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August 1, 2005 -- Vol. 5 Issue 31 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
"Chef Throws His Heart into Helping Feed Needy" A Personal Note From Jack
 It does one good to escape the rigors of the metropolitan areas and the computer on occasion. So I did. My wife and I visited what used to be known as Dakota Territory and enjoyed fast but sparse traffic on the interstate. Traffic from St. Louis to Kansas City on Interstate 70 is always terrible. Once on I-435 across to I-29 north, it lightens and travel is easy.
We take I-29 all the way to Watertown, S.D., which as everyone knows, takes us near the Missouri River several times. We cross before we get to St. Charles, Mo., at the first leg of our trip. No tows in sight, naturally. We get close to the river again at Kansas City but being busy with traffic there we couldn’t see anything. At St. Joseph, the Missouri forms (according to the map) what looks to me like the eastern border of the city, so we skipped that. Then again, when we get up to Sioux City, we pass the Big Muddy again. Still no traffic. Just once I would like to look down the river and spot a tow. But as we all know, river traffic and those who depend on it for fertilizer have been hurting. When we reach Sioux City, however, tows or no, I always feel as though I depart northward leaving it in good hands — Capt. Bill Beacom, who stays right on top of Missouri River happenings. He knows about boat traffic. He knows about fish. He knows about interior least terns and piping plovers. He even knows about the river bottom at various reaches and how the Indian tribes feel about it all. That is what is keeping him busy these days. Capt. Beacom is a throw-back to the days when common sense was in high demand. Sometimes when he addresses groups where common sense has not been experienced for some time, he leaves them in awe. Well, he can paddle my canoe anytime. And I would suggest that anyone who supports commercial navigation on the river and common sense should be aware of this knowledgeable fellow. He does give presentations and sometimes even burns ears. I’ve not had the privilege of hearing him speak (other than on the phone), but he reminds me of a couple other veteran rivermen, Charles Lehman, retired from ACBL, and Jack Lambert, formerly in the river business at St. Paul, who made it a practice of keeping conference delegates on the edges of their seats, just wondering whose ears would get pinned back next. The last I heard, Lambert was still in the book publishing business. But back to my trip. We all have heard that a pretty good segment of the Missouri River basin is not now considered in drought. But there are still plenty of areas where water is really scarce and problems persist. Several years ago when I went to Watertown, we drove around the countryside and looked at lakes that seemed to have sprung up from nowhere. They were in the records, however, one being called Dry Lake. We also saw Grass Lake and some others. One of the lakes has just continued to rise all this time, and we saw one entire set of farm buildings surrounded by water. From what we could see, it rose to some depth up the buildings. Dakota (and probably a lot of other Midwest areas) is the home of many artesian wells. My hometown of Aberdeen dug as many as four around the city. They were uncontrolled. The first, which inspired them to dig more, was loosing four million gallons of water a day. Well, I drank it when I had to as a kid, but I didn’t like it and won’t drink it now. Thank God for bottled water on this trip. I won’t bore you with other details of the trip, except that we did see many large irrigation apparatus idle over much of the trip and some actually in use in South Dakota. None of the corn I saw impressed me as it had in past years. A trip into the hinterlands to my brother-in-laws farm revealed quite a bit of ripe, downed grain to be scooped up. It didn’t look like there would be any records set this year. One big change. Since no-till farming came into effect, grain is much shorter, leaving much less straw to worry about. Before cutting this off, let me share an idea that saved my neck during my trip. I have heard from numerous people who have difficulty with their mail boxes being full and mail being cut off. But you can avoid that, at least I know for sure with EarthLink, by setting up a special folder. Then you go into your preferences and set up two new rules. In the first you specify that if the subject line contains an "e" the email should be moved to your special folder. The second rule is similar but specifies if there is an "e" in the body of the email, the message should be moved to the special folder. The key is that it moves the messages (hundreds of them if necessary) to your special folder, which does not count against your mail box content limits. I’m certain most of you know this already, but I there has to be a few people out there like me who didn’t. Good luck. 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. 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
Ag Groups Use Tours To Build Momentum For Improved Navigation With the differences between the U.S. House and Senate bills on the Water Resources Development Act still waiting to be worked out, Illinois agricultural groups are using barge tours to build momentum for improved navigation. The Illinois Farm Bureau, Iowa and Illinois Corn Growers Associations, the Illinois Soybean Association, and the Midwest Area River Coalition 2000 spent July gearing up for August’s annual Illinois and Mississippi River Barge Tours. The groups are hoping that the tours will help recruit support for what they call "potentially endangered Midwest navigation improvements." More than 9,000 farmers, lawmakers, business owners, and others are reported to have attended Upper Miss-Illinois barge tours since their inception in 1995. New Orleans Museum Project Moves Forward The Port of New Orleans has agreed to let Tulane University develop property at Orange Street and Robin Street wharves for its RiverSphere museum project. The total estimated cost of the project is $58 million. It will be dedicated to research about the Mississippi River. The university has earmarked $5 million from the general fund for the first two phases. A temporary complex is expected to be up by fall 2006. Dredging In Vogue In Rock Island District "The Hawk Eye" out of Burlington, Iowa, reports that dredging is in vogue in the Rock Island District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which covers more than 300 miles from Lock 10 at Guttenberg, Iowa, to Lock 22 at Hannibal, Mo. A Corps spokesman said that this is the busy part of the season and that dredging occurs 10 to 15 times a year in the district. Just recently a barge grounded near Keithsburg, Ill., and held up 25 other vessels when the river had to be closed to traffic. Dredging to widen the channel began immediately. The Corps said there is a lot of channel maintenance, even when the boats are moving. Burlington, Ohio, Folks Upset Over Proposed Barge Facility It has been reported in the "Ironton (Ohio) Tribune" that the residents of Burlington, Ohio, are upset over the prospect of a facility to clean, repair and store barges is being proposed along their reach of the Ohio River. Huntington Marine Services has applied to the U.S. Engineers for a permit to construct the facility on the West Virginia side of the river in the vicinity of Mile 313.3 (Twelve Pole Creek light). It would accommodate up to 200 barges. Burlington is at Mile 313, according to the river charts. The permit would allow the company to come down the river adjacent to Westmoreland, W.Va., (also at Mile 313) which would effect residents of Burlington and Chesapeake, Ohio. The Concerned Citizens of the Burlington Area have invited comments and held a meeting on July 28, inviting area residents to attend and speak their piece. Area residents have until August 13 to submit letters and comments to the Corps. One Burlington resident told the "Tribune" that "It would destroy the atmosphere that we want." At a meeting of the Westmoreland Neighborhood Association, the same Burlington resident said the residents from West Virginia do not want the facility and they complained of the lights and noise. He said he and other residents are concerned about the Commons, the playground and picnic area in Burlington — what the additional barges would do to the atmosphere of the park area. Stay tuned! Ground Broken For New Shipyard In Cleveland, Ohio The Great Lakes Towing Company plans to construct a $3.5 million headquarters building and shipyard complex on its present six-acre deep waterfront property in the Old River Channel of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio. The facility would be located at the foot of West 45th Street on Division Avenue. The facility would incorporate fabrication, welding and diesel shops to include new technologies. Great Lakes Towing is a 106-year-old tug company, which is now a multifaceted marine transportation and ship and boat repair business, the report said. Its tug fleet serves more than 40 U.S. ports in all Great Lakes states and the Seaway. It owns and operates 50 tugs. (Editor’s note: While many of you may not be tuned in to Lakes marine news, remember that the government talks about 15 or 16 percent of the domestic product in the U.S. being moved by water, some three or four percent of that is on the Lakes.) Seventh Annual Woody Rushing Golf Tournament Set The seventh annual golf tournament in memory of C. W. "Woody" Rushing will be held September 19 at Kimbeland Country Club, Jackson, Mo., "The Waterways Journal" reports. Proceeds benefit the C. W. Rushing Charitable Trust. Thirty-six teams are allowed on a first-come-first-served basis. For entry forms, contact Rushing Marine at 573-2432-8504, or email toddlru@rushingmarine.com. Crossing The Bar
"The Waterways Journal" has reported the death on July 22 of Jinx Peterson Smith, 37, captain on the mv. Brimstone and salvage master for Big River Shipbuilders. He was co-owner of Beavers Diesel and Big River Shipbuilding, as well as Vicksburg Christian Montessori School, where he was in the process of building a new school at the time of his death. The man I mention now is not a river man, but he could have been. He could have been anything he wanted to be. What he was was my neighbor for 14 years and a World War II veteran. Owen Pickle, 82, died July 28, and I learned about it when I returned from vacation. Not a good day. Owen was interred in a Japanese prison camp 40 months after he and his colleagues were captured at the fall of Bataan when the U.S. lost the Philippines. The Japanese did everything they could to kill him in that camp, but he hung in there, though he dropped to 70 pounds. When the end of the war came and Owen was freed — as if 40 months of torture was not enough — he and his group were not removed from the area too close to the second A-bomb blast soon enough. He was riddled with cancer and has been fighting various forms of it ever since his discharge. He fought not only in the Philippines, but later went to Korea and was an active military man during Vietnam. Retired as a major. Finally the cancer got to be too much. Several weeks ago he decided he would not go to the vets hospital anymore. He wanted to be with family and friends. He called one day to tell me his choice and to join him for a chat. We just chatted like neighbors do, but he said he wanted his last days to be at home. All during the last months, he went through one surgery after another and never complained. Only days after each one he would come home and use a walker to get around. He moved around his yard, drove his car, spoke to neighbors. He died early on a Thursday morning. He had even been driving during the week. Wednesday night he stayed up late and was still playing scrabble at 1:30 a.m. Thursday. Then his pain got to be too much and he asked his wife for the morphine. He had been much in misery from his kidney cancer, but it was ultimately his weakened heart that gave out. He never complained. He just did what he had to do. What he did not have to do, but did, was call up and have a brand new Mercury Sable delivered to his wife just before he died. The other had been damaged, and he wanted to clear up the problem. Well, I’ve written too much, but his funeral was this morning, and I was in the mood to do this little bit to explain what a non-quitter and nice neighbor he was. He traveled the country speaking out about the war. His very large collection of medals, including the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart drew considerable interest during the wake. advertisement
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If you are a towboat cook, home chef, backyard barbecuer, tailgater, or know anybody who is, please pass the word along to submit recipes!
TAMALE SOUP 1 pound lean ground beef 1 onion, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped 2 T. oil 1 cup frozen corn 2 beef bouillon cubes 2 cups water 2 T. chili powder 1 tsp. salt 1-15oz can diced tomatoes 1-15oz can tomato sauce 1-15oz can pinto beans, drained 1-dozen tamales Grated cheese Brown the beef, onions and bell pepper in oil in a large sauce pan. Add the corn and bouillon that has been dissolved in water. Add the other ingredients, except the tamales and cheese. Cook on low heat until flavors are blended. To serve, remove the shucks from the tamales, put 2 or 3 in the bottom of a bowl, and ladle the hot meat mixture over the tamales. Top with some of the grated cheese. Optional: Slice the tamales in big chunks and put them in the soup to warm. Optional: Slice a half of an avocado and layer it on top of the cheese. Sharon Emerson Paralegal - Marine Investigator Corpus Christi, TX Our Readers Write
Re: Boat Pictures Here are two photos for your Photo Center — the Elizabeth Lane and the Elly Lane…Thanks for your web site. My husband is a pilot on the Elly. Vicki Franklin (Editor’s note: See Photo Center.) Re: Port Security It is another example of the "we’re doing something" mentality. I had heard the boat director at Upper River Services talking to one of the upbound tow boats about this. The tow boats can’t layover there either. No going uptown for the guys during one of their rare breaks. This makes absolutely no sense, when right across the river is a large marina where pleasure boats (some big ones at that) are tied up and anyone can walk out there and take one if they know what they are doing. Remember the USS Cole was not taken out with a big boat. It is obvious that there is a limit to how secure we want to be. That limit is, "as long as it doesn’t affect me." If we truly wanted to make ourselves secure it would infringe on just about everybody. But the general population would never stand for that. So we just do a few things, that affect a few people, that really doesn’t make a bit of difference. Then the people in charge, pat themselves on the back and say, "look what I did, you are much safer now". And the general population believes them and as long as it doesn’t impact them, they don’t care. Jim Mihalek Re: Drought Monitor Thought you might find this interesting. Kathy Flippo Editorial Note: Kathy has sent the address of a "drought monitor map" that is updated weekly, as we understand it. Here is the URL. Try it: http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html. Re: New Web site Here is the web site for J. P. Knight, the British company that has bought quite a few U. S. towboats and taken them to South America. Not very many pictures of towboats. www.jpknight.com Dan Owen Boat Photo Center
Can Use More Photos We go through them pretty fast. So if any of you have pictures to contribute to the Photo Center, we will need them for August 8. Much obliged — Jack  I have explained before why I sometimes use pictures that are not of the best quality. I will do it again, because we have an example of it this week. The reason for using the blurry picture of the West Virginia Belle is because we ran a picture of the same boat last week as the Celebration Belle. Some differences in the boat’s trim design were noticed.
This week’s center is somewhat unusual in that we have include several pictures of a campsite that has been used by one of our photo contributors for a long time to shoot pictures near the Port Allen Route. This week’s pictures include two of the Cooperative Vanguard, one of the Erna E. Honeycutt, the Herman Pott, and the Mary Evelyn from Jim Currens; the Elizabeth Lane and Elly Lane from Vicki Franklin; the West Virginia Belle from Ernie Wright; the Buffalo Girl and three more views of the campsite where Tom Waller shoots pictures. 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
Just a reminder that during my absence, book publishers filled my mail box (or my neighbors) with the volumes I needed to make up for shortages. Included were: "Boat Docking", a book that fills the bill in any part of the world.  Boat Docking, Close Quarters Maneuvering for Small Craft - by Charles T. LowSoft cover. This book should have international interest in that boaters everywhere face the same challenges. The 88-page book is profusely illustrated, and from what I can tell, if you can’t find the answers in it, I don’t know where you would. Low has a couple subtitles: "Boat Skidding with Nonchalance" or "Help for the Dysfunctional Docker." This book is really professionally prepared and would be a godsend for helping new boaters (and even some veterans) bone up on important facets of docking. A shipment of my favorite books from Kentucky also arrived — "Rivers of Kentucky." This is one of the nicest and most educational books I have ever read. It is not solely about navigational rivers but covers rivers from mouth to source and the people who live beside them. Authors are Lalie and David Dick, a husband and wife writing team. Rivers of Kentucky - by David and Lalie Dick  265 pages plus bibliography. Hard cover. This is believed to be the first comprehensive study of the entire system of Kentucky’s flowing streams. Gurney Norman says, "Rivers of Kentucky" is a treasure-trove of information and lore about this North American place called Kentucky. It is an atlas, a compendium, a guidebook and a story collection all rolled into one." This book is also about the people who live along the waterways, and it keeps you reading till the last page. The writings of this husband/wife team have a gentle touch that makes the book a pleasure to read, and it reflects their deep respect for the people of the Kentucky land. We recommend it highly. Nautical Gift Shop
Tow Talkin'
August 1, 2005 By Kathy Flippo July was a busy month for this old river rat. I gave six river/towing programs, including four that were outside, and July hasn’t been cool. Those four were at Rock Island District Corps of Engineers campgrounds: Thomson Causeway at Thomson, Illinois; Fisherman’s Corner at Hampton, Illinois (right at the dam end of Mississippi River Lock 14); Clark’s Ferry at Montpelier, Iowa (I took the Airstream and spent two nights there); and Shady Creek, just down the road from Clark’s Ferry near Fairport, Iowa. The other two were here in Clinton inside in air-conditioned comfort.  So why do I mention all of this? How many other people do what I do? People are very curious about the rivers and the towing industry and are absolutely amazed when I talk about the economics, the environment, how we live "out there," and all that good stuff. At the end I always ask if there are questions and they always have them. Especially at campground programs (for some reason),… 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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