redneck joe
Supreme Mariner
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2009
- Messages
- 10,200
"If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were."
I doubt that 19th-century spiritualist and philosopher Khalil Gibran was talking about a docked and dilapidating steamboat, but the sentiment still applies.
It’s time to let go of the Delta Queen. We don't deserve her.
The Delta Queen Steamboat Co. has purchased the 1927 vessel and has plans to relocate and renovate the boat to its former glory next year.
All of this should take place in March, ending half a decade of dormancy and neglect.
Since 2009, the Delta Queen has served as a floating hotel and tourist attraction on the north shore of the Tennessee River. An outdated 1966 law outlawed the use of wooden passenger steamboats on rivers because they were considered a fire hazard.
As an audio specialist (sort of) for the Times Free Press, I was one of a few employees (along with a photographer and reporter) allowed to take what was considered the "final ride" of the Delta Queen.
We spent three nights on the vessel, traveling from Florence, Alabama, to Chattanooga. In that time, I met with a variety of the crew, historians and former passengers. Each of them had one thing in common: They loved the Delta Queen.
One of the best moments from that trip was a long discussion with Toots Maloy, the Delta Queen’s riverlorian (a riverboat historian). We were asked to do a series of interviews with people, and Toots provided much of the background information for the piece. But she also represented everything that I would come to love about the vessel.
"It has a soul," she told us. And by the end of our journey, I believed her.
As I smoked a cigar on the top deck with the moon shining off the river, I imagined the same scene playing out over and over again throughout history. What conversations were had on this exact spot? Did the ghost of Mark Twain make a hilarious quip that had the entire table laughing? Did two people fall in love?
Built in 1927, the Delta Queen was as much a utilitarian vessel as it was a respite for travelers. It served briefly with the Navy during World War II and eventually became one of the most popular of the great steamboats for wealthy travelers.
Following the service of owner and Capt. Tom Greene, the Delta Queen became the first steamboat to have a female captain, Mary Greene. Many people believe her ghostly presence can still be felt on the boat today.
The late John Hartford was a frequent performer on the Delta Queen. He even wrote a beautiful love song called "Delta Queen Waltz," which captures many of the qualities we all could feel resonating from the walls.
Even Ryan Adams name-drops the Delta Queen in his song "Let It Ride": "Moving like the fog on the Cumberland River, I was leaving on the Delta Queen," he sings. "But I wasn’t ready to go."
For years, the Delta Queen has sat idle. And any boat owner will tell you that the worst thing you can do is let a boat sit. But that’s what we’ve done with the Delta Queen.
We’ve watched as the paint has faded and the bottom of the boat slowly rotted away while the rest of the city circles and thrives. The last time I was on the Delta Queen was to have dinner, and the neglect was shocking.
This "authentic riverboat experience" was nothing but a farce, a sad reminder that history is forgotten and priorities can be misplaced.
What is an authentic riverboat experience without the spin of the paddlewheel and movement down the Tombigbee Waterway? The Delta Queen was meant to move, slowly, up and down the river. That was (and is) her only purpose, and when our life loses purpose, we die.
Chattanooga has served as a low-scale retirement home for the Delta Queen, and she’s finally being rescued. "Mistreated" implies at least some treatment or care. The Delta Queen was neglected. It was left to die a slow death on the riverbank, and, until now, nobody stepped up to help her.
President of the newly formed company Cornel Martin said, "We look forward to the day when the Delta Queen will once again be able to ply America’s waterways and allow passengers to relive the experiences of Mark Twain and his unique cast of river characters from the decks of a true 1927 steamboat."
There are many factors that will keep the Delta Queen from serving her purpose. Laws need to be changed, and millions of dollars in renovations are needed.
Maybe, just maybe, we'll see her pass through Chattanooga again. But it's probably a good thing she doesn't have a middle finger.
some great pics here:
nooga.com/169435/photos-a-final-look-at-the-delta-queen/
I doubt that 19th-century spiritualist and philosopher Khalil Gibran was talking about a docked and dilapidating steamboat, but the sentiment still applies.
It’s time to let go of the Delta Queen. We don't deserve her.
The Delta Queen Steamboat Co. has purchased the 1927 vessel and has plans to relocate and renovate the boat to its former glory next year.
All of this should take place in March, ending half a decade of dormancy and neglect.
Since 2009, the Delta Queen has served as a floating hotel and tourist attraction on the north shore of the Tennessee River. An outdated 1966 law outlawed the use of wooden passenger steamboats on rivers because they were considered a fire hazard.
As an audio specialist (sort of) for the Times Free Press, I was one of a few employees (along with a photographer and reporter) allowed to take what was considered the "final ride" of the Delta Queen.
We spent three nights on the vessel, traveling from Florence, Alabama, to Chattanooga. In that time, I met with a variety of the crew, historians and former passengers. Each of them had one thing in common: They loved the Delta Queen.
One of the best moments from that trip was a long discussion with Toots Maloy, the Delta Queen’s riverlorian (a riverboat historian). We were asked to do a series of interviews with people, and Toots provided much of the background information for the piece. But she also represented everything that I would come to love about the vessel.
"It has a soul," she told us. And by the end of our journey, I believed her.
As I smoked a cigar on the top deck with the moon shining off the river, I imagined the same scene playing out over and over again throughout history. What conversations were had on this exact spot? Did the ghost of Mark Twain make a hilarious quip that had the entire table laughing? Did two people fall in love?
Built in 1927, the Delta Queen was as much a utilitarian vessel as it was a respite for travelers. It served briefly with the Navy during World War II and eventually became one of the most popular of the great steamboats for wealthy travelers.
Following the service of owner and Capt. Tom Greene, the Delta Queen became the first steamboat to have a female captain, Mary Greene. Many people believe her ghostly presence can still be felt on the boat today.
The late John Hartford was a frequent performer on the Delta Queen. He even wrote a beautiful love song called "Delta Queen Waltz," which captures many of the qualities we all could feel resonating from the walls.
Even Ryan Adams name-drops the Delta Queen in his song "Let It Ride": "Moving like the fog on the Cumberland River, I was leaving on the Delta Queen," he sings. "But I wasn’t ready to go."
For years, the Delta Queen has sat idle. And any boat owner will tell you that the worst thing you can do is let a boat sit. But that’s what we’ve done with the Delta Queen.
We’ve watched as the paint has faded and the bottom of the boat slowly rotted away while the rest of the city circles and thrives. The last time I was on the Delta Queen was to have dinner, and the neglect was shocking.
This "authentic riverboat experience" was nothing but a farce, a sad reminder that history is forgotten and priorities can be misplaced.
What is an authentic riverboat experience without the spin of the paddlewheel and movement down the Tombigbee Waterway? The Delta Queen was meant to move, slowly, up and down the river. That was (and is) her only purpose, and when our life loses purpose, we die.
Chattanooga has served as a low-scale retirement home for the Delta Queen, and she’s finally being rescued. "Mistreated" implies at least some treatment or care. The Delta Queen was neglected. It was left to die a slow death on the riverbank, and, until now, nobody stepped up to help her.
President of the newly formed company Cornel Martin said, "We look forward to the day when the Delta Queen will once again be able to ply America’s waterways and allow passengers to relive the experiences of Mark Twain and his unique cast of river characters from the decks of a true 1927 steamboat."
There are many factors that will keep the Delta Queen from serving her purpose. Laws need to be changed, and millions of dollars in renovations are needed.
Maybe, just maybe, we'll see her pass through Chattanooga again. But it's probably a good thing she doesn't have a middle finger.
some great pics here:
nooga.com/169435/photos-a-final-look-at-the-delta-queen/
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