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May 30, 2005 -- Vol. 5 Issue 22 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:
Headline Errors
"If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile!" A Personal Note From Jack
 Judge Rules Against Fisheries Plan For Columbia Basin Dam For longer than most adults have been alive, salmon declines in the Pacific Northwest have been a problem. Once the whole area benefited greatly from the existence of salmon (fishing, canning, selling, the whole related operation, including sports fishing), which generated big bucks. No one to my knowledge has ever contested that. Along with development in the region, growth of cities, damming of rivers, and growing needs for power, the impact has been negative on the salmon. It might be safe to say that as the income generated by salmon declined, the benefits of hydroelectric power and low-cost water transportation rose. Fish have always fallen victim to dam turbines. This is nothing new. It is not good. But it is fact. For decades, efforts have been made to try to assist the salmon in their return up the rivers to spawn. Numerous methods have been tried at considerable expense. I am not trying to make the case here that efforts to protect salmon should halt. What I am saying is that officials have long been aware of the problem and have long been involved in trying to come up with solutions that would allow salmon to increase. The Associated Press recently reported, "On May 26 a federal judge rejected the Bush administration's $6 billion plan to improve the Columbia basin hydroelectric system, saying it violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to protect salmon." Said the AP: "U.S. District Judge James Redden in Portland ruled in favor of a challenge by environmentalists, Indian tribes and fishermen [to] a NOAA Fisheries opinion that the improvements would eliminate threats to salmon." The judge said that the listed species are in serious decline and not evidencing signs of recovery. His statement may well be true. It may mean that efforts to grow the salmon population have thus far failed. It does not mean that government is not concerned about the problem and that it is not trying to solve it. The interesting thing to me is that the NOAA is trying. But no matter what the governmental entities try to do, the environmentalists, Indian tribes and fishermen try to stop them. They have made efforts to have the Snake River dams removed, something the Clinton Administration said would never happen, and to our knowledge nothing has been done to advance the removal effort. Have we ever stopped to consider that the environmentalists, Indian tribes and fishermen don't have to prove a thing. What a lopsided battle this is! Everyone knows that salmon have been declining. But everyone else also knows that very little action taken in the U.S. today does not violate the EPA. All over America people use chemicals to protect their lawns from species. Even members of these non-illustrious groups who are fighting the NOAA violate EPA regulations all the time, in different ways, of course. No businesses are built without the companies first preparing environmental impact statements. The cost runs more than 30 percent of available project money, we're told. But these detractors have no requirement or even self-imposed duty to do anything but obstruct what the NOAA is trying to do. They have dedication only to their own cause. The government, on the other hand, not only must abide by the EPA regulations (Heaven forbid that the government should favor people over critters!) while at the same time serve and answer to the public. The needs of the nation are paramount and deserve more consideration by detractors than they get. Because of dams in the Pacific Northwest, low-cost transportation was extended to areas where it was never before possible. Because of the dams and hydroelectric facilities, low-cost power became available to a sizable piece of Pacific Northwest real estate. The ruling, says the AP release, sends NOAA back to the drawing board. They are charged with formulating a new plan that will better balance the region's power needs with those of the salmon. The obstructers have to prove nothing! The onus is on NOAA. Let's digress for a moment: Environmentalists are fond of using food chains and other neat tricks to show why some little creature should stand in the way of development. This little bug or that little bug, they may say, is food for another little creature that is food for another little creature, and that is why you cannot build this project which so many have decided is sorely needed to serve the needs of the community. Frequently environmentalists use the "missing creature" stunt to prove their point. They claimed black panthers lived in the Florida swamps. But wildlife officials never could find a trace. They claimed the Houston toad provided reason enough to halt a multi-million industrial park project several decades ago. No one had seen the toad for more than two decades at the time. The waters of the gulf had moved landward and the habitat area was literally eaten up by the sea. But it was enough to get the EPA to rule "no" on the project. Now if we use that same strategy with navigation projects, we can provide the same kind of argument. Mind you, no one has disagreed that salmon are declining. (Part of that is because of great advances in how fishermen take the fish at sea.) The improvement of hydroelectric facilities benefits their owners and benefits the users of electrical power. Remember, money is the coal that fires the furnace in this free capitalistic society. Because of additional power new businesses and individual homes as well benefit. This means more jobs for the area's residents and more spending money. Now switch to low-cost barge transportation. Farmers in the Pacific Northwest have been able to ship their products to market cheaper. But they would not do this unless there was a demand for the products that was not being filled. Considering the cost of transportation, huge expenditures are not made to create a trial run. At least we don't think that they are. There has to be evidence that a project to expand transportation availability would be successful. The would carry out feasibility studies to help them decide what to do. Having said that, let's apply the "food-chain" method of explaining our point. The expansion of low-cost transportation allowed farmers and other related businesses to expand and, we assume, provide more jobs for the citizenry of the area. This expansion of "wealth", if we can call it that, generates the need for other businesses not generally related to farming but related to simply population growth. We know this is a bit disorganized, but it is true. We think a search for ways to protect and increase salmon are worthwhile. We don't think destroying the region's economy should be solution. It is very difficult for NOAA to pinpoint every benefit that has derived from the operation of the dams and hydroelectric power and navigation. But that is what the environmentalists count on in their delaying tactics. As a result, the taxpayer is burdened with a growing expense of ongoing studies. Again, the detractors have to prove nothing. There is no doubt in my mind that what this eventually leads up to is a renewed attempt to eliminate dams. If the dams were eliminated, the area would suddenly experience a tragic loss of economic wealth, and growth would be stalled for decades, perhaps centuries. How many decades would it take for the salmon to return? Well, nature is funny, and we won't hazard a guess on that one. But it might not be as soon as detractors think, and even if it was, it would take decades to restore the industries to accommodate this great influx of fish that the litigants believe would exist. History is replete with environmental mistakes. Both environmentalists and government agencies make them - horrendous mistakes that rarely get reported. One of the worst mistakes, documented pretty well in published books, was the way the government handled oil spilled in Prince William Sound by the Exxon Valdez accident. One of the concerns was that it would ruin the salmon harvest, maybe even for years. When the oily beaches were searched for victims of the spill, no inventory was made of the oil-covered animals and birds. Washing the oil from the beaches was known to work but only if the temperature of the water was kept below a certain degree. Otherwise it would kill the bacteria that is known to help a beach recover on its own. So the Coast Guard ordered the beaches washed with very hot water - water so hot that it killed off the good little critters that would allow the beaches to recover by themselves. As it turned out, any salmon killed by the spill were salvaged, canned and sent to Russia. The year of the spill, the area realized almost a record salmon harvest. It is unfortunate that the flora and fawn on the beaches became victims of first the spill, then of the Coast Guard's bad decision. But our focus here is on the salmon harvest. Overseers were wrong in what would happen with the fish, and the government was wrong about the solution it chose to clean up the oily beaches. The millions of dollars lost in California where private homes burned because the government wouldn't let owners cut brush that provided habitat for kangaroo rats is another example. The government disallowed regional benefits to be a factor in considering whether the Cross-Florida Barge Canal should have been deauthorized decades ago. That was another blunder. The canal would have accommodated the shipment of coal to Florida power plants at reduced costs - costs that would have been credited to the region as benefits. But the Corps and federal government had to defeat the plan some way. So they changed the benefit/cost ratio rules by disallowing legitimate benefits, and the canal was de-authorized. Florida plant owners shifted their coal purchases offshore, so Americans lost the business. Eventually the Florida EPA, thanks to the EPA chief who once served with Al Gore and assisted him on his environmental book, all but destroyed the movement of oil anywhere near Florida and ultimately played a role in eliminating oil-spill insurance from the offerings of many maritime insurance companies. The one good thing that came out of the whole business was the Oil Pollution Act, which required tank barges to be double-hulled by (I think) 2010. I could be off a year or more on that. I think the Corps and the NOAA and other entities involved have been trying to solve the salmon problem in the Pacific Northwest. The detractors are not solving it. The only solution they propose is "down with the dams." The answer hasn't been found yet, but we think there is one out there somewhere. In the meantime, NOAA wants to improve the spillways on Snake River dams by installing removable weirs that will allow fish to pass through the dams uninjured. This method would result in the loss of less water. It's worth a try, we think. In the meantime, the NOAA has to do its biological opinion over again. We assume it will never be correct unless it agrees with the litigants. A hearing is scheduled for June 10. For Those Inclined To Pray
 Because I concluded that the procedures I had set up to allow people to join our Prayer Circle and submit prayer requests were obstacles to participation, I have modified the steps. If you visit the Prayer Circle link at www.littleriverbooks.com, you will find that those who sign up are completely anonymous. We do not ask for first names any longer nor states of residence. A visit to the link will explain our purpose. 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 sending 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
In the next few weeks we will be working to update Portals to the Waterways and present current information on the status of major water resource development issues. Readers are invited to visit to see how they and business entities can help us reach this goal.   If you are a towboat cook, home chef, backyard barbecuer, tailgater, or know anybody who is, please pass the word along to submit recipes to www.littleriverbooks.com where they can go to "Other Services" on the menu. This site is nicely designed and easy to explore. It also provides an easy way to contribute recipes. Keep in mind that towboat crews can number from a few to a dozen or more.
Thanks to Karen Masterson, towboat cook on Mv. Twyla Luhr, for submitting the following recipe: Double Chip Bars 1/2 cup butter 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1 can sweetened condensed milk 2 cups chocolate chips 1 cup peanut butter chips coconut & nuts optional Melt 1/2 cup butter in a 13"x9" cake pan. Sprinkle 1-1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs over melted butter. Pat down to form bottom crust. Layer in order 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 2 cups chocolate chips, 1 cup peanut butter chips, coconut and nuts (optional). Press down firmly. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely. 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
Missouri Basin Governors Set Aside Differences, Fight To Save Water The “Omaha World-Herald” reported last week, “Despite years of contentious disputes and lawsuits, all eight governors of Missouri River basin states have agreed to set aside their differences and fight to save water in the river.” The governors have signed a pact calling on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to what it legally can to conserve water behind its five Missouri River dams from Nebraska to Montana. Mark Johnston, a spokesman for South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, led the effort to draft a resolution addressing drought, lack of runoff into the upstream basin and the need for maximum conservation efforts, the “World-Herald” reported. The process took three months. The resolution also calls for “full and adequate” federal funding to help endangered and threatened species. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt signed the pact last week, putting Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Missouri all in accord. The Corps says it has been trying to save as much water as possible upstream. Flows are too low to support barge traffic north of Omaha to Sioux City, Iowa. As we have reported previously in B&B, the Corps plans to shorten the barge season by 61 days. It is expected that the Corps initiatives will save about 500,000 acre-feet of water in the reservoirs this year. Golden Eagle River Museum Artifacts Exhibit To Open At SEMO (Editor's note: The following is a news that we acquired permission to print verbatim because of its nature. Many people we know are interested in the status of the artifacts sent to Southeast Missouri State University at Cape Girardeau.) 'Riverboat Legacy' Exhibit Opening May 31 in Museum CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., May 20, 2005 -- "Riverboat Legacy: A Gift from the Golden Eagle River Museum" will be on display from May 31 to Aug. 14 in the Southeast Missouri Regional Museum at Southeast Missouri State University.  Riverboat enthusiasts, local historians, and families are invited to the opening reception, to be held on June 11 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the museum in Memorial Hall on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. Family Day activities, including milk-carton boat building and sand casting, will be held on the same day, June 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The exhibition features riverboat models, photographs, bells, steam whistles, navigation equipment, tableware and many other artifacts that recall the golden era when steamboat packets plied the western rivers. When the Golden Eagle Club was founded in 1942 in St. Louis, members were required to have ridden on the "Golden Eagle," a packet boat operated by the Eagle Packet Line. Among the many interesting photographs on display is a 1943 image of the club's first annual banquet, said Dr. Stanley Grand, director of the Southeast Missouri Regional Museum. During a club excursion on May 18, 1947, the "Golden Eagle" hit an obstacle and sank. One conscientious passenger later made a scrapbook filled with photographs and written commentary. The scrapbook contents will be on display in a digital format, Grand said. After the loss, the club continued to meet and members later founded the museum, which was located in the Nims Mansion at Bee Tree Park from the 1970s until the museum closed in October 2004.  In the spring of 2004, the Southeast Missouri Regional Museum approached the Golden Eagle Museum about the possibility of transferring its collection to Cape Girardeau. At the time, the Regional Museum was seeking artifacts for future display at the new River Campus Museum, which is scheduled to be completed in August 2007, Grand said. "This exhibition will offer local visitors the first opportunity to see the extent and richness of this gift, which the Golden Eagle River Museum Board of Directors made in late 2004," he said.
The exhibition is organized thematically. Model boats trace the evolution of watercraft during the 19th and 20th centuries. The revolutionary impact of the steam engine on transportation is clearly demonstrated by comparing models of pre-steam vessels (canoes, bull boats, flat boats, and keel boats) with steam-driven side wheelers and sternwheelers or diesel-powered propeller craft. The exhibit contains a number of large and impressive artifacts. One outstanding example is the pilot wheel from the Steamer "Betsy Ann," which was captained by Fred Way, Jr., who was also a noted river historian and author, Grand said. The anchor from the "Gordon C. Greene," formerly the "Cape Girardeau," is also on view. Communication devices, including an engine-room telegraph, bells, whistles, towboat company house flags, and a megaphone from the "Tennessee Belle" also are on display. Visitors also can see examples of tools used to build and repair riverboats. A tool chest salvaged from the "Golden Eagle," mallets and wedges for caulking wooden-hulled boats, and foundry patterns used in casting engine parts are included, Grand said. Storage bins from the Eagle Boat Store Co.-which once sold tools, ropes, and other river necessities-and Captain "Buck" Leyhe's roll top desk are reminders of a past era on the St. Louis wharf. Riverboats confronted numerous hazards as they plied the inland waters. Sounding rods and lead lines were used to determine the river channel's depth and thus avoid sand and mud bars that could ground and sink a boat. Nonetheless, many boats were lost. On view are a diver's air pump that once provided salvage divers with a steady supply of air, and a pair of heavy brass diver's shoes, Grand said. Finally, the west gallery has been set up as a children's interactive activity space. A replica of a pilothouse, complete with wheel, is the highlight of this area, which also includes a knot display and knot-tying materials. Boy Missing After Cruiser Collides with Empty Barge The Associated Press reported Saturday that a 12-year-old boy is missing after the cabin cruiser on which he was a passenger collided with an empty tow being pushed by the tugboat Leah Cenac that day. Coast Guard crews searched Bayou Cutler by helicopter and boat, and rescue crews from Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries also joined the search for the boy, whose name was not released. Three adults and a 14-year-old teenager also were thrown into the water in the incident. The adults sustained no serious injuries. The teenager was taken to West Jefferson Hospital. The four were rescued by the Coast Guard. There were no further details regarding the extent of the teenager's injuries. The Leah Cenac was not damaged nor were there any injuries reported to its crew, the AP said. There were no reports of pollution from the accident. A Change Of Pace
124-Pound Blue Catfish Dies En route To Outfitter Store The Associated Press reported on May 25 that a record 124-pound blue catfish caught May 22 in the Mississippi River near Alton, Ill., by Tim Pruitt, 33, of Godfrey, Ill., died en route to Kansas City, Mo., where it was to be displayed in Cabela's Outfitter store in a huge tank. A fisheries biologist said precautions had been taken to keep the fish comfortable and that they were baffled by its death. The fish measured 58 inches long and 44 inches around. The biologist said the fish was very old and very heavy. "The stress of being transported like that could have been too much." 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 Our Readers Write
Re: Tennessee River I would like you to know that here on the Tennessee River, we are having a big problem with the practice of flushing the debris fields downstream. I am 4.2 miles below Wheeler Dam at RDB 270. There is almost always a log or two floating past our place. However, when they open the trash gates at Wheeler Dam, there are times you could almost walk across this junk! Worse yet, it seems they always do it at the end of the week when folks would like to enjoy the river. We spend hours with the chain saw cutting up the logs on our beach. Also, picking up trash and burning it. The so called sportsmen add much to the problem. The beach is always full of Styrofoam bait boxes, bottles of urine and dead Carp that the "Sportsmen" kill with a bat when they catch them, and then throw into the river for someone else to clean up. The Sportsmen are not the only problem. I have neighbors who throw all of their grass clippings, dead branches and so forth into the river. Many of us have asked them not to do this, but they persist. This is a beautiful scenic area. It puzzles me that people defile such a beautiful place. Folks traveling here would do well to pay strict attention to their heading so as to not hit anything. We need strict enforcement and bigger fines or better littering laws. J. P. Corbin From Ingo Steller in Germany: Thank you very much for your interest. I live in Duesseldorf, Germany which is close to Cologne, on the border of the lower Rhine. Basically, I am specialize in Rhine navigation, but  I am also interested in inland navigation on other rivers, especially on the Mississippi - it was my first time I spent a considerable amount of time at the Mississippi this year. I own a large archive and collect data of all Rhine vessels built since 1979. Since then about 2000 self-propelled vessels have been built, some of the latest new-built vessels have a cargo capacity between 4000 and 9000 tons.
During my stay in St. Louis this April, I took pictures of several towboats which might be worth to be presented in your Boat Photo Center. I like your Boat Photo Center very much, for it helped me with the identification of the towboats I have seen. Enclosed, you will find pictures and the respective descriptions. In case you are interested, I could also provide you with recent towboat pictures from Germany (lower river Rhine). The total number of vessels registered in the International Rhine Shipping Register (IVR) is about 14,000. This number consists of all types of ships: self-propelled (freight motor ships, tank motor ships, container ships, passenger vessels, towboats), barges. Emphasis of the IVR is the fleet of the river Rhine and its tributaries, but the Danube, Elbe, Oder and Seine fleets are partially included. The transport volume on the Rhine and its tributaries was 226 millions tons in 2004. Most of it is transported by self-propelled vessels. The largest fleet on the Rhine is the Dutch fleet. The majority of vessels is belonging to private owners (many of which are living on board), the percentage of vessels belonging to major shipping companies is on the decrease. Many shipping companies have gone out of business, selling their fleet to private owners who remain in charter of the shipping company. Since 1979, about 2000 self-propelled vessels have been built. The number of new-built vessels has been steadily increasing over the last years. 2004 was a record year. The average vessel size has increased over the last years. The average vessel in 1979 had a cargo capacity of 1,500 tons; the average size has increased to about 3,000 tons. More and more ship's hulls are built in Eastern Europe and China. This is very sad, because many experienced European shipyards have gone out of business. Among these is De Biesbosch in Dordrecht, The Netherlands, the most renowned shipyard for towboat and barge building. After a climax in the Seventies and Eighties, towboating is on the decrease. Many towboats have already been scrapped, even from the beginning of the Seventies. The oldest line haul towboat in ore bulk service on the Lower Rhine dates from 1970. Only two major towboating companies (each about 10 towboats) still exist which are engaged in bulk service on the Lower Rhine: - Veerhaven BV, Brielle, The Netherlands (subsidiary of German steel producer ThyssenKrupp Stahl) - Imperial (former Haniel Reederei, Duisburg) with its headquarter in South Africa Some other shipping companies (e.g. Lehnkering, CFNR) have sold considerable parts of their fleets and are operating large chartered fleets. Container shipping has been constantly increasing over the last years. Almost every port on the Rhine has a container terminal. Container vessel sizes are increasing. The largest container vessels can carry about 400 TEU (4 high, 6 wide). Their dimensions are: 443 by 56 feet, 7,500 tons deadweight, 2 x 1,500 hp! Container tow combinations are in operation, consisting of one pushing container ship and 3 barges, overall dimensions 607 by 75 feet, 10,000 tons, about 550 TEU. Daily services are offered from some of the terminals. Most terminals are trimodal (ship / train / lorry). Since 1992, almost every new-built inland tanker is double-hulled. More than 200 double-hull tankers are already in operation, and they will substitute the single-hull tankers one by one within the next decades. These vessels carry predominantly chemicals, but also acids, crude oil and even liquefied gases. The largest inland ship to date is the tanker Vlissingen in Rotterdam, owned by VT. Overall dimensions are: 443 by 70,5 feet, 9,536 tons deadweight! Passenger vessels: Over 100 hotel vessels are in operation on Rhine and Danube for several day trips (passengers sleep on board). In Germany, over 400 vessels operate on rivers and lakes for day trips only. I could provide you with more information and pictures, if you are interested. Ingo Steller Duesseldorf, Germany (Editor's note: We have several pictures from Mr. Steller in our Photo Center this week.) I recently had pleasure to stop and chat with Bill Fullenwider in Brandenburg, Ky. Mr. Fullenwider grew up at Concordia and well remembers the steamboat days. We enjoyed a two-hour conversation, during which I heard about steamboat disasters, the '37 Flood, shanty boaters and different sounds made by side-wheelers vs sternwheelers. Mr. Fullenwider has a hand-held dinner bell that he says came from a steamboat by the name of Church??? He isn't real sure of the name. He is curious if anybody is familiar with such a steamboat. He also gave me several older copies of "The Waterways Journal." Ron Richardson (Editor's note: We checked Way's packet directory and found nothing. If anyone knows of such a boat, perhaps they can contact Ron.) Boat Photo Center
 We are pleased to feature this week several pictures taken by Ingo Steller of Duesseldorf, Germany. Three of them were taken in St. Louis in April of this year. One is a beautiful boat (EWT 107), a triple-screw towboat on the lower Rhine. We want visitors to our web site www.littleriverbooks.com to know that we are very much interested in receiving pictures of towing vessels from any country. One of our goals is to convince American readers that the rest of the world is working hard to improve their river systems and river transportation, particularly the European Union countries. This week we feature four pictures from Ingo Steller (the St. Louis pictures include the Jeffboat and the Kevin Flowers)and the EWT 107; from John Miller the Deana Miller, Dredge Goetz, John M. Rivers, Virginia Ingram and Walter E. Blessey, Jr.; from Tom Waller the Miss Kris and Egret; and from Hugh Davis the O. H. Ingram. Advertisement
I have a 35 mm Nikon F2 in mint condition and lots of other goodies for a combined price of $750. The only lens is a 52 mm Nikormat macro (and extender ring) that allows for shooting relatively normal pictures (no telephoto zoom or wide angle) that allows focusing down to about 2 inches. Other accessories include horsehide camera bag (large boxy type), and various extras too numerous to describe. I will not break up the package. Anyone interested can contact me by calling 314/921-4419 and ask for Jack, or via email at jacksimpson@littleriverbooks.com. Book Beat
Backing Hard Into River History - by James V. Swift 
384 pages. 198 illustrations. Hard cover. Nonfiction. This book is the first in an open-ended series being published by the publisher's Little River Books Division. It covers the last 100 years of river development and the towing industry; the 112-year history of The Waterways Journal, known affectionately as the "riverman's bible"; and the author's 60-year love affair with both. It explains clearly the value of the nation's inland waterways and the benefits derived from them. Views on the Mississippi (The Photographs of Henry Peter Bosse) - by Mark Neuzil 
272 pages. 95 cyanotype photographs, 36 illustrations. Soft cover. Table top book. Said to be the first comprehensive collective of photographs by the foremost 19th-Century photographer of the Mississippi River. Henry Peter Bosse, a mapmaker and photographer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, lived from 1844-1903. He took more than 300 photographs of the Upper Mississippi River from 1883-1893, a time of precedented environmental and social change. View on the Mississippi brings together for the first time nearly 100 of Bosse's most stunning images. These photographs - tracing the river from Minneapolis to St. Louis - capture the Mississippi as it was being transformed from an untamed natural wonder to a modern commercial highway. The cyanotype process produced large-format photographs in crisp vivid blue tones. It is a large (13-1/4" x 9-3/8") volume. The Conquest of the Missouri - by Joseph Mills Hanson 
496 pages. 23 b/w photos. Soft cover. 5.25 in. by 8 in. A classic narrative as seen through the eyes of Capt. Grant Marsh. Capt. Grant Marsh was one of the river pilots who navigated the shoals and rapids of the Missouri River. Captain Marsh watched Jackson's sense of American Manifest Destiny unfold. He helped survey the upper reaches of the Missouri, he took his steamer to the shallows of Little Bighorn to return battle-weary soldiers to their homes, and he watched as the region was transformed from a lonesome wilderness to a region of agriculture, commerce, and industry. In his presentations of the life of the great steamboat captain, Joseph Mills Hanson provides historical context for Capt. Marsh's accomplishments and uses accounts of his contemporaries to breath life into one of the men who helped shape the future of this nation. "The Conquest of the Missouri" is one of the classic narratives on the history of the American West.  Moby Dick - by Herman Melville 624 pages plus epilogue with maps and illustrations. Soft cover. Fiction. 150th Anniversary Edition. Introduction by Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In The Heart of the Sea. Moby Dick is an indisputable literary classic. Captain Ahab is an eerily compelling madman as he pursues an unholy war against a creature as vast and dangerous and unknowable as the sea itself - the great white whale. Fun reading for adults, then for their children and grandchildren. Nautical Gift Shop
Tow Talkin'
May 30, 2005 By Kathy Flippo There is one excellent reason to be on a towboat from April through October; you don't have to mow grass! The people that think there is nothing better than a beautiful green lawn, maintained that way with chemicals to kill the weeds, rate pretty low in my book.  The opposite of mowing grass is shoveling snow, and that I love. I can work outside hours on end, and it doesn't bother me at all. And yes, we do shovel snow on a towboat. The barge walkways get shoveled and salted as does the main deck of the boat.
This is the weekend when all the idiots come out of their houses and run around our rivers like they left their brains at home. Use some sense folks! You wouldn't challenge a roaring freight train…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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