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June 6, 2005 -- Vol. 5 Issue 23 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
"New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group" A Personal Note From Jack
 I am inspired again to get into the subject of foreign trade, exporting business, importing cheap labor and what many, including me, think is a questionable loss of jobs in the United States.
My purpose is to point out that what we hear from the detractors and from the proponents of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is different and expectedly so. What we hear from detractors and supporters of the proposed Central America Free Trade Agreement is different and expectedly so. According to author Lou Dobbs in "Exporting America", NAFTA did us no good. Dobbs quotes all kinds of government figures and statistics that show how NAFTA opened the door for the outflow of U.S. businesses and jobs. The government simply opened the door and those in business who wanted to move out of the U.S. to find cheap labor took advantage of it. During the succeeding years, we see that the door has been opened also for the importing of cheap labor. It doesn’t matter who I call for information, often as not I am put on the phone with a foreign worker who I find difficult to understand. Those who support NAFTA (and now CAFTA) argue that it will bring cheaper prices to the U.S. These cheaper prices, they say, seem to make up for the loss of middle class jobs. Those who opposed NAFTA and now oppose CAFTA argue that the results have been very damaging and they hope to stop it. On June 6, however, the office of the Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco sent out a letter that she had addressed to President Bush. In it she says there are 27,000 people working in the sugar cane industry in Louisiana, utilizing 600,000 acres in 40 percent of the states parishes. She believes passage of CAFTA will be disastrous to the state, causing an estimated loss of $750 million in sugar cane sales, as well as another $2 billion in related industry revenue. And, of course, the jobs will be gone. She requests Bush not to bring CAFTA up for a vote. The Bush Administration stands firmly behind CAFTA and any comments made by members of the administration can be expected to put a rosy hue on the expected results of such a trade agreement. But here is what I see and hear.
The telecast last week featured an author who emphasized how Americans must change their approach. They must adjust to new markets and new jobs that do not lend themselves to outsourcing. Well, that is a brilliant thought. Every man and woman out of work can figure that out. But many of them are at an age when they cannot start over. Many have mortgages on their homes and two cars in the garage and college tuition to worry about. If their standard of living has been totally disrupted by layoffs, then they are in deep muck. The college kids coming up will do fine. They will move into new jobs while they are young enough to still be single and not have heavy financial responsibilities or haven’t developed a desire to own everything in sight yet. They will work their way up the ladder. But the older workers who got "offed" will not fair so well. Many will lead tragic lives, what with medical coverage not always available to them. If CAFTA and NAFTA could keep our country perking and provide lots of good jobs, it wouldn’t bother me. But those who are left out do bother me. I have no personal dog in this fight, since I have been retired now going on 10 years. I have carved out my niche. But the poor people whose workplace moved overseas and who are too old to start over are between a rock and a hard place. If only the government would be a little more sympathetic toward them. It is one thing to buy inexpensive foreign imports because you like the product and the price. It is something quite different to HAVE TO BUY THEM because you have been forced into a hard luck position where you can afford nothing better. P.S. As I was preparing to put this issue to bed, I saw in the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" an article that reported how difficult it is for young people to find jobs this summer. Why? Because retired folks who have had to take part-time jobs to supplement their meager incomes are getting them. The report, out of Seattle, Wash., said that only 36.7 percent of the nation’s teenagers will find work this summer. Even that number may be optimistic, because during the last three years actual employment figures fell below economists’ predictions. In the state of Washington, the number of over-55 workers climbed to 181,194 in 2004, the "Seattle Times" reports, from 149,500 in 2001. Other competition for low-wage jobs is coming from across the borders. In the last five years the United States has gained 3 million immigrant workers, more than half of them under 30. 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. Newsletter News
In our B&B for May 30 I erroneously credited Mark Johnston, a spokesman for South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, with being the spark plug for the conservation pact signed by the eight Missouri River basin states. Gov. Rounds led the effort. As it pertains to B&B, our web site and coverage we get, we are printing further along in this issue an email from Canada. We do so because while it is not particularly personal, it indicates interest in our newsletter. The writer, Jon van der Doe, has long been a subscriber. 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
Barge-Construction Contract Reported BizJournals has reported that during the first two months of the second quarter, Trinity Industries, Inc., has signed orders for 198 hopper barges, valued at $82 million. Timothy R. Wallace, Trinity Industries’ president and CEO was quoted as saying he was pleased with the orders and that it appears to indicate the beginning of recovery in this business. Louisiana Legislative Committee Okays Riverboat, Airport Gambling Bills passed by a panel of the Louisiana Legislature in late May authorize riverboat and airport gambling and next will go to the House floor (if that has not already happened). One bill allows slot machines on cruise ships that are based in New Orleans but visit other ports. The other permits slot machines at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans. They would be located in areas open only to ticketed passengers. Video poker gambling is already allowed. The bill to allow riverboat gambling is aimed specifically at the Delta Queen Steamboat Company’s American Queen and allows up to 110 gambling positions. It authorizes the gambling on cruise boats with overnight birthing for 400 passengers, which conduct 48-hour excursions, and when the cruise begins and ends in New Orleans. Company officials said the gambling area would be an amenity not an attraction. Gambling proceeds would be taxed at the rate of 18.5 percent, with one-fourth going to New Orleans to bolster police and fire protection, and the remainder divided up among the dozen other parishes where the vessel would travel. The bill’s sponsor Rep. Danny Martiny (R-Kenner) said the bill is an effort to help the Delta Queen Steamboat Co. hang on to its business in the face of increasing competition. Two Die, One Missing As Fishing Boat Hits Barge Minnesota authorities have recovered two bodies and were searching for a third after a small aluminum fishing boat struck a parked barge near Salvage, Minn. Alcohol seems to have been a factor in the incident, and none of the boat’s passengers was wearing a lifejacket. The mishap occurred shortly before 11 p.m. on Sunday, May 29. Witnesses said the boat’s passengers were "hooting and hollering when they came by." The recovered bodies where those of Melissa Rae Burns, 25, and Thomas John Schwake, 24. When agencies responded to the scene, they used radar to detect what they believed to be a boat and body under one of the barges. A towboat arrived Monday at 9 a.m. and began removing barges. The damaged boat surfaced, but so far the third body has not be recovered. Mv. Olde K Sunk In Gulf Of Mexico To Create Fishing Reef Despite what you may read in "The Waterways Journal", it was not the Mv. Kay A. Eckstein that was sunk in the Gulf of Mexico recently to create a fishing reef. At least it wasn’t the new one. It was the Olde K, which had burned in May 1999. The Olde K has had several names, one of them Kay A. Eckstein.  Confusing? Here’s the data. The Olde K built at Greenville, Miss., by Mainstream Shipyards in 1973, and was originally the Daytona. Then she became the Gopher State. The GS was sold in February 1989 and renamed Kay A. Eckstein by Marquette Transportation Co., Inc., Paducah, Ky. It was in April 2000 (after the fire) that the vessel was officially renamed Olde K by Marquette, so that the name Kay A. Eckstein could be given to a new boat built in 2000 by Quality Shipyards, Houma, La.
The Daytona-Gopher State-Kay A. Eckstein-Olde K measured 148 by 45 feet and had 7,300 hp. The "new" Kay A. Eckstein, still much alive and breathing, is 180 by 48 feet and has 8,800 hp. The artificial reef is in an area 30 miles south of Pascagoula and is known for red snapper, triggerfish, cobia, grouper, sharks and king mackeral. Marquette Transportation has confirmed the identity of the sunken boat. The Boat Photo Museum has provided a picture of the old Kay A. Eckstein. Boy Missing After Collision (Update) In last weeks B&B we cited an Associated Press report that a 12-year-old boy was missing after a cabin cruiser on which he and four others were passengers collided with an empty barge. The barge was in tow of the Leah Cenac. Four passengers apparently were rescued. As late as May 31, it was reported that the Coast Guard was still looking. The grandfather, who was controlling the boat, said some of the children were standing in the front of the boat and it blocked his view of the 85-foot barge. The Leah Cenac was not damaged nor were there any injuries reported to its crew, the AP said. Tug (Towboat?) Polaris Sinks Near New Iberia, La. While there is a slight question about the exact identification of a vessel that sank last Wednesday in the Commercial Canal near the Port of New Iberia, La., a vessel named Polaris surely did sink, and it did spill 1,050 gallons of diesel fuel, and it did shut down the waterway traffic in and out of the port for a few days. The question arises from a news source that called the boat a tugboat. River watchers in the Midwest are wondering if it is the same Polaris that started out as the Tom Ragsdale in 1955. One curious writer said he noted a difference in the size and name in the "Inland River Record" and is wondering if there may actually be a tug by that name down there, too. Responding to the note of interest, Dan Owen, editor of the IRR, concluded that the Polaris that sank is probably the towboat listed in the IRR. He believes the difference in the length is the way the Coast Guard documents the length, versus the overall length. Coast Guard records show only one Polaris documented currently. He thought Viking Marine may have the boat chartered, or possibly even bought the boat in recent weeks, and the change has not made the records yet. Having brought you up to date, we will now go on to say that the "towboat" Polaris had a crew of three, all of whom escaped without injury. The cause of the sinking is unknown at this time (June 4). How much port companies will lose financially because of the traffic shutdown will depend on how long the salvage operation lasts and what kind of products various companies had scheduled to move. New Iberia is primarily dedicated to fabricating equipment used by the oil and gas industry, which makes it less vulnerable to loss than a regular cargo port would be. Cleanup is underway. A Change Of Pace
No! The Mississippi Did Not Run Backwards Again. Remember the New Madrid earthquake? It made the Mississippi River run backwards for a time. It formed a new lake. It did lots of things. And, above all, it keeps people nowadays thinking about what if? Reports out of Dyersburg, Tenn., on June 2 indicated that a minor earthquake struck northwestern Tennessee early Thursday morning, jarring some residents but causing no reported damage. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the area where the quake hit is in the New Madrid fault zone, a seismically active area that runs along the Mississippi River. Dyer County Fire Chief Paul Medling said that emergency agencies were flooded with calls right after 6:38 a.m. CDT, but there was no damage reported. Medling, who was still in bed at the time, said, "I felt my house shake twice, my bed shook twice, and I heard a big boom." (Editor’s note: One river observer suggested that many geologists are more concerned with a New Madrid quake than one on the San Andreas. Consider the possibility of a massive wall of Mississippi River water washing out the Old River Dam and diverting the Mississippi down the Atchafalaya through Morgan City. That would devastate Louisiana’s entire industrial base and wreak havoc on the Mid-West’s commerce, he said.) 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
From Canada Re: B&B Newsletter Hope this letter find you in good health. We have the winter again behind us although it is not yet a real summer, but at least the cold weather is gone. As always, do I read with pleasure your newsletter. In your last letter you printed a letter you received from a fellow from Dusseldorf, Germany, Ingo Seller. I forwarded this letter to Dirk van der Meulen, the webmaster of www.vaart.nl and the forum, who in turn forwarded the letter to de president of de Binnenvaart Society" Jos Hubens, www.debinnenvaart.nl (a society of the Inland Shipping in The Netherlands and Europe. This afternoon I received a letter from Jos, for the email address of Ingo Seller, so he can contact him regarding the pictures he has taken of the ships passing the city and his interest in the Inland Shipping. My request, can you supply me with this e-mail address so I can forward it to Jos Hubens? As always I enjoy looking at the pictures you provide us with every week. Those pictures are put in my file of the Mississippi towboats, and also I send those pictures to a former diver I used to work with at Smit-Tak. No, we do not use the pictures for any other use, for the simple reason that hardly anybody over in The Netherlands is interested in it. You have no idea how hard it is to get anybody interested in the tug-and towing industry other than their own. I started at http://www.groningerkustvaart.nl/maritime forums/kustvaart/winter on the Great Lakes as a subject. There is a large number of viewers but very little reply, but I try to keep it alive. Those, who are responding do this with great interest. John van der Doe Fergus, Ontario, Canada Re: Virginia Bennett: Thought you’d be interested in knowing that I had a nice phone chat with Virginia [Bennett] this morning. She sounds the best I’ve heard her in many weeks and said she’s getting stronger and better each day! She was away from her apartment for 30+ days, and said she shed tears of joy when she got back home [to Covington, Ky.,] and saw the beautiful Ohio flowing by her front porch! She attributes her rapid comeback to the love and support from her multitude of "river family" who have been so good with prayers, cards, flowers and all manner of good deeds. With all her river friends, both on the boats and on shore, she has a river network second to none! [She always has her marine radio handy.] I also want to share that Saturday, June 4, marked the 90th birthday of Capt. Charles Henry Stone, beloved riverman of Point Pleasant, W.Va., whose family has been "on the river" for many years. Capt. Stone is well known for his humorous speeches at S&D meetings in Marietta, Ohio, and for his work with the Ohio-Kanawha Chapter of S&D, as well as the new Point Pleasant River Museum. He and his lovely wife, Jean, also celebrated their wedding anniversary last week, although I don’t know how many this makes for them. Capt. Stone’s family has been big on the river in the Point Pleasant area for many years, operating the ferry there and a towing service in later years. Capt. Stone’s father and grandfather were also rivermen. Capt. Charles Henry is a dear man and a real comedian. Hope you can meet him sometime. Keith Norrington Re: February 28th Newsletter Was looking back over past issues and read the discussion concerning wheelhouse monitoring systems called for by the Oklahoma legislature. As an active mariner working on a vessel equipped with such a system, I want to share my thoughts with you and your readers. When I began my piloting career in 1980, the vessel I worked aboard had only the basic navigation tools—two searchlights, swing meter, sounder, two VHF radios, a side band radio and a Moody radar set that was as big as a Volkswagon beetle. As time progressed I have seen more and more equipment being installed in wheelhouses in the name of safety and efficiency, some helpful, some not. Now I am surrounded by the most recent state of the art navigation equipment that is available to the industry. I must say that I would never want to go back. With computer email communications the days of missed barges or landings is over. If you ever had to scream barge numbers [while] trying to be heard on the SSB [single sideband], you can see why these past practices will not be missed. With electronic charts I know with authority where I am in the channel, whether the buoys or lights are present or not. I can now see my slide with accuracy on a dark night as I approach the Vicksburg Bridge. And recently wheelhouse monitors have been installed. At first I was leery of another electronic system, especially one that was tied into the boats steering system. But, as before, time and mileage has proven this most recent addition a valuable tool. Falling asleep at the sticks is nothing new for our industry. We have all heard of someone who "dozed off" and as working mariners we understand why. I am proud to say that I have never fallen asleep, but even with my two-pot-per-watch caffeine intake there were times when I was "fuzzy headed" and maybe daydreaming a little more that I should have been. To have a "beeeeeep!" interrupting my meditation is not a bad thing. And if I don’t respond to the first alarm, a second alarm announces my inattention or incapacitation to the whole boat. History proves that this is a good safeguard to have on a commercial towing vessel. As far as "big brother watching" scenario, so what? I’m glad someone, or something, is watching over me while on watch. After 28 years of bumming around on boats, I’ll take all the help I can get, even if it does represent change. A safe mile is a good mile. Luke Moore River Recipes
 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 Joyce Cochran-Loyd (retired from the W. A. Kernan) for submitting the following recipe (plus a lot more which are now in the River Recipe Center)! OVEN BAKED BBQ RIBS Large package spare ribs Add a dash of : garlic powder, Mrs. Dash, onion powder, and creole seasoning to meat. Place on cookie sheet and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 350 for 3 hours. Uncover and add BBQ sauce. Put on grill or finish in oven. Very tender — will fall off the bone (no need to boil them). My Favorite BBQ Sauce Recipe: 1 can tomato soup 3/4 cup brown sugar Simmer for a few minutes then add 1 tbsp. corn starch. Mix well and pour over meat. Boat Photo Center
 In this week’s Boat Photo Center we feature the Kay A. Eckstein (which became the Olde K in 2000), courtesy of the Boat Photo Museum; the Jane G. Huffman and David L. Fields from Jim Klosterboer; and five interesting new pictures illustrating specialized Rhine River towing from Ingo Steller of Duesseldorf, Germany. Steller’s photographs exhibit quite a variety.
We also have included a new picture of the St. Louis skyline at dusk, taken by Ed Rahe of "The Waterways Journal." The picture is available in the 11 x 14 size. Those interested may contact Ed at 314-921-4419. The print he provides is much nicer than our illustration. We have not seen this print before and thought someone might find it interesting. I would like to invite all those who contribute pictures to help me out in the next couple weeks. Toward the end of the month, both our webmaster and I will be on a tough schedule and find little time to devote to the newsletter. We want to do some advance preparation for the issue of the 27th. Many thanks. - Jack 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
We continue to emphasize that we carry some very good, educational Missouri River books that are good reads and really give you good background on Missouri River steamboating, as well as the lifestyle during the years covered. Steamboat Legacy - by Dorothy Heckmann Shrader  276 pages. Illustrated. Soft cover. Nonfiction - The book is based on the diaries of Mary Louise Miller Heckmann, the author’s grandmother. Steamboat Legacy is a faithful record of 43 years of the life and times of a steamboat family. It is a tale told by those who were there, recorded by the granddaughter Mary Miller Heckmann never knew. The diaries begin in 1866. The reader will step back a century to the rowdy port of Hermann, Missouri, and the shining heyday of the steamers that once plied the beautiful Gasconade, Osage and wild Missouri rivers. John Hartford said it best, "…For river buffs, historians, folklorists, and readers in general-Steamboat Legacy is a keeper."Our Price: $11.50 Steamboat Treasures - by Dorothy Heckmann Shrader  252 pages. Illustrated. Soft cover. Nonfiction - In the critically acclaimed Steamboat Legacy - the first book of her Missouri River Trilogy-Dorothy Heckmann Shrader told the poignant tale of her grandparent’s generation. In Steamboat Treasures, she traces the writings and career of her wonderfully outspoken uncle, Steamboat Bill Heckmann, the Mark Twain of the Missouri River.Our Price: $11.50 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.Our Price: $14.95 For Wood and Water: Steamboating on the Missouri River from Saint Louis to Fort Union, Dakota Territory 1841-1846 - by Mark H. Bettis  160 pages. Soft cover. Nonfiction. For Wood and Water is based on never-before-published material that documents the life and times aboard Missouri River steamboats of the 1840s. The book is a collection of journals authored by Capt. Joseph A. Sire on his annual voyages to the Upper Missouri River. Sire was chief transportation officer for the Pierre Chouteau and Co. He was instrumental in the Upper Missouri River fur trade and often accompanied the supply boats to the posts of the Northwest.Our Price: $12.95 Nautical Gift Shop
Steamboat Clock & Barometer - The hinged porthole-style case is solid brass with a lacquered antique finish. It has quartz movement for convenience and accuracy and runs on one AA battery. The matching Steamboat Barometer has visible aneroid barometer movement, and the antique brass case is hinged so that the movement is accessible from the front.280522 Steamboat Quartz Clock $136.49 280722 Steamboat Barometer $146.99  Boat Lamps - Den Haan Rotterdam, founded in Rotterdam, Holland, in 1922, began as a manufacturer of navigation and interior lighting for inland and seagoing vessels. All lamps, many of them replicas of old models, are hand made to commercial ship standards. Each lamp is made of solid brass with a polished and lacquered finish, giving it distinctive style and quality. Their lasting beauty and timeless design will enhance the decor of any home or ship’s cabin.8412E Bi-Color Light $214.00  7x28 Apache Binoculars - After the Gulf War, the U.S. Army decided that it wanted more "eyes" on the battlefield. The Army developed a specification called the "M-24" which was designed to  be a compact binocular that would fit in the pocket of a battle dress uniform (BDU) and be as rugged, have the same magnification, and nearly equal the optical performances of the bigger binoculars. The 7x28 Apache is built to the same tough standards as the M24 binoculars. The new M24 is the first "pocket-sized" military binocular ever issued on a large scale. The optional reticle (left view side) allows for easy range or distance estimation.BN29 7x28 Apache Military Binoculars with Reticle $339.99 Tow Talkin'
June 6, 2005 By Kathy Flippo At sunset on Memorial Day there were enough towboats up at Lock and Dam 13 to keep the lockmen busy half the night. Every once-in-awhile tows gang up at a lock, and on Memorial Day evening it was our turn.  First one out of the lock and headed downstream was Marquette’s Mv. Deana Ann with 15 loads of grain. She was built in 1980 by Dravo and is 168 feet by 42 feet and has a pair of GMs giving her 6,200 horsepower. Originally she was the Bonnie Verona, then the William H Spoor, the Scott Stegbauer, and the Sandy N. I saw her as the Sandy N just once on August 11, 1999, northbound at Davenport, Iowa. Brown Water Towing, Inc., out of St. Louis was running her then.
Next in line coming down was Magnolia Marine’s Mv. Mark Shurden with three loaded asphalt barges. She locked through as a set-over single. Being out on the tow is always a quiet pleasant place to be except… 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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