Here's a 'fair' photo I snapped of 'Brucie' Edgington, June, 1962 aboard the DELTA QUEEN at Buffalo, W.Va. on the way to Pittsburgh. It was an unusual stop for the boat at that time. The whole town turned out with a little street festival where crafted items were sold. Brucie has his newspapers in hand and had just come back from the little Post Office in town with the stage ready to be raised.
picture delivered by: R. Dale Flick

The DELTA QUEEN is off the ways at DRAVO in the winter of 1947/48 and work is progressing on the new bow deck were the lift crane is poised. The Navy paint is removed, wheel uncovered, stern name board painted and the sleek GREENE LINE stack with the G logo is in place.
picture delivered by: R. Dale Flick


This photo is of one of the DELTA QUEEN'S magnetic compasses from the estate of the late Charles Brown, Cincinnati. Charlie's collection was donated to S&D and I assisted Lorena Brown with the inventory, hauling around etc. Some of you remember the little Str. LORENA sternwheeler designed, built and operated by the Browns here in Cincinnati. The DQ and DK were both equipped with such compasses on San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento. At one time a kind of compass system was coordinated with a paper graph indicating bearings for when to alter course. Both boats were said to have had a least four compasses each at any time. During World War II the Navy also equipped the DQ with compasses. Whether this specimen pictured is from original construction is a good question. The fancy wood mounting block was added years later when the compass was mounted on a big yacht in Florida. This and other materials are now in Marietta, Ohio.
picture delivered by: R. Dale Flick


The aftermath of the big 1917/'18 ice gorge at the Cincinnati Public Landing. The ice has melted and the wrecked big CITY OF CINCINNATI looks the worst for wear. Packet KENTUCKY is seen to the left of the wreck.
picture delivered by: R. Dale Flick


The H.K. BEDFORD pictured at Ralph Bean's Landing, 8 miles above Marietta, Feb. 12, 1912. Laid up at Marietta waiting for the ice to run out and left for Pittsburgh with a very heavy cargo. A hog chain footing came loose and she headed for shore and settled to the bottom. Before being raised another ice flow came and carried away her upper works. Engines went to the ferry boat H.E. BEVAN. Thus ended the life of Capt. Gordon C. Greene's 'come and go boat.' The BEDFORD ran in the L & C trade with Capt. Mary B. Greene as master. The H.K.B. been sold in 1898 to the Kraft/Frantz interests.
picture delivered by: R. Dale Flick


Thanks to Dale Flick for this picture!
His comments: Here's a dandy of the 'new' MORNING STAR pulling out of Howard's Yards, Jeffersonville, Ind., 1901. Originally 225 X 38 X 6ft., she was lengthened to 250 ft. in 1910 here in Cincinnati (more on that lengthening another week). Fred Way's PACKET DIRECTORY Entry No: 4043 is another 'rave review.' Capt. Wes Conner, pilot, was on her and dated to piloting on the ROBT. E. LEE in her race with the NATCHEZ. He was stricken aboard and later died ashore, age 78 in 1902. Old S&D/DQ friend, Donald T. Wright ('Waterways Journal'), served as clerk on her.
She became the PRINCESS under Coney Island Co., management in 1918 and survived until the disastrous Nov., 1922 fire at Cincinnati with the loss of ISLAND QUEEN, TACOMA, CHRIS GREENE I, PRINCESS. She was carrying the famed roof bell from the CITY OF CINCINNATI. That fire was another pivotal incident in the operation of packets out of Cincinnati; end of one era and beginning of another.


Thanks to Dale Flick for the picture!
The LORENA and the SONOMA in an undated photo in the canal at McConnelsville, Ohio, on the Muskingum. Fred Way had lots to say about the LORENA in his PACKET DIRECTORY, Entry No: 3560, built 1895, 'Knox Yard.' The SONOMA Entry No: 5139, 1881, 'Knox Yard.' The SONOMA was enlarged with two stacks in 1897. She ran in that trade until 1909. The LORENA ended her Muskingum trade with the big 1913 flood.


Thanks to Dale Flick for the picture!
The GEORGIA LEE completed with steam up at the Howard Yards, Jeffersonville, IN., 1898. Fred Way has her in his PACKET DIRECTORY Entry No: 2320 with related data. She was 178 X 33 X 5 ft. Engines 18s X 8 ft. stroke. The GEORGIA ran in the Memphis-Cincinnati trade until the LEE LINE abandoned the service in 1914. In this photo she bears the original U.S. MAIL MEMPHIS TO CAIRO sign just below her port stack. She was lost at Memphis in the big ice of 1918.


Thanks to Dale Flick for the picture!
Tthe Str. SAM P. SUIT. Way's STEAM TOWBOAT DIRECTORY Entry No: T2248 had much to say. Built 1925 At Pt. Pleasant, W. Va., 'Marietta Manufacturing Co., 123 X 30 X 5.4 ft. Engines 12s, 24s--6 ft. stroke. Owned by the ISLAND CREEK CO., named after Sam P. Suit their superintendent. The SUIT exploded a boiler near Cincinnati May 9, 1937 and Emory Edgington was her master. She was rebuilt at DRAVO. Fred Way indicates she was considered too short to do "good work" but was never lengthened. Sank February 13, 1948 at Huntington, W. Va., with superstructure swept away in the ice.