Farewell, Matthew Lyon!” Boat Photo Center
 To start things off, we are displaying a picture of the St Helier II, locking through at a site that shall remain a mystery to B&B readers till next week. Can anyone guess where it was taken? Let’s see what you sharpshooters out there can do with it. Next week we will solve the mystery and provide some interesting details about this colorful little vessel.
 Secondly, I address this to everyone who contributes pictures. I try to respond within a day. When I can, I download the pictures and immediately assign them to a specific B&B issue file and prepare the descriptions for the appropriately dated file. If you do not hear from me for several days, please send you file again or at least inquire about it. I am having some email difficulty and just discovered that some emails never showed up in my incoming box. - Jack
Now to this week’s Photo Center. Included are: the A. Steve Crowley, Bob Koch, Chip Lacy, Harry Waddington and Sunflower from Jesse Lybarger; Bent Wheel (just what it says), Ice and tows (just what it says) and the Ste Genevieve from Rob Williams; the Blue Seal, Buna, and Mark Twain from John Miller; a mystery boat photo from Dan Owen; and the St Helier. Book Beat
Among the good reasons to shop books on our web site or by phone with Visa or MasterCard is that on many books we provide good price breaks. More often than not, book orders are shipped the same day they are received, despite our note on the site that says “usually same-day shipping.” Orders received after the Post Office is closed on any given week day (M-F) are shipped the following day. Only orders received too late to ship on Saturdays are held over to Monday. And to boot, we also sometimes throw in bonus items with specific books. “North America Inland Waterways Map and Index”  Little River Books is expecting its shipment within a few days and is now taking orders for “North America Inland Waterways Map and Index”, which was compiled by David Edwards-May, et al, of Euromapping in Seyssinet, France, with a lot of collaboration with North American people and sources. The 27 x 39-inch colored map that simply folds out from this 64 page book (and folds back in just as easily) is exciting. It covers from Sioux City, Iowa, head of Missouri River navigation to the west, eastward to the Atlantic Coast. Plus it has lots of insets of special areas like the Pacific Northwest, New York/New Jersey area, Southern Florida, etc. Two pages of source materials reveal from where material was gleaned but also provide a gold mine of materials to be searched by the diligent researcher. Our price of $26 plus S&H is virtually the same if you send to France for it. We have a limited supply but will re-order as demand requires. The book should be a great tool for anyone interested in waterways, professionally or otherwise.
Tow Talkin'
April 25, 2005 By Kathy Flippo Did a little something different last week. Went inland up into northeast Illinois to pick up a fainting couch for the Clinton County Historical Museum of which I am a member. It is a spectacular couch that was made in Clinton in the late 1800s with original velvet upholstery and has never been refinished. So why am I telling you this? As I went east on U.S. 20 through Belvedere, I passed a Damlier Chrysler plant. They were loading new cars on to railroad cars. And that brings me to a story. Years ago Chrysler had a plant in Evansville, Indiana. They shipped cars by barge in the late 1940s and into the mid-50s. Commercial Barge Lines, Inc., of Evansville was the carrier and their towboats were all named the Commercial “something,” namely the Clipper, Courier, Dixie, Dispatch, Express, and Ohioan. Triple deck barges were loaded at the plant and then towed down the Ohio and then the Lower Mississippi…to continue reading this column, 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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