Str. Admiral for Sale

[Alan Bates]

For those of you who want to own a steamboat an ad in this week's Waterways Journal says:
Pinnacle Entertainment is soliciting proposals for the disposal of the "admiral" casino vessel. The bid date is August 18, 2010.
It will be sold in its "as-is, where-is" condition at UMR mile 180.
Call (636) 225-9106.

[Stephen McMullen]

SS Admiral for Sale

Hey: If you won the Missouri lottery (say, $ 32,000,000) you could buy the Admiral, refit it to do excursions again, and keep doing that until all your money runs out.............

As much as I LOVE the SS Admiral I would be spooked at buying it, as it has had nothing but bad luck from the day it was the railroad barge Albatross
(which sunk, by the way).

[Chris Purdom]

Maybe win the Missouri lottery, buy the Admiral or the JBS and sell shares of it to others who would love to own an authentic steamboat or piece of history, but don't have the means to do so.
Kinda thinking along the lines of an employee owned and operated company. Then again thinking always gets me into trouble.

[Shipyard Sam]

Spare Change

Here's how any true-blew steamboat buff can invest in a piece of the action of a real, live steamboat and still have change left over:

Support the very few remaining steamboats still operating- namely the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE, MINNE HA HA, CHAUTAUQUA BELLE, and the NATCHEZ. Take a ride, invite your friends, or charter a trip (if you can afford it). Buy stuff from the concession stand, eat dinner, buy drinks. Frequent the gift shop- load up a bag or two of Fish Purses, L'il Skipper caps, etc. Make two, three, or more trips a season. Do this season-after-season and you'll get your fill of all the steamboating you'll ever want, and maybe you might help keep some small corner of steamboating alive for another day.

Book a couple of nights at the DELTA QUEEN Hotel. Support your local home-grown excursion boat. Nobody is going to win the lottery, and if they do, sure as shooting, they ain't going to sink the loot into some used-up derelict steamboat.

[Chris Purdom]

Yeah I know he is. Just day dreaming is all. Same reason I don't come down to the boat and gamble. I'll just lose more than I'll gain. One of these I'll make it down to the Belle of Louisville though.

[Tom Schiffer]

HEAR, HEAR! Cap'n Walnut.

[Bob Reynolds]

"One of these days". Chris, you're mighty close. One thing I've found out is that when you have a thought like that, you should JUST DO IT! Go down to the River Ramblings program at the Howard on Saturday August 21st and ride the BELLE with a number of others from this board. If you don't you will likely regret it. Just do it!

[mel hartsough]

I just hope they dont put her on some Discovery channel show and cut her up like they did the President. That was sad to watch. Especially when I remember those friday and saturday night rock and roll cruises when I was in high school.

[Chris Purdom]

Mighty close I am, It's that time factor that I have issues with.
Would be happier to see the Admiral sitting on a concrete pad at a museum then seeing someone buying her for scrap. Seeing history chopped up for scrap is sad to see.

[inactive user 02]

There is no time like the present. If you really want to do something time will work out for it! Don't forget the MINNE HA HA up on Lake George she, too is a true steamboat! We don't have many examples of true steam-powered boats left. Support them or lament them.

[John Fryant]

The Admiral was dieselized for several years while she was still cruising. What ever became of her steam engines? Are they still aboard her?

[Lexie Palmore]

For all you billionaires out there who made your money by selling lots and lots of stuff, (and not sitting around and waiting to win the lottery), the Delta Queen would make a nice personal yacht. You would not have any trouble finding a crew. You could spend hours and hours cruising up and down the river and waving to the schmucks on the shore, and still conduct business while sipping a mint julip. Invite about 100 of your closest friends to ride along in private comfort. What?! None of you are billionaires! Multimillionaires? Go for the Jewelly Bell Swayin'. Needs a little fixing up, but she's not historic, so you could glitz it up any way you want. Not that rich, either? Well, see above thread about buying ticket, Coke, T-shirt, etc. and just pretending you are a rich tycoon. It works. Oh, and bring along some of your friends and family. Repeatedly. This will actually make you rich in ways you never imagined.

[Judy Patsch]

ADMIRAL'S engines

The engines were removed when Six Flags made her over into an amusement park. For those wanting to save her, there is little left in either accoutrements or structure dating back to when she was a steamboat. Six Flags added a deck, the casino added bulkheads, chopping up the huge ballroom, etc. At least when the PRESIDENT was casino-ized, her structure remained the same, and machinery was left aboard. There is very little to justify saving the ADMIRAL in her whole state now.
A huge thank you to those suggesting supporting the current steamboats - I have mentioned this many times, but with my vested interest in the NATCHEZ, I appreciate the good word from impartial sources too. While the NATCHEZ, BELLE, MINNE, and CHAUTAUQUA don't have the overnight accommodations, they offer a steamboater everything one could want in a steamboating experience, complete with the dedicated crews. But they too will go by the wayside if we don't patronize them. 'Someday' often never comes in one's plans - while I am of course upset with the premature and unnatural demise of the DQ's cruising days, I am at peace with myself because I rode her as much as I could afford, both money and time wise. I have no regrets for giving up other things in order to have taken those 41 trips, or in later years to have assisted her crews on her UMR visits. If you take the time to go ride one of the extant steamers, plan a multiple day stay so you can get in several trips and different experiences. If anyone ever wants to plan a NATCHEZ/New Orleans trek, I'd be glad to help plan it with you...

[Pete Baker]

Steam engines in St. Louis

A quick Google:

The Admiral was built as a steam-powered side-wheel paddlewheel boat; it was converted to diesel-powered propellers in 1973. The original steam engines are on display at St. Louis' Museum of Transport"

Built St. Louis: The Admiral

prb

[Judy Patsch]

ADMIRAL machinery

Yes, it was the diesels that Six Flags removed -
However I can't remember from visiting the Museum of Transport if that is accurate about her engines being on display there - both of her pitmans, Popeye and Wimpy are on prominent display as you enter the grounds, but as to the engines, I'm not certain. In fact, I'm trying to remember if the engines themselves were removed when the diesel props were installed in her wheelhouses. The props weren't located where the engines were. Jim Blum???