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June 27, 2005 -- Vol. 5 Issue 26 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
"Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant" (Wonder if anyone hit ’em?) A Personal Note From Jack
Supreme Court Decision Against Property Owners  I cannot tell you how disappointed I am that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to stick it to property owners in an effort to help business grow and cities to increase their tax base. It is a land-grab of major proportions. Under some conditions I would even suggest another Boston Tea Party.
The Court has ruled that it is okay to take personal property via eminent domain if it is decided that it is for the public good. Worse, the change is that the land can be given over to other private landowners who want to build on the location. It was once the law that only if the property really benefited the city (a pretty tight definition was used) could it be taken. Then, the owner was to be given fair and equitable payment. It was still, however, a taking, which translates pretty close to theft if it were not for the payment. Right now, cities all over America are utilizing tax incentive financing (TIF) to snare new building developments. Adding the ability to take private land is only one more nail in the coffin of the folks out there who will never receive enough money to move them to an equivalent house, pay for the moving and not put them in debt. Never will any arrangement pay for the unhappiness it will bring to elderly folks who prefer to live out their lives in their present homes. Right now a big section of South Clinton, Iowa, is up for grabs, since the city wants to declare it a "mess" (our word, not theirs) and ultimately give it over to business. If you have read Kathy Flippo’s new book "Between The River And The Rails: South Clinton, you will see enough pictures showing nicely kept homes. And you will read about people who are perfectly happy to live where they are. We’ve been told the amount of money being offered for homes is inadequate to allow people to relocate. We do not know that for fact, but we do know the situation where we live, and we can believe it. The scenarios that play out when this kind of taking is in vogue are numerous and many of them are painful to those losing property. I do not say that taking property via eminent domain is always bad. But never, never should property be taken without fair payment to the person whose property is up for grabs. The Democratic party claims it wants to help the down and out folks. The GOP Contract With America in 1994 included an effort to prevent making the land of private owners worthless by attaching environmental rules that made reselling it almost impossible. So both parties pay lip service to the desire to want to help the little guy. What they and city officials really want to do is expand the city tax base. They do it any way they can. Establishing gambling operations is another despicable practice they have undertaken in recent decades. While I was disappointed in the court’s decision, I was not at all surprised. We are turning into a decadent nation. Few people care about anything other than building their own fortunes. Standards are scarce. And people who recommend standards are becoming scarcer. They even come under attack, because so many people don’t want standards to live by. The old adage of the 60s revisits us. If it feels good, it’s okay. "I got mine." One correspondent says, "@#%&*@ you!" The Supreme Court decision is drawing a lot of criticism, as well it should. Towboat Festival at Grafton Seems The festival grounds keeps shrinking every year at the annual Great Rivers Towboat Festival at Grafton, Ill., but enthusiasm does not wane, and the music this year kept people hopping. Little River Books’ table was visited often Saturday. I will say this, the temperature was hot! HOT! HOT!!! The gumbo was great. I almost…just almost… tried crawdads but with books to handle and sell and no let up, I couldn’t figure out how to eat without getting crawdaddied from head to toe. Now all of you crawdad lovers can tell me how it is done. About 2:30 p.m. Mother Nature hiccuped and we had to grab books and plastic to keep them all from getting wet. The wind picked up (just temporarily) and started blowing over shelters. We finally had to box up our wares to protect them. So once the storm was over, we just left. Only had about an hour left, and it would take us too long to get all set up again. When we got back to Florissant, we found that Lambert International Airport, just a stone’s throw away, got nearly an inch of rain. Our driver and lawn and flower beds got a good bath, so we’re happy. We really needed the rain. By the time this reaches you, we will have experienced Sunday at Grafton as well, but as I mentioned in past B&Bs, this is the weekend of the bad schedules. So I won’t get in a report. 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
To those B&B readers who stopped by our book table at Grafton this weekend to say how much they liked our fr^e weekly newsletter, we owe a debt of gratitude. It was nearly 100 degrees and everything was steaming. Yet the lines to tour the towboats never wavered. Youse guys is a tough bunch! Thanks. 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
WRDA Alert From MARC 2000 Call Your Legislator: 202-224-3121 H.R. 2864 - the 2005 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) - received approval on June 22 by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. H.R. 2864 now moves to the House floor for debate, likely to be taken up before the Independence Day recess. The House measure, like its Senate companion (S. 738), was welcomed by the diverse coalition of agriculture, manufacturing, labor, economic development, recreation, transportation, and shipping interests, among the many other interests included in the Midwest Area River Coalition 2000. The legislation demonstrated congressional endorsement for an achievable river plan introduced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The bill is a result of regional consensus for the two-phased approach unveiled by the Corps late last year, where seven key lock & dam locations (#20-25 on the Mississippi River, and Peoria & LaGrange on the Illinois Waterway) were pegged for immediate attention in a 15-year phase of a 50-year river approach. The 80-year old navigation infrastructure is slated to receive new lock chambers at existing sites through the bill, as well as non-structural measures to provide more efficient lock-throughs at key lock & dam sites. H.R. 2864 also provides for the initial 15-year phase of a 50-year plan for ecosystem restoration measures. Continued study of the navigation and ecosystem measures are also included, to ensure the validity of the 50-year proposed plan. Once again - Please call your legislator - (our second emphasis). VT Halter Marine Awarded $16 Million Catamaran Contract - Tenn-Tom VT Halter Marine-Pascagoula Inc., has been awarded $16 million contract to build catamaran for Washington Group International and its joint venture partner Alberici Group. The vessel will be used to transport and place precast concrete segments at the Olmsted Dam project on the Ohio River near Olmsted, Ill. According to the "Sun Herald", engineering and procurement is expected to begin immediately, with delivery in 2006. The lift barge will be used on the Corps project for about six month. Tenn-Tom Celebrates 20th Anniversary The best suggestion I can give you for learning about the 20th anniversary of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway is to have you click below. The Tenn-Tom Development Authority’s web site can tell the story far better than I. The site has a special section on history and tells how the idea to construct a waterway emerged far earlier than we might have supposed. Would you believe in 1760 or 1770? We want to give our thanks to Don Waldon, who in 1974 was named deputy administrator of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority, where he has served ever since. Of course, he later became administrator. On July 1 he relinquishes the post to Bobby Roberson. Waldon was dedicated and never lost sight of the waterway’s potential. Thanks are in order as well for the hundreds of leaders who have helped him along the way. Those of us who have been around a bit also remember Glover Wilkins, who preceded Waldon at the Tenn-Tom post. Yet another tip is to go to your June 27 "Waterways Journal" for a great review of the project’s history and what is being done to celebrate it. Many well-known leaders have something to say about. And there is also the editorial, which touts the Tenn-Tom success story as a good example of why we cannot allow our river system to deteriorate. The waterways has been pouring out benefits far beyond the original 23 states that expected to ship or receive goods on the waterway. (If you do not subscribe to the WJ, it wouldn’t hurt to. Exciting times are ahead, we think, as container-on-barge movements catch on and ports power up to get their share. Many statistics are presented from a new brochure produced by the Authority. The amount of business development that has gone one may surprise you. For instance, did you know that some $3.5 billion of new and expanded industrial development have located in the waterway region since its completion? Did you know that about 4 million tons of forestry products are shipped on the waterway each year? Did you know that these private investments have helped create more than 50,000 new jobs? The Tenn-Tom region has many important assets for sustaining industrial growth: abundant natural resources (coal, oil and gas, minerals and forests); a trained labor force with a strong work ethic; lower energy costs and similar measures that reduce production costs; a full range of competitive transportation services; and an enviable quality of life. Beyond that, the waterway has 40 prime waterfront sites with affordable development costs and minimal environmental restrictions. The 40 sites are conveniently located throughout a 54-county. Four-state region and are ready for business. A visit to the web site is well worth your time.  Peru Introduces First Compressed Natural Gas Train One might wonder what the following has to do with the river industry, but keep in mind that when a country can go almost energy independent, others may follow and the transportation field will be impacted in one way or another. Peru has introduced the world’s first train powered totally by environmentally friendly compressed natural gas. It is a cargo and passenger train that runs along the world’s highest railway at 16,076 feet above sea level in Peru’s central Andes. The train is switching from diesel to two engines designed by General Electric Company, according to Juan de Dios Olaechea, president of the Ferrocarril Central Andino. The railroad is owned 82 percent by Peruvian capital and 18 percent by U.S.-based Rail Road Development Corporation. They have operated the train since 1999 between Lima and the central Huancayo region. Peru has huge natural gas reserves. The company plans to convert all eight engines in its fleet to CNG in the next seven months. So the question is, will the American railroads try the same? We need energy independence. Bow Of Barge Sticks To Bulkhead Wall After Mishap Seems that around 4 p.m. on June 20, an Archer Daniels Midland barge being moved to New Orleans by Tako Towing smacked into a bulkhead on the Intracoastal Waterway at Houma, La. There were plans to removed the barge, but it was so badly damaged that it was decided to leave the bow stuck in the bulkhead. On June 21, workers cut a 10 by 2-foot section from the barge, and the rest was pushed on to New Orleans. The barge was carrying 1,400 tons of salt. The accident took place at the downtown twin spans. The Coast Guard indicated Tako would be liable for damage to the spans. There were no injuries but the bulkhead was damaged badly, one news source reported. Costly Dredge Sits Idle While Private Firms Harvest Work Load There has always been an argument presented by those who don’t like to see the government own machinery and other equipment to carry out work. Years ago, some local contractors made the case that it cost governments more money to maintain machinery that they use only occasionally than it does do hire private contractors to do the work. This story has its roots in that kind of scenario. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a huge dredging ship that is tied up when some feel it could be used. It cost $8 million annually to keep the massive vessel idle and sitting at the dock in New Orleans. More than two decades ago Congress ordered the Corps to stop using the dredge so that private industry could get a bigger bite of business. The U.S. Dredge Wheeler is allowed to work only 55 days a year. The 400-foot vessels weighs 10,000 tons and can vacuum up 7,000 dump truck loads a day. The General Accounting Office doesn’t think this is such a good deal for taxpayers. Neither do we. But we must add that this kind of arrangement, whether it involves snowplows owned by a city in the Midwest or dump trucks owned by an Ohio municipality, the argument is the same. Private industry wants the business. The key question that usually pops up is: Will the private dredging companies by ready to respond at a moment’s notice when dredging emergencies arrive, or will river traffic be delayed waiting for response? Will the snowplows owned by private companies respond every time and quickly to emergencies? These are age old questions. We don’t know the answers. But $8 million a year is a lot of wasted dredge. 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 Recipe Box
 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.
SEA DOG Take one foot-long fresh baked bun and add foot-long frankfurter. Top with onions, chili, and lots of melted cheese. Bake in oven quickly. Put on serving plate. Pull out frankfurter! Patch the hole with cheese and serve. The frankfurter can be used over and over. Boy did the cooks get a kick out of fixing those. The Sea Dog on the Gibbes Lykes was a joke that the cooks liked to play on unsuspecting seamen. It happened on steak night. The cooks liked to watch for the reactions when an unsuspecting sailor bit into that masterpiece of cooking inside. But the steak is coming, and it’s juicy and so big that it hangs over the sides of the plate. Submitted by Byron Rozier Millington, Tenn. Boat Photo Center
 One of these pictures is not of a boat, but there is a boat mystery to it. So the pictures this week are: the Alma, Wis., power plant, Andrea Leigh (2), Andrea Leigh, Andrew Cavanna and Evey T from Jim Mihalek; the Jeffboat, Jill P. Harvey, Lloyd Dunning and Mary Roberts from Jeffrey L. Yates; J. W. Buky and Samuel B. Richmond from Jim Klosterboer; the Noland R. Borden from Ron Richardson; and the Paul G. Blazer from Hugh Davis.
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
I must tell you that the new book "Once Upon A Recipe" was going like hotcakes at Grafton. "Portraits From The Past" also was a favorite. I must interject here that after selling books at Jeffersonville, Ind., (on the Ohio River) and Grafton, Ill., (on the Mississippi) there is a world of difference in the kinds of books festival goers buy. And their preferences hold true year after year.   New Recipe Book: We have just stumbled upon a great little book called "Once Upon A Recipe", which contains great food for kids of all ages. The best part is that this book was published back when publishing costs were much cheaper. For example, as the cover reveals, "Each colorful page of this cookbook is designed to stir a different dream. You’ll find Frog Prince Tortilla Pie, Tinker Bell’s Raspberry Buns, Old Lady in the Shoe Box Lunch, Curiouser & Curiouser Casserole, Baloo’s Mint Brownies and Aesop’s Fabled Chicken. Over 50 recipes in all. All easy. All delicious. All nutritious. You and your child will be eating Happily Ever After." The "Better Homes & Gardens" editor-in-chief called the book "enchanting." "The New York Times" said it is "one sixth graders and their parents would appreciate" and "there are lots of tie-ins with children’s literature." Author Karen Greene was the publisher and founding editor of "Delicious!" a magazine about healthy foods and lifestyles read by more than 350,000 consumers each month. I am not nuts about cookbooks, but I am crazy about this one. It originally was released at $11.95. Almost every single page in the book has colorful illustrations and wonderful recipes, and interesting children’s stories woven in. It was published at a time when costs were much lower. Today one cannot even begin to approach a book of color for this price unless it is one of the big press runs by a major company with hundreds of thousands of books printed. When the mechanics of marketing got too costly for the dwindling supply, the price was lowered to $6.00. I ran across them by pure accident and managed to buy what I believe to be the remaining supply. Consequently, you can buy this 96-page full-color recipe book from Little River Books for $5 plus S&H. Even if you do not cook, you can have a great time sharing this book with your children or grandchildren and enjoying the wonderful art work. These books are in brand new condition. Portraits From The Past: Steamboats of the Western Rivers - Drawings & Text by Neal R. Fink  This 14- by 8.5-inch book contains 17 drawings of sternwheel and sidewheel steamboats on heavy enamel stock pages, all keyed with registration marks so that the pictures can be removed and framed. Trimmed, the pictures will be 8.5- by 11 inches with one-inch borders. Pages printed on one side only. In addition to drawings, the book contains a “Packet Portfolio” page showing various appliances and fixtures used on steamboats; and a page devoted to framing information to assist in the removal of pages for mounting. Each steamboat picture is accompanied by appropriate material describing the boat. Included are: City of St. Louis, b. 1883; Spread Eagle IV, 1911; St. Paul, 1883; Mississippi, no date; John M. Macomb, cerca 1905; Belle of Calhoun, operated in late 1920s; Belle of the Bends, delivered 1898; Alton, launched 1906; John A. Wood, no date; City of Providence, 1880; Robert E. Carr, no date; Albermatla, launched 1902; W. M. Rees, no date; Bald Eagle, 1898; Dubuque, formerly Pittsburgh, rebuilt as Dubuque after 1896 tornado his St. Louis waterfront; Hill City, launched 1897; and **Delta Queen, 1926. Three smaller drawings on the first inside page are of the Robert E. Lee, Natchez, and J. M. White. Assisting in the preparation of the book was James V. Swift of The Waterways Journal. Only a limited quantity of this book, published in 1977, are available. Usually same-day shipping! 
Our Price:
$10.00Receive a FREE copy of the video At The Water's Edge: Majestic Riverboats with each special offer book purchased (while supplies last)! No additional shipping! top larger image Nautical Gift Shop
Zerstörer Rommel Patch - We still have on hand a limited number of the large, attractive patch bearing the woven image of the German ship Zerstörer Rommel, and its designation D-187. We continue to offer it through B&B for $5, including S&H. The patches were a unique discovery at a recent exploration of a St. Louis area shop. It seems highly likely that the vessel, still operating in the late 1990s, was named after Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, famed Panzer Korps battle strategist during World War II. Interested buyers can send a $5 check or money order to Little River Books, 2175 Huntington Dr., Florissant, MO 63033-1227 or phone 314/921-4419 with Visa or MasterCard.
 American Towboater Caps - These high quality canvas caps are adjustable to all sizes. American Towboater Caps $18.00 
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 Tow Talkin'
June 27, 2005 By Kathy Flippo Hours go by with not a tow or commercial passenger boat in sight, and then there are mornings like Tuesday, the longest day of the year. In just one hour the Celebration Belle went up, the Jack D. Wofford went down, the Twilight went up, the Saratoga went down and the James F. Neal went up.  The Celebration Belle is a very nice passenger boat owned by Celebration River Cruises in Moline, Illinois. I rode her once last spring as a riverlorian and was impressed. Originally she was the Mississippi Belle II,
the gambling boat here in Clinton, Iowa, before she moved south to Fort Madison, Iowa, and became the Catfish Bend gambling boat. She’s been just a passenger boat since 1998. Patti Shipyard, way down in Pensacola, Florida, built her in 1986 as an excursion vessel and rebuilt her again in 1991 to be a gambling boat. She’s come full circle now. Cummins KTA 19-M diesels power her with 1,000 horses and she’s 196 feet by 46 feet.
Couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the Mv. Jack D. Wofford! Saw the Jack-staff flag first, and it had the three blue diamonds on a white field. That’s Inland Marine’s insignia! Then when the boat… 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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