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September 12, 2005 -- Vol. 5 Issue 37 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:
Ever Wonder
Why is "abbreviated" such a long word? A Personal Note From Jack
 After half a century of journalism experience, I should know not to follow first impulses. That is particularly true when it comes to reading reports and listening to telecast news about Katrina. And it is especially true when you hear critics putting down the Corps, other government agencies and the President.
(More than once before Katrina struck, President Bush visited with Louisiana Gov. Blanco, pleading with her to take action so the military could move in to help. She refused. She finally asked for help when it was too late. She dawdled around and refused to sign a mutual assistance pact with other Gulf states. See further details in a brief message from the Chief of Engineers below.) Politically, I’m not what you’d call a "party man right down the line" sort of guy. We have a Democrat attorney general in Missouri, and I have voted for him for years. I like how works to protect the people of Missouri. Admittedly, if I don’t know candidates very well, I vote Republican. (Bear with me; this does pertain to Katrina.) Above that, from a practical standpoint, elections are about two competing ideologies-big government and smaller government. At this stage in our history, there is no such thing as small, unintrusive government, in my way of thinking. Big brother has way to much to say about how we live. Tax money is wasted in huge amounts by all administrations. Right now some believe that the amount of money being thrown into the Katrina aid package will break the federal budget. We shall see. My first reaction was to believe that President Bush and a slow-acting government was totally to blame for what most of us thought was a slow response. Then, as I watched the news, I began to see an explanation closer to the truth. Obviously there is sufficient blame to go around. But Katrina’s damage was "facilitated" in stages. While we had no control over Katrina, we could have taken action decades ago that would have made her visit less tragic. (Since then, the head of FEMA was moved back to Washington and later he resigned. The first stage began a long, long time ago. Louisiana legislators and former legislators spoke publicly in recent telecasts about hurricane danger. This danger has been known and acknowledged for more than three decades. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an agency for which I have a great deal of respect, has worked for decades to correct the problem and prevent such a catastrophe. In the 1970s, the Corps’ Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity Hurricane Barrier Project planned to fortify locations that would keep massive storms on the Gulf of Mexico from causing Pontchartrain from flooding the city. A distinguished professor and director of coastal studies at Louisiana State University declared that floodgate-type structures recommended in the plan would have been built at the Rigolets and Chef Menteur passes to block storm surges from moving from the Gulf into Pontchartrain. The "New Orleans Times Picayune" reported that conclusion years ago and revisited that conclusion on May 28, 2005. For 30 years the Save Our Wetlands (SOWL) environmental organization has fought and obstructed the progress of the Hurricane Barrier Project. Former Louisiana congressman and Speaker of the House Bob Livingston, speaking with Sean Hannity on his radio show on Labor Day, referred to environmental activists whose litigation prevented hurricane protection projects. So we now know - "The Waterways Journal" has discussed inadequate Corps budgets for three decades - that through various objections and litigation, the environmental movement has actually been a major player in setting the scene for Katrina destruction. Congress, of course, should not let them off the hook, but they will. The movement has gained such influence over government since the early 1970s and the passage of inflexible environmental protection laws that they will not buck the enviros. Our major conclusion, then, is that the hurricane could not have been prevented, but much of the damage could have been, but we didn’t do it. And we have a good idea why we didn’t. Sufficient money has been spent on pork over three decades to put New Orleans and perhaps the rest of the coastal area on a mountain top. But a lot of money has not spent wisely. We have learned in recent days that much of the money spent in the area, intended for flood control, was used to protect the gambling casinos. Now we get to the next step - reaction. As I started to say at the beginning of this piece, I misread reports. I thought, "Yes, the government seemed slow." And we didn’t know the whole story then. But we have to remember that Katrina’s tantrum came in two spurts. The wind and rain was one thing, and while they were damaging, it was the storm surge that caused a great deal more damage. Interjection:  Thousands of disaster pictures have appeared in publications, on television and on the Internet. Of course, we cannot use them. However, as a symbol of what Katrina did to the residential areas of the Gulf, I am including here a picture posted by our Photo Center contributor Tom Waller, whose sister’s home was demolished. We’d like to describe how it looked, but we cannot; it is no longer there. All we can see is where it used to be and the lift that used to hold their now-missing boat. The picture was shot by a friend and we have been given permission to publish it. Fortunately, the family represented by this missing house is well off, were told, and will recover. Tom has posted the picture for our viewing.
Back To Katrina We now know that while the government’s reaction appeared to be slow and FEMA people were not under quality leadership, it is state and local government that first dropped the ball. FEMA is not the first responder. We know that the state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans had a disaster plan. They didn’t follow it. On the other hand, there are rules under which FEMA is intended to respond, and there are laws governing the use of the military. Had the government just barged in (no pun intended), heavy criticism would have followed about heavy handedness of government in taking over city and state activities. Topping it off, President Bush spent hours with other government officials preparing documents that Gov. Blanco of Louisiana could sign so she could get military help without violating the law, and she refused to sign. Later she requested only 3,000 troops for the entire state. Flashed across the nation in recent days have been pictures of hundreds of school buses that were flooded in New Orleans - buses that were supposed to be used for evacuation. One knowledgeable researcher said the only news outlets to report this fact was the "Drudge Report" and the "Free Republic." Figuring each of the flooded 600 buses would carry 45 passengers, it has been calculated that they could have evacuated 27,000 persons per trip and that there was time for several trips before the arrival of Katrina. Had the buses been used for evacuation instead of letting them flood, it would now not be necessary to spend money to replace them. Even after failing to use the available buses, it has been reported that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin tried to get the federal government to commandeer 500 commercial buses to assist in the evacuation. The writer referred to Louisiana disaster plan, page 13, paragraph 5, dated January 2000, which said: "The primary means of hurricane evacuation will be personal vehicles. School and municipal buses, government-owned vehicles and vehicles provided by volunteer agencies may be used to provide transportation for individuals who lack transportation and require assistance in evacuating…" Various officials have said publicly that Louisiana’s Gov. Blanco did not move fast enough, that she was really not up to the job. New Orleans Mayor Nagin, aggravated by criticism, appeared on television to emphasize that "I was here. I saw what happened!" And directed to his critics, he said, ":Where were you?" But both officials ignored the disaster plan, it has been reported widely. Both considered the political fallout if they requested federal help too soon. Even if the hurricane protection plan of the Corps had been successfully completed, Katrina would have caused tragic results. But the devastation would have been far less, and fewer lives would have been lost. That is the legacy of the Save Our Wetlands organization, which prevented the protection plan from being put into place. I must, to be fair, say that saving wetlands, in principle, was and is not a stupid idea. It is just that Save Our Wetlands, like many other environmental organizations, has gone ballistic in trying to accomplish its aims. Consider, if you were a member of SOWL and you felt strongly (as the Corps did about the barrier project) that preserving wetlands would help stop storm surges from reaching the inhabited areas of the Gulf, then you would be pretty frustrated after years of trying to stop the wetlands from being destroyed. For just as long as we have know danger from hurricanes was in the offing, we also knew that industry, et al, was tearing up wetlands on the Gulf year after year. Among the many purposes was to get oil rigs to the Gulf. We were forever cutting channels through the protective wetlands and swamp grass, etc. Apparently, no one was listening. I have no recollection of the specifics of the SOWL proposals concerning wetlands, but they are on the record. There would seem to be little doubt that we will rebuild the Gulf in one form or another. As one historian said, cities are built where they are built for a reason. New Orleans will be rebuilt, perhaps not in its present form. But it is the key port to our imports and exports, and the world is beginning to acknowledge that. So the marine infrastructure no doubt will be rebuilt - if it can be. We have seen several evaluations about that, and it is going to be a very difficult and time-consuming job. But going back, what the voting residents of Louisiana will do about a governor and mayor who ignored the disaster plan is for them to decide. Beyond that, time will tell how much responsibility for slow reaction the government must bear. The FEMA director has by an experienced Coast Guard admiral has been assigned to handle the problem. Helping is one of the Coast Guard’s greatest skills, and we can be thankful for them. When I think about how little time has passed since Katrina struck, and when I view what has been accomplished already, I think it is just short of a miracle. Once allowed in, responders have performed admirably. Dozens of agencies have been on hand to ease the pain of Katrina’s visit. Among them has been the Corps, which has further gained my respect for their ability to solve problems when they are allowed to do what they know how to do best. As for the White House, stories I have read (but not in the major media) indicate Bush responded just fine. He was totally frustrated by an inadequate Louisiana governor and mayor.  We read one report by someone who questioned whether the marine industry was taking part in the relief effort. We have in our Photo Center a picture of an ACBL towboat delivering water to the USS Iwo Jima.
My conclusion is that the questions about response must be answered later. The first and most important task is helping the Katrina victims. I only hope I have not made it sound as though that doesn’t matter. They need to be in our prayers. And where we can help financially, we should. - Jack A B&B Change of Pace
Each year Little River Books sets up at the Great River Towboat Festival at Grafton, Ill. This nice two-day festival gives me the opportunity to visit with old friends and make new ones. During these visits I have heard comments by people who have ridden the Brussels ferry that runs across the Illinois River above Grafton. People who have had that experience say they have enjoyed it immensely. It shames me to think I have never ridden it, and I have had no idea what it actually looked like - until now. Lo and behold, a packet arrived in my mailbox the other day from a local model builder and friend who had just completed a beautiful model of the Brussels ferry. What a beauty it is! The builder has done museum-quality work for years and has large models on display in numerous places. What’s more, I learned that the model is available (to the person or organization who moves fast enough) for $500. I have known Glenn Hensley for upwards of 30 years and have received more free pictures and videos free through his kindness than I can recall. In fact, I have always intended to visit his "shop" and do a story on his activity when I get time. When I think of the time he has spent on this project and the quality of the work, I think the price is a giveaway, and if I belonged to the Brussels ferry "fan club," I’d snap it up. But I have no place to put it.  The model is about 40 inches overall length and, including the attached, pivoting towboat, is 12 inches of beam. It is built from photos and personal knowledge obtained by riding her back and forth across the Illinois River a few miles north of Grafton. The model is for static display only.
Glenn used basswood, brass and some architectural model components, so she pretty well depicts the prototype. She is built to a scale of 1:48 (1/4 inch to a foot). The deck load, a Coca-Cola delivery van, a U.S. Post Office truck, and a nicely restored 1932 Ford V-8 sedan (on its way to the big Forest Park Easter Auto Show) are of the exact same scale as the ferry. Both the Coke truck and the postal vehicle show that they have been recently driven over spray-covered rural roads. The model sits atop some aged, wood cribbing, mounted on a piece of red oak plank. Her ramp-adjusting turnbuckles work; her towboat pivots on a ball joint; and her "human figures" are doing their jobs. In my opinion, this model would make a great museum display, or even sit well on a bookcase in home or office. A ferry fan who feels strongly about it, might even purchase it for display in his or her local or area river room or museum. I only wish I had room for it. In the meantime, Glenn either is, or soon will be, off on another project, doing what he likes best - building beautiful models. Anyone with an interest in acquiring the Brussels ferry model can write to him at 501 Taylor Young Drive, Kirkwood, MO 63122. But if you want to be the "firstest" with the "mostest," you might prefer to contact him via email at shipshape5@webtv.net Newsletter News
I must confess that I have read and viewed so much stuff about Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath that when trying to put it together, I feel like antiquated Clint Eastwood in "Space Cowboys" as he tried to land a modern space shuttle. First, everyone who reads this letter most likely has experienced the same exposure to the hours and hours of telecasts daily. There is little, if anything, new that I can present. So we merely will acknowledge the situation and try to include bits of information that not everyone is aware of. Secondly, we appreciate receiving inquiries about river matters from readers seeking information. If presented briefly in letter form, we can include them in our section "Our Readers Write." This spreads the word and gives hundreds (nearly 800) an opportunity to respond. And it adds interest to B&B. On the other hand, those with inquiries can put them on our message board. Simply go to www.littleriverbooks.com. click on "Other Services" in the index line (small row of pictures) and then find "message board" in the listing and click on it. This will enable you to have your questions out there for some time and also to carry on a communication with other readers. Either way you choose to present your questions is fine with us. Web News
I am going to be building some great book packages for presentation on the web. So keep watch. There will be several packages that include usually more expensive books at super good prices. The only restriction is that one has to buy the package, which in itself also will be at a fantastic price. Good time to shop for Christmas, I’d say. So keep watching wwwlittleriverbooks.com 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
(Editor’s note: Due to the piles of messages, I am going to once again present snippets of stories, including just enough to give you the salient feature of the stories. They will be in no particular order.) Katrina Might Bankrupt Diamond, Mississippi It has been reported that the future of Diamond Head, Miss., a 25-square mile community of 8,500 people may be bankrupted by Katrina and that its future could come down to federal policy. The removal of debris is a major issue. FEMA has a policy of not picking up debris on private property. If they do not waive that policy, the community, which has an annual budget of $8 million, could face a $16.5 million bill for debris removal. Railroads Working To Restore Service The Association of American Railroads reports that six of the nation’s seven major freight railroads (BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, CN, Kansas City Southern, and Union Pacific as well as Amtrak) serve the area devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The Association president said on its website September 9 that the major railroads have joined forces to restore rail service to the ravaged areas. The railroads have donated millions of dollars directly to the relief organizations, are moving emergency relief materials into the area, and are aiding in the evacuation. (As it pertains to the Towing industry, it was reported by the "Commercial Appeal" in Memphis today (September 12) that barges are scarce and costly. It said an export loss of $500 million is possible. In one week the price of chartering a barge between Memphis and New Orleans rose from 300 to 400 percent. In Memphis, commodity prices have dropped 50 cents a bushel. So instead of getting $6 a bushel for soybeans, a farmer may be getting $5.50. A 1,200-acre farm in Mississippi produces 40,000 bushels of soybeans. The operation will suffer a $20,000 loss. It was also report by one news source, that after a vigorous investigation, it found that agencies and other entities that plan for emergency relief failed to include the marine industry. Towboats and barges, they said, could have moved nearly everyone out of New Orleans.) (Editor’s note: Due to the devastation in the Port of New Orleans, grain service has been impacted as far as the Twin Cities. On September 2, it was reported that elevators in the north were waiting to see what the results of Katrina would be. They wanted to know if there would be a place to ship the grain. More than half of the nation’s grain exports go through New Orleans. Upon that date, it was reported out of Minneapolis that the railroads were in limbo.) Here Is One Of The Great Humanity Stories Coming Out Of The South This is the story about how a Henderson, Ky., stockbroker (Bill Clements), his wife (Cindy), and close friends Butch and Kelle Branson, set out to help the community of Bayou la Batrem Ala., where two towboats had been built for Butch’s locally based Ohio Valley Marine Service by a friend, Joey Rodriguez of Rodriguez Boat Builders. [Sorry we have to condense this.] The foursome had been to Bayou la Batre together many times in the past. The four rented a 26-foot U-Haul and rushed to Sam’s Club where they filled it with $13,300 worth of items that they believed hurricane victims needed. They then drove for 12 hours to Bayou la Batre, where they passed out the load. Clements was immediately set upon by a young woman and her baby. She didn’t want anything for herself, just diapers for the baby. There, reports the "Gleaner," in 98-degree temperatures, with 80-foot shrimping boats cast around like toys, Clements nearly came undone. "I damn near cried," said Clements. "You would have thought we were giving her a million dollars." It took the visitors only three and a half hours to unload their U-Haul. Then they left. "They didn’t need to fool with us sticking around," Butch told the "Gleaner." (Editor’s note: To paraphrase an old television show, there are thousands of stories coming out of that hurricane-ravaged land. This has been one of them.) Sen. Kit Bond Says Hurricane Disaster May Help Passage of WRDA  Kicking off the 14th annual meeting of the Midwest Area River Coalition (MARC 2000) on September 12 in St. Louis, Sen. Christopher "Kid" Bond told delegates that the advent of Hurricane Katrina may help get the Water Resources Act of 2005 passed.
The annual meeting focuses on legislation for improvements to river infrastructure and ecosystem, Corps’ plans for the river’s future, and the latest on river developments, including Hurricane Katrina’s impact. The theme of the meeting was "Building…On Tradition." Attending were members from the organization’s diverse membership, representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and others, including the Audubon Society. The meeting continued through Tuesday at the St. Louis Airport Hilton. Houseboat Accident Update It is now being reported that the only survivor of the houseboat accident on the Ohio River near Cincinnati recently is saying that the towboat Titletown U.S.A., Marquette Transportation, was out of the channel when it struck the 36-foot Gibson houseboat as it floated dead in the water. The Coast Guard says it has no indication that the towboat was not in the proper channel. Past reports, however, tell us that none of the passengers on the stricken boat was topside as lookout when the mishap occurred. They were all in the engine room. No personal flotation devices were found. Stay tuned! Corps Chief Praises His Troops After a very long day (September 2), Chief of Engineers Lt. Gen. Carl A. Strock sat down and dispatched a letter to update and praise his troops. The time was 11:52 p.m. He expressed his pride and confidence in the Corps team. Gen. Strock rose at 4:30 a.m. to go to the White House to brief President Bush before he [the President] departed for his visit to the disaster area. "I am pleased at the end of the day having read Maj. Gen. Riley’s stirring report of the President’s visit to the 17th Street Canal breach site that highlighted the tremendous work of our New Orleans District and Mississippi Valley Division team and our partners…." The Chief went on to discuss the frustration of seeing the images on the media and of feeling like you are sitting on the sideline when you know you could do something to help. "You are not alone," he said. Gen. Strock wrote, "Retired military officers have called offering their services, including a World War II veteran. Over 500 Corps civilian retirees have volunteered to return to service. Many of you have written personal appeals to me to put you in the fight. Our industry partners are flooding us with offers to help. Multiple stakeholder groups in navigation, flood and storm water management, construction, and engineering are offering to donate their services. Federal partners like the Bureau of Land Management have called saying they are ready to join us, just as they did during the Florida hurricanes last year. The military engineer community is ready to support us with our civil mission or with our mission in support of the military response. It is indeed gratifying to see this outpouring." (Editor’s note: Gen. Strock’s comments were titled, "Thoughts at the End of the Day." Naturally, I have included just a small portion of them. Remember, that was Friday and the storm had not struck. Keep in mind how much help already was being offered. It is hard to believe the criticism that foamed out of the mouths of people who failed to do their own jobs in preparing for disaster and for assisting after Katrina struck.) advertisement
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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! Our Readers Write
Re: The Nicholas Duncan Photo Center contributor John Miller wrote, asking us to get in touch with Thomas R. Torn, who was requesting information about the Nicholas Duncan. "I wanted to get in touch with him and also let him know that his grandfather has another legacy left intact, the George M. Verity (S.S. Thorp)," John wrote. "I’m sure he knows of it, but I will try to help him out in regards to the Nicholas Dunchan." John Miller john.miller3@insightbb.com (Editor’s note. There you go, Tom. John wants you to contact him.) Re: Mv. Ann Peters Burns Jeff Yates has passed along news that the TECO vessels Ann Peters and Anita M were atop a levy at New Orleans and that one of them supposedly burned. "The Waterways Journal" has confirmed that the Ann Peters was totally destroyed by fire. A salvage worker was welding near a leaky fuel tank when the fire broke out. Re: River Explorer Trip I was on the River Explorer on August 7 on an Illinois River trip, and the Karen Rene Hamm was tied up in the slip at Hamm’s Marina. I believe it’s in Rome, just below Chillicothe. It was great to see the Illinois from the Sky deck of the River Explorer. Jeff Kindl advertisement 1/4
Author Offers Book of Stories of River Pilots
"Stories Of River Pilots On The Great Western Rivers" is a book written by a river pilot, Captain Charles F. Burdick. It also includes other stories by other river pilots. It has pictures and river information. This book gives good insight as to happenings and events that make a river pilot’s job challenging. It is comb-bound with clear plastic covers and is written in language suitable for schools, etc. The price is $8 plus $4 shipping and handling. Please allow two weeks for delivery. Order from, and send checks or money orders to: Charles F. Burdick, P.O. Box 205, 600 Second St., Grand Tower, IL 62942. You can email him at mastermariner@juno.com. Boat Photo Center
While I continue to invite contributions of pictures, we do have a sizable offering in the Photo Center this week. There are 16 pictures in all, including one of a new ferry model and one of a vessel stuck in ice.  Contributions this week include those from Brent Maletic, who posted the Janet Marie; Ernie Wright, who posted the Solvay; Jim Corbin, whose posting was the Mississippi Queen; Craig Nowack, who posted the J. W. Hershey, Roy E. Claverie, Penny Eckstein, and Cleva Lee; Glenn Hensley, who posted a picture of the Brussels Ferry (runs on the Illinois River above Grafton, Ill.); and Leon Puckett, who posted the Theresa Ann, Andrea Leigh, Bill Pehler, Miranda Paige, and Bob Stith; and an unknown photographer whose picture of an ACBL boat delivering water to the USS Iwo Jima was included. Also in the Center is a Coast Guard picture of the towboat Black Beard pushing a barge loaded with evacuees across the Mississippi from New Orleans to Algiers, and the picture Tom Waller posted about hurricane destruction of his sister’s house in Bay St. Louis.
Book Beat
 It might surprise readers to know that by 1735 there were Mississippi River levees for 30 miles above and 12 miles below New Orleans. King Louis XV had authorized French colonizer Jean Baptiste le Moyne, Sierur de Bienville, to collect tax for streets and levees. It is interesting reading made more interesting by the advent of Hurricane Katrina.
For about 270 years, a way of life involving levees on the lower Mississippi has continued. These are just a few of the interesting comments William H. Klingner includes in "Taming the Upper Mississippi: My Turn at Watch, 1935-1999." Written by Janice Petterchak, it includes vast information from Klingner’s 65-year history serving the Corps. While the book is about the Upper Miss, it reveals much about the ways of the river and many challenges faced by engineers. Taming the Upper Mississippi: My Turn at Watch is both a river history and a civil engineer’s biography. Just as a farmer strives to be a good steward of his land, a good civil engineer strives to improve both the built environment and the natural resources available for our future. Taming the Upper Mississippi: My Turn at Watch reflects the challenges and limitations in river stewardship. 208 pages. Illustrated. Soft cover. Nonfiction. This book is "both a river history and a civil engineer’s biography. It reflects the challenges and limitations to river stewardship." The book presents a civil engineer’s perspective that its introduction says "has not been told." Our Price: $15.00 Tow Talkin'
September 12, 2005 By Kathy Flippo  A little something different this week. The National Rivers Hall of Fame. A part of the Dubuque County Historical Society and the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, honors river people from Native Americans, musicians, authors, steamboaters and rivermen who not only work the pilothouses but build the boats. Each year members are given the opportunity to nominate candidates for this honor. The nominees are narrowed down to a half dozen, and those candidates are then presented to the members to vote on for inclusion in the National Rivers Hall of Fame.
This year, two of the candidates are from the area. First is Capt. Stephen Black Hanks, born on October 9, 1821, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and died on October 7, 1917, right here in Albany, Illinois. He claimed Abraham Lincoln as kinfolk. Of Capt. Hanks 96 years, 50 of them were spent on the river. He saw his first steamboat on the Ohio River down… 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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