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November 28, 2005 -- Vol. 5 Issue 48 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 don’t sheep shrink when it rains? A Personal Note From Jack
 There may be some limitations to what a democratically elected president can do. But from my viewpoint, President Bush could be doing a lot more to pull the Washington crew together and make some sense out of what is happening in the Gulf. If it were possible for Democrats and Republicans to get together, it would be amazing what could be accomplished. But they won’t!
What is particularly disheartening is that now, three months after Katrina struck the coast, thousands are without homes, thousands are without jobs, debris stands around in many areas just as it did the day following the storms. Many millions, I am afraid, may be going into the hands of people who do not deserve it. More millions may be going in the form of overly high payments on no bid contracts, with local contractors being left out of the mix. I have local contacts on the Gulf, and what they tell me about what goes on stinks. Yet there is no denying that no one has ever faced the challenge now faced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is carrying out a monumental recovery effort. (See some details provided in the “On The Waterfront” section.) Nevertheless: If I were King, I would first make a list of all the agency leaders, department heads, etc., who have anything at all to do with recovery efforts, whether they be under the Federal Emergency Management Agency or not. Then I would call them all to a meeting in Washington, along with the press, cameras and all. I would make clear to everyone in the room and to the press exactly what the responsibility of every leader is. When I introduced the one who was supposed to monitor the awarding of contracts, I would say publicly: Your job is to keep this honest and straight forward and reasonable. I want reports in my office every week. If you cannot monitor the contracts successfully, you will be out of a job in two weeks! Next I would name and put the burden on every leader (in government or out, in the Corps or out), every person responsible for awarding contracts. I would make sure the press knew who they were. And I would say: follow the rules. Keep contracts fair. Keep contracts reasonable. Keep them honest. If you can’t do that, you will be out of a job in two weeks! Each and every person who is in a delicate and responsible position involving recovery would be told that if they cannot do their jobs, they will be replaced on short notice. However, my comment upon receipt of an unacceptable report from these leaders would be to ask for an explanation as to why the report is unacceptable. If I agreed with the explanation, or at least thought it was reasonable, I would ask the person how we can fix the problem. Then (as king) I would fix it and give the person an extension. As king, a benevolent despot no less, my first goal would be to help recovery move along at an acceptable pace. Realizing that what is acceptable is a relative term subject to interpretation differently by the public than by the recovery leaders, I would compare the viewpoints of my leaders and the public to see if the public had a legitimate point of view. If they did, I would interface with the leaders and see that changes were made if they were justified. If changes were not justified, I would see to it that my kingdom’s propaganda-machine reps were traveling in the devastated areas, explaining why recovery was taken longer than they thought it should be. And I would distribute printed documents broadly across the land so that my wards knew exactly what was going on. And from my KING television station, I would telecast throughout my kingdom that patience is a worthy virtue. But I would not sit back without explaining what was going on. As king, I would favor happy citizens over happy leaders. I could always appoint new leaders. One cannot replace unhappy citizens with happy ones at the drop of a scepter. It would be my conclusion that if my wards were totally happy, then my throne and my leaders would be safe. Keeping people happy would be reflected in how wisely I spent the taxes that I imposed upon them. I realize President Bush is not king. And I realize that hurricane recovery is not the only problem on the block. What with the Iraq war, the immigration problems, the health insurance problems, etc., etc., he has a lot on his mind. What he should be doing is stepping up his efforts to keep the citizenry happy in the areas where he knows their complaints are legitimate. “The Washington Post” reported Saturday that in Mississippi, the post-Katrina recovery is stagnant. In Pass Christian, Miss., for example, a town of 8,000, there are no new houses framed, no lots cleared, just devastation and a lingering stench and tent city in which hundreds of residents huddle against the first chill of winter and wonder where they will find the money to rebuild their lives. At least 200,000 Mississippians remain displaced. FEMA is short at least 13,000 trailers to house them. The “Post” quoted Mississippi Democrat Rep. Gene Taylor, who said, “FEMA continues to be able to mess up a one-car funeral – we don’t begin to have enough money for major reconstruction… We’re going to have a lot of defaults and bankruptcies.” Taylor is one of those who lost his own home in Bay St. Louis. Ironically, the former FEMA director, one Brown by name, resigned and now, believe it or not, he is starting his own business as an emergency management consultant. What nerve this guy has. It may well be that there were FEMA activities that did not make Brown’s job easy, but reports and emails about his disregard of the conditions in New Orleans should have been enough to discredit him for life. At least it did for me. He was more concerned about dining out and other personal accommodations. Bill O’Reilly, host of the O’Reilly Factor on Fox News, has a favorite expression that deals with “taking care of the folks.” As king, my goal would be to take care of the folks. As president, I think I would try to do the same. Newsletter News
For several weeks we reminded you that we had removed the Cherokee Boat/Barge items from our web site and that the company was going to begin advertising a variety of products in B&B. The time has come. Below you will the first of a series of classified ads that will permit you to visit the Cherokee web site for your shopping pleasure.  Web Site News
We have added for your Christmas gift-buying pleasure a new section offering book-package deals that make it possible for buyers to save many dollars buying their own gifts and stocking stuffers for others. Please click here to visit the special Christmas book page deals. 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.
On The Waterfront
River Cleaner-Upper Plans To Spend Another Month On Gulf Chad Pregracke, whose reputation as a river clean-up man leading a river clean-up crew has spread far and wide, recently was reported to have helped 72 families along the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast. He now plans to spend December, at least through the holidays, in New Orleans helping families clean out their flood- and wind-damaged homes. Originally Pregracke and his crew headed for the Gulf region October 1 with some $40,000 in building materials collected in the Quad Cities and a crew of almost 20. The “Quad City Times” reported that after two months into the relief effort, they had been all over New Orleans and along the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts. (Editor’s note: Three cheers for this dedicated man and his crew. He deserves all the donations and help companies can give him.) Katrina News Notes Gleaned From Everywhere It has been more than two weeks since it was predicted that the hurricane season may return again before the Corps of Engineers can rebuild all 350 miles of battered levees in the New Orleans area. The Corps, however, expects to stabilize the weak levees before the hurricane season returns in June. It was reported on November 19 that the Corps, through a contract company and dozens of smaller subcontractors, has removed 1.5 million cubic yards of debris from Hancock County, Miss., alone. Another 6 million cubic yards remains in piles along roads and some on private property. (One can only guess how much debris there is in the New Orleans area.) The Federal Emergency Management Agency reportedly said it would pay for 100 percent of debris removal accomplished by the November 26 deadline and 90 percent after that. The state and county would each be responsible for 5 percent. Officials have been asking FEMA to extend its deadline. Mississippi officials seem confident that the deadline will be extended. It was estimated that there is enough debris in Mississippi to cover 230 football fields to a depth of 50 feet. (Editor’s note: One wonders how, with so much debris in such a large area, that they arrived at a November 26 deadline. We have frequently called for more efficiency in the handling of debris clean-up contracts, and we still do. But it behooves us to keep in mind what a monumental challenge the Corps faces throughout the hurricane-devastated region.) A Change of Pace (Editor’s note: The following should be of particular interest to boat crews. I have read many stories by my friend and author Dean Gabbert about the many boat-delivery trips he has made aboard gambling boats headed to the Upper Miss. The following is the log kept by Capt. Phillip Ritchie, who delivered the new Belle of St. Louis in 1991. It’s a detailed but fast read. It gives us a good idea of the concerns during delivery trips. Capt. Ritchie, now retired, resides in Florida.) Log of the delivery trip of the Belle of St. Louis By Capt. Philip A. Ritchie Chief Pilot Streckfus Steamers Other personnel Capt. Joseph Hightower, trip Pilot Capt. Robert Goodman, Master Larry Orlich, Alternate Master Monday, April 8, 1991 0800 Delta Airline Flight #91 from Tampa, FL to New Orleans, LA 1100 At Nola Airport met Capt. Joseph Hightower, Capt. Bob Goodman, Larry Orich and crew members arriving from St. Louis. Company van from Nola Airport to the TravelLodge Inn at Jennings, La. After checking in, Capt. Hightower and I went to the Leevac Shipyard to see the new boat. At this time I informed Captain Goodman that the boat had to be equipped with a Bunn coffeemaker in the pilothouse before departure. Tuesday, April 9, 1991 Sea trials of the Belle of St. Louis. Several malfunctions occurred. Wednesday, April 10, 1991 Preparing Belle of St Louis for departure. 1900 to 2400 Attended a Cajun dinner and hoedown courtesy of Leevac shipyard in a large lodge located deep in the woods of Cajun country. All shipyard employees, their families, and Streckfus personnel attended. Mountains of seafood and Cajun dishes, a Cajun band provided music for dancing. Capt. Hightower had his guitar with him and joined the band for several numbers. A grand time lots of fun was had by all. Thursday, April 11, 1991 (My wife’s 63rd birthday) 1600 The Belle of St. Louis was ready for departure. There was no Bunn coffeemaker in the Pilothouse. I refused to depart until one was purchased and placed in the pilothouse. Capt. Hightower backed me up and also refused to pilot the vessel until my demand was met. A van had to be dispatched to a Wal-mart to obtain the Bunn coffeemaker. 1800 The Belle of St. Louis departed Leevac Shipyard, Mile 6.9 Mermantau River to the GIWW, GIWW to Atchafalaya River. Atchafalaya River to Lower Mississippi River at Mile 300, Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri. 47 Souls Aboard. 2015 Depart Mermantau River and enter Eastbound on the GIWW, Mile 202 West of Harvey Lock (WHL). 2400 Mile 188 WHL, Eastbound on the GIWW. Friday, April 12, 1991 0000 Mile 188 WHL, Eastbound GIWW, 0315 to 0345 Mile 162 WHL, Locking through Leland Bowman Lock. 1025 Wax Lake Spillway. 1130 Mile99 WHL Enter Atchafalaya River (AR) at Mile 120. 1210 to 1310 Morgan City, LA, Mile 118 AR. Take on supplies. 1800 Mile 85 Northbound AR. 2210 Mile58 AR, I-40 Bridge 2400 Mile 48 AR Northbound Saturday, April 13, 1991 0000 Mile 48 Northbound on Atchafalaya River. 0100 Mile 42 AR Cleared Krotz Springs railroad bridge. 0250 to 0300 Mile 30 AR Wait and clear Melville railroad bridge. 0600 Mile 10 Northbound on Atchafalaya River. 0630 Mile 8 Cleared Simmsport railroad bridge. 0715 Mile 0.0 Atchafalaya River. Enter Old River at Mile 5 0800 to 0820 Mile 0.5 Old River. Locking Through Old River Lock. 0830 Entered Lower Mississippi River at Mile 304 Above Head of Passes (AHP) - Bound Northbound for home port at St. Louis, Missouri. 1200 Mile 330 Northbound on LMR. 1800 Mile 375 Northbound on LMR 2120 Mile 394.7 Bondurant Towhead. A severe and sudden thunderstorm with high winds of 70 to 75 MPH blew the stage plank and stage boom off the head of the boat. The stage plank, its boom and electric hoist were lost overboard. The weight of the stage plank was 7 tons. 2215 Mile 396 LMR Tied off just below St. Joe grain elevator to assess damage and wait for weather to clear. 24000 Mile 396 Tied off waiting for weather to moderate. Sunday, April 14. 1991 0000 Mile 396 Tied off waiting for weather to moderate. 0110 Weather Clearing Proceed Northbound on LMR. 0600 Mile 432, Racetrack Light Northbound LMR. 0900 Capt. Robert (Bob) Goodman called the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office and spoke with Petty Officer Jerry Jones to report the loss of the stage plank and boom. 0915 Rosehill Light I met the downbound Steamer Delta Queen with Capt. Bobby Powell serving as pilot-on-watch. Her new hull really looked good. It elevated the sternwheel up to an efficient operating draft. Capt. Powell reported the sternwheel is now turning 18 RPM with no strain. 1200 Seitz Light, Mile 472 Northbound LMR. 1800 Kentucky Bend Light, Mile 517 Northbound LN\MR. 2025 Greenville, Mississippi Highway Bridge 2135 Mile 537 – Enter Lake Ferguson at Greenville. 2230 All secure at Mississippi Marine Shipyard for a crane to install the stack crowns and upper forward mast. These items could not be installed at Leevac Shipyard because of low bridge clearance on the Mermantau River. 2400 All secure at Mississippi Marine Shipyard Monday, April 15, 1991 0000 All secure at Mississippi Marine Shipyard 0415 Depart Mississippi Marine Shipyard 0430 Out of Lake Ferguson. Proceed North on the LMR 0600 Mile 546 Northbound LMR - Foggy 0700 Mile 551 Lay to against shore in dense fog. The boat is not equipped with a swing indicator to assist in radar navigation in dense fog. 0830 Mile 551 Fog thinning. Proceed Northbound on LMR 0900 Weather and atmosphere clear 1200 Mile 578 Northbound LMR 1630 to 1720 Mile 610 - Channel traffic delay 1800 Sessions Towhead Light, Mile616 Northbound LMR 2400 Mile 654 Northbound LMR Tuesday, April 16, 1991 0000 654 Northbound LMR 0425 to 0440 Mile 686 – Channel traffic delay 0600 Commerce Light, Mile 695 Northbound LMR 1200 Memphis, TN, Mile 736 LMR 1210 Mile 737 Stopped in mouth of Wolf River to take fuel, supplies and personnel. Herman Lane of DeHart Marine Electronics aboard to install a “Rate of Swing” indicator. 1445 depart upbound from Memphis 1800 Cedar Point Lower Light, Mile756 LMR 2002 Reverie Light, Herman Lane of DeHart Marine Electronics off the boat at Reverie Light via J.B.Rice of Redhead Boat Store. 2400 Goldust, TN, Northbound Mile 793 LMR Wednesday, April 17, 1991 0000 Goldust, TN, Mile 793 Northbound LMR 0600 Bader Light, Mile 835 Northbound LMR 1200 Tiptonville, TN Mile 874 Northbound LMR 1800 Mile 915 Northbound LMR 2325 Cairo Point, Enter Upper Mississippi River (UMR) 2400 Bird’s Point Grain Elevator, Mile3 Northbound UMR Thursday, April 18, 1991 0000 Bird’s Point Grain Elevator, Mile 3 Northbound UMR 0600 Allen’s Towhead Light, Mile 37 UMR 0630 While passing I talked on the radio with Captain Linus (Bud) Huck in his home at Commerce, MO 0800 Encountered heavy drift that covered entire channel just below extreme Gray’s Point, Avoidance was not possible. Some drift passed through and lodged in the starboard kort nozzle. After backing to clear the kort nozzle a slight shaking and vibration was noted in the pilothouse. The starboard tachometer revealed a drop of 100 RPM’s on the starboard propeller. Proceeded up to Cape Bend, turned the boat around and backed upstream with both engines full speed astern for a protracted period of time. No more debris was flushed out. After resuming upstream progress at full speed ahead the vibration continued and the starboard RPM loss remained constant. Therefore, it is concluded that the starboard propeller may have sustained minor damage to the tip of a propeller blade. 0900 I called KFVS-TV in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and arranged TV coverage as we passed the city front. 1200 Mansker Light, Mile 68 Northbound UMR 1800 Chester, Illinois, Mile 104 Northbound UMR 2310 To 2315 Mile 128.50 Channel Traffic Delay. 2400 Fort Charters Bend, Mile 132 Northbound UMR Friday, April 19, 1991 0000 Fort Charters Bend, Mile 132 Northbound UMR 0600 Carl Baer Light, Mile 163 Northbound UMR 0730 Mile 172 UMR, Streckfus officials Terry Wiginnis, Pat Kaiser, Tom Dunn and Commander Anderson of the U.S. Coast Guard aboard via harbor tug. 0830 to 0900 Performed various maneuvers to demonstrate the boat’s handling characteristics to the Streckfus officials. 1115 to 1150 Held up midstream at St. Louis wharf in front of the Gateway Arch posing for a live television broadcast on the noon news telecast. 1200 Mile 180 UMR Alongside the S.S. Admiral 1210 First mooring line out. 1225 All secure at the home port of the Belle of St. Louis. 1700 Checked into the Holiday Inn Riverfront. Saturday, April 20, 0991 0000 Day begins in the Holiday Inn Riverfront in St. Louis, Missouri. 0900 Taxi from hotel; to St. Louis Airport. 1005 Delta Airlines to Tampa, Florida via Atlanta connection. 1515 EST Arrived at Tampa Airport. Met by wife and auto to home. 1630 Arrived at my home in St. Petersburg End of Log 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 From Our Readers
Re: Our November 21 Thanks for the compliment to Audubon. We try hard to work together, and we can identify with your concerns as well as an organization that actually runs boats on this great river. Happy Thanksgiving to you. Dan McGuiness Director, Audubon Upper Mississippi River Campaign Re: Questions And Answers I believe it was Sue Matos of Eva, Tenn., who recently asked me why the Mv. Dreama Klaiber was listed in the “Inland River Records” as being a retractable-pilothouse boat. I checked with the powers that be and was informed that it was inadvertently sent in that way by Blessey Marine Service, Inc. Obviously it is not that type of boat, which Sue’s own pictures reveal. Sue is also curious about the name of the Ingram boat that is the centerpiece for “The Waterways Journal’s” new logo poster. I have asked a few people who did not know. Do any readers know? Perhaps an Ingram employee will read this and let us all know. — Jack advertisement 1/4
 Collectible Towboats / Barges / Models for sale. Custom design or choose from large list of inland waterway companies. American Towboater Logo Wear for sale includes T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, Golf Shirts and Hats. For info and price list, call 502-241-1118 (Fax No. 502-241-1976) or email cherokeebb@insightbb.com. Order now for the holidays. For closer look, check out web site: http://www.cherokeebarge.com.
Boat Photo Center
 Got some nice close-ups for this week’s Photo Center. They include: the Steve Kuhr and Walter D. Nunley from Ron Richardson; Joel Smith and Midas from Thomas Waller; the Miss Shirley from Wade McGrady; and the River Wolverine, Dale Cathorall, River Wildcat, and two views of the C. H. Martin from Jeffrey L. Yates, who was working with his new digital.
Recipe Box
Do you have a good holiday recipe you’d like to share? Submit your recipes here! GERT’S BUTTERSCOTCH DESSERT First layer: 1 c. flour 1/2 c. butter or margarine 1/2 c. chopped nuts Mix and press into 9x13 pan. Bake 15-20 min. at 350 degrees. Cool. Second layer: 1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese 1 c. powdered sugar 1 large container Cool Whip Beat sugar and cream cheese until fluffy and light. Add Cool Whip. Spread over cooled crust. Third layer: 2 pkgs. instant pudding (Butter-Pecan or Butterscotch) 2-1/2 c. milk Mix and spread over second layer. Fourth layer: 1 small container Cool Whip Spread Cool Whip on top of all and top with chopped nuts. The Book Beat
 
We are now accepting orders for “The Inland River Record 2006” again on the web site. Naturally, you can also buy orders by calling Jack at 314/921-4419 and using your Visa or MasterCard. Here is the new listing:
Inland River Record 2006 (+CD w/pdf containing copy of book) - by The Waterways Journal (Updated and published annually since 1945.) Hard cover. Nearly 500 pages of alphabetically arranged descriptive listings on more than 3,000 vessels currently operating the Inland Waterways. There are hundreds of changes in the 2006 edition. They include: new or reinstated boats, ownership or company name changes, name changes, engine/horsepower changes, reduction gear changes, miscellaneious changes, address changes, and vessels removed. Usually same-day shipping! List Price: $37.50 Our Price: $32.50 You Save: $5.00 (13.3%) The Gift Shop
Compass and clock chart weights — the perfect Christmas gift! An excellent company Christmas gift for employees! Each chart weight comes gift-boxed suitable for presentation purposes. Chart weights can be customized with names, company names, and logos for an extra charge. However, to do so requires that the customer call Jack at 314/921-4419 and make arrangements by phone. It cannot be done directly on the website.
Tow Talkin'
November 28, 2005 By Kathy Flippo  Thanksgiving is over and the towboats are thinning out up here. Several boats have gone up north light boat to bring out loads before the river closes for the season.
ARTCO is still loading here at Clinton, and there are maybe a dozen MTs waiting to be loaded. The weather hasn’t really been a factor yet, but these barges still have to get out before one of the lower locks closes for the winter so it can be worked on. In the May 22, 1884, issue of the Clinton Weekly Herald I found an interesting paragraph. “The Douglass Boardman arrived down from Beef Slough, having made the round trip from Clinton to Beef Slough and return, bringing… 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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