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The River: Continuing the journey on the CLYDE, headed toward the Ohio, meeting with emergency


The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders will be sharing the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This a part of a long and continuing story.

By Capt. Don Sanders
Special to NKyTribune

After an eventful and exciting week, the CLYDE and crew found themselves at the strangely-deserted Quincy, Illinois Boat Club where a hand-lettered sign instructed overnighters to “deposit fifty dollars into a lockbox for one night’s stay.”

After an eventful and exciting week, the CLYDE and crew found themselves at the strangely-deserted Quincy, Illinois Boat Club.

After inserting my check in that amount into a metal strongbox, further exploration of the docking facility found Ev Dameron and I locked inside the only gate with no way of going ashore without launching the faithful skiff BUSTER. With no reason to blunder into Quincy, a town I first explored during my days decking on the Steamer AVALON in the summer of 1959, we chose to enjoy an early evening meal and rest up for what lay ahead. 

Quincy, IL Boat Club
24 June 2012
Clear, Nice, Sunny
LOG

* Up at 0700.
* Will try to “slow-bell,” today. NO!
* Port motor seems “frozen.”
* 0900- Took off chain & sprocket. Photographed same and sent pics to Ed Newcomb for advice.

Ev Dameron tending the sternline in Lock 21 below Quincy. 

I asked Ed if the CLYDE could run on just one hydraulic paddlewheel motor, and for how long. Can he find a new or rebuilt motor at a reasonable time? At noon Ed advised me to remove both drive chains and see how well the motors turn. Once the chains were off, I found the starboard sprockets were out of alignment; so I added a quarter-inch of shims while hoping what I’d done was for the better. But when running the motors slowly, the starboard ran at 21 RPMs while the port revolved only at 5 to 17 turns. 

Ed got back saying he would try to locate a new motor. Meanwhile, I called Captain Robert Lischkge, back home, one of the most knowledgeable all-around rivermen I knew, to see if he could get a lead on a suitable hydraulic motor. 

Unbeknown to Everett, I called a fellow in Dubuque who was disappointed when I bought the CLYDE before he was able to do so, and asked him if he was still interested – just in case – as it was a much closer tow to Dubuque than the practically-impossible long haul to southeastern Indiana.

The gaudy sign atop the Hotel Mark Twain beckoned pilgrims.

The possibility of Captain Ike Hastings giving us a tow on his annual Fall pilgrimage from Iowa to Charleston and Pittsburgh was also in the back of my mind as a desperate possibility. Deeply confused about what viable solutions there were to the motor crisis, I stuffed another fifty bucks into the overnight box by the locked gate and retired to the Captain’s Quarters.

Mon., 25 June 2012
Clouding-up. Wind becoming brisk.
LOG.

* After talking to Cap’n Robert, and after Ed said the different speeds we counted, yesterday, turning sprockets without chains, “didn’t matter” – I’m putting the port chain on. Robert said to “run slow and lubricate chain” – it’s dry!
* 1055 – Departed downbound. Rumbling heard on STB side – We’ll see…

Landed at Two Rivers Marina, Mile 283, one of the most excellent marinas I’ve ever seen.

Once below Lock & Dam 21 near Quincy, at Mile 324.9, the Log noted, “ Good slow bell – running smoothly – Praise the Lord! Windy but manageable.”

Hannibal, MO.
25 June 2012

LOG.

* 1348- Mark Twain’s hometown. The sacred territory where the playing of a boy shaped America’s childhood dreams for generations – only other place as comparable is my home, Covington, and the Licking River – my “Special Place.”
* The Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse sits on 10 acres of park atop Cardiff Hill, a favorite playground of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Becky Thatcher and the gang.

With an oil tow in Channel Span, I took the second span.

“Where’s the ‘Becky Thatcher Fried Chicken joint?” I wondered as I looked toward Twain’s boyhood home. It was across the street from that sacred monument to, perhaps, America’s most celebrated writer who would be spinning in his grave if had an inkling of what had happened to the sleepy river town of his childhood. The gaudy sign atop the Hotel Mark Twain beckoned pilgrims while the faux paddlewheeler MARK TWAIN passed to port without the slightest, friendly toot. 

M/V AMERICAN BEAUTY
25 June 2012

LOG.

* Lock 22- Awaiting AMERICAN BEAUTY, Southbound.
* Entered in strong, on-shore wind @ 1520.
* 1530- Gates open.
* Lockmen admiring the CLYDE.
* Fuel Transfer: 1530 – 1545. OK.

As the CLYDE consumes about a gallon of diesel fuel an hour; every five hours, the fuel transfer pump is run to take # 2 fuel oil from one of the two main tanks to the “day tank” that supplies the engine. A rule of thumb is, “The pump transfers a gallon of diesel fuel in five minutes,” so within fifteen minutes, enough “juice” is moved to run the CLYDE another five hours. The general rule has never failed to be accurate. 

A snug cabin in the middle of the Mighty Mississippi River…. what neighbors?

25 June 2012
LOG.

* 1815- Landed at Two Rivers Marina, Mile 283.
* One of the most excellent marinas I’ve ever seen – even a complimentary van, swimming pool, and showers, but with the laundromat locked, we found, much to our dismay, those facilities closed for the night and we had two piles of dirty clothes to wash.
* The boat handled surprisingly well today. Pray she’ll do so tomorrow…

Two Rivers Marina
Tue., 26 June 2012

Across from Louisiana, MO.
Beautiful, Clear, Windy… of course.
LOG.

* up at 0600 – Quick break coffee and cereal for breakfast. 
* 0640- Departed.
* 0645- Entered river – oil tow in Channel Span; so I took 2nd span- had to steer in front of the 1st pier – but aware of danger… no problem.

 Near mile 245.5. While at anchor, I took advantage of the delay to paint CLYDE.’s smokestacks.

One of the first commandments of safety an aspiring pilot must always learn is NOT to steer a vessel in front of a bridge pier or any other stationary structure with the current setting the boat towards the immovable object. Although there are situations when this dangerous maneuver is necessary, the pilot needs to know the possible consequences and how to avoid keeping his / her boat from “saddle-bagging” the unyielding structure. 

Lock 24, Clarksville, MO.
26 June 2012

LOG.

* 0824 – 0827- Lock 24. Floated in the lock (No lines, but forbidden, we later found, on the Ohio River system).
* 0919- Transferred fuel.
* 1910- Oiled both chains- used paintbrush.
* Passed  Clarksville, MO Why does that Beatles tune keep popping up?
Note – There is no Lock & Dam 23.

While at anchor, rowed BUSTER and took pictures.

After passing a lonely, snug cabin on a tiny island in the middle of the Mighty Mississippi River., I asked, “What neighbors?” There was no one in sight at the camp, but a lot of effort went into making the island fun-friendly for some happy campers.

26 June 2012
LOG.

* 1255- Pulled into Jim Crow Island Slough.
* Lightweight “party” anchor used… awaiting L&D 25 to open after 1700. Near mile 245.5.
* While at anchor, I took advantage of the delay to paint CLYDE.’s smokestacks.
* Departed for Lock 25 at 1540.
* Made L&D 25 from 1600 to 1617. A delay for lock “helper boat” crew change.
* Heavy backlash under the dam, but CLYDE. made it through.

Late in the afternoon after passing a most-interestingly farmhouse located along the water’s edge above a high crop of a stone bluff, the CLYDE anchored for the night beneath Island 508.

Swinging on the hook in a protected shelter, safely behind an island where the tows never go, is a gratifying way to enjoy an evening on the Mississippi River.

LOG

* Rowed BUSTER and took pics.
* CLYDE.’s First Night at Anchor.
* Swinging on the hook in a protected shelter, safely behind an island where the tows never go, is a gratifying way to enjoy an evening on the Mississippi River.

Wed., 27 June 2012
Island 508
Clear, Expect wind… of course.
LOG.

* Up at 0530- Preparing for departure. “Man in Wheel” sign removed – B’fast: cereal, orange slices, & coffee.
* 0730- Chains oiled… underway.
* 0741- Golden Eagle Ferry, Mile 228.7.
* Two boats running for the morning rush, but neither full of cars – extra ferry tied below.
* 0910- Mile 218 – Mouth of the Illinois River at Grafton, IL.
* Called Capt. Doc Hawley and we recalled the picnics Walt Wilson, Grafton grocer, and former mayor, had for the AVALON crew each year at Grafton. As a deckhand, I was a party to two of Walt’s fish fries in 1959 and ’60. Walt supplied the fish, and our crew fried them. Always a softball game, beer, soft drinks, and good food.

The paddlewheel excursion boat, the SPIRIT of PEORIA lay at the Mouth of the Illinois River as the CLYDE and crew passed.

The paddlewheel excursion boat, the SPIRIT of PEORIA lay at the Mouth of the Illinois River as the CLYDE and crew passed. Captain Alice Grady of the SPIRIT and I were yet to meet, but we connected on Facebook later and met in Louisville at the 100th Anniversary Celebration for the Steamer BELLE of LOUISVILLE, the former AVALON / IDLEWILD, in 2014. Had I known Cap’n Alice, we might have stopped, or at least given her a call on the marine radio as we zipped towards our goal of reaching home as within the allotted time.

Below the Illinois River, white limestone bluffs lined the shore on the right descending bank of the broad Mississippi River before reaching the City of Alton at nine minutes before noon. 

Coming alongside on the port side was the Argosy Casino Boat, a twin, tall-stacker built initially for the Covington Landing, back home. But after the Landing went belly-up, the beautiful replica steamboat was sold to the Argosy Casino, at Lawrenceburg, IN. Now moved to Alton, Illinois, the once classic steamboat replica looks more “steampunk” than not.

Chain of Rocks Canal is just that – all rocks; full of towboats and barges while the wind was blowing 30 mph, and the rock bottom prevented anchoring.



Mel Price Lock.
27 June 2012

LOG.

* 1210-15- Mel Price Lock- small chamber. 
* Driftwood in front of the gate – boat “acted up,” but got her simmered down.
* Passed a fleet of defunct gambling and towboats and a barge loaded with a mountain of old tires plucked off the riverbank. 
* The Mouth of the Missouri River was on CLYDE’s starboard side before entering the Chain of Rocks canal that bypasses the rapids bearing the same name.
 
The Chain of Rocks Canal, above Lock 27, our last lockage on the Mississippi is precisely that, a canal lined with nasty, large stones on both sides and the bottom for all I know.  With the channel choked with tows, the wind howled at 30 miles an hour as hot as an open furnace. There was nowhere for CLYDE to tie off, while the rocky bottom prevented us from anchoring. The wind was downstream and hard-ashore. Ahead of us, a tow was stopped on the right descending shore causing upbound tows to favor the downwind side of the canal. 

Regardless of the dangers, the ride through the St. Louis Harbor was a spectral trip through an enchanted waterway above the celebrated Eads Bridge with the Gateway Arch rising above the Mississippi River in the distance.

Meanwhile, we were shoving the bow of the CLYDE into the wind with both the paddlewheel and the bow thruster, but shortly, the tow ahead drifted to the opposite side of the canal making the CLYDE have to favor the very rocky shore toward which the wind was shoving the boat. Now I was forced to continually maneuver the paddlewheeler with both controls until I had to wrap several layers of duct tape around the thruster knob as my hand was sore and irritated from twisting it. The lockmaster could have let us through between upbound tow lockages, but he made us “wait our turn” with the rest of the downbound tows. 

Chain of Rocks Canal
27 June 2012

LOG.

* The Lock & Dam 27 experience was the most unpleasant experience of the entire trip. 
*Chain of Rocks Canal is just that – all rocks. The canal was full of towboats and barges, while the wind was blowing 30 mph.
* Nowhere to tie off and the rock bottom prevented anchoring. 
* Wind was setting the CLYDE onto the rocks, and without being able to tie-off or anchor, I had to maneuver the CLYDE continually with the paddlewheel and bow thruster.
* Had to tape the bow thruster nob as my hand was sore from twisting it.

What a day! But, thanks to the Merchant’s Dock, St. Louis, we found a haven in a very turbulent river with the MacArthur Bridge below us. 

* The lockmaster could have let us through between lockages, but he made us “wait our turn” with the tows.
* After five hours of struggling, we locked through as darkness settled in.
* Below the canal, the CLYDE hit turbulent water.
* The wake of a towboat running “light boat” without a barge or tow, twisted the CLYDE 90-degrees toward shore, but after some quick moves, I got CLYDE straightened out again.

Thinking back on how poorly that sorry lockman treated us that day as we waited for five hours in that horrid, rocky canal with 30 mph winds under such unsafe conditions, if I had to do it all over again, I would contact the U. S. Coast Guard and declare an emergency asking for priority getting out of the canal and through the lock. Once I got where I could do so, I would file a written complaint against that gravelly-voiced sonofabitch in the lock house who put both the CLYDE and her crew in danger.

The river between St. Louis and Cairo has always been a difficult stretch of water… even in Mark Twain’s time.

Were it not for my experience as a boatman, the consequences of that day could easily have been tragic. It was like he was angrily trying to see to it that a so-called “pleasure boat” and crew came to no good ends. Even after seven years, I may still report him whether he is still among the living, or not.

Below Lock 27, the full force and might of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois Rivers come tearing through the Chain of Rocks rapids. Below the Chain, their combined power crashes into the St. Louis Harbor as it gears up for a mad dash to the Gulf of Mexico some 1,300 miles downstream, or about the same distance the CLYDE had to travel from Alma, Wisconsin to Aurora, Indiana. From St. Louis to the Gulf, the Mississippi River is one great mass of water rushing to the sea.

Regardless of the dangers fraught upon a tiny ark treading upon rough waters, the ride through the St. Louis Harbor was a spectral trip through an enchanted waterway above the celebrated Eads Bridge with the Gateway Arch rising above the Mississippi River in the distance. Still, the CLYDE needed a snug harbor for the night. Fortunately, the Merchant’s Dock above the McArthur Bridge offered such a refuge.

Everett working on the engine after the water pump pulley can off the shaft.

St. Louis Harbor
Safe at Merchant’s Dock
27 June 2012

LOG.

* What a day….! But, thanks to the Merchant’s Dock, St. Louis, we found a haven in a very turbulent river with the MacArthur Bridge below us. The bridge initially called the “St. Louis Municipal Bridge,” and known popularly as the “Free Bridge ” until tolls for auto traffic began in 1932. In 1942 the bridge was renamed for General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.
* The rough Merchant’s Dock reminds me of Captain John Beatty’s salvage fleet, but it is a snug harbor from both the river and those prowling the St. Louis waterfront looking for whatever mischief they can find.
* No one was seen on the fleet for about an hour after we landed until a lone riverman from the wharfboat came aboard to collect a fifty-dollar overnight fee which I gladly paid.

At Merchant’s Dock, St. Louis.
Thur., 28 June 2012

Clear, Hot, Wind to Build…. and HOW!
LOG.

Soon, the Cape Girardeau fire boat and its capable crew answered our distress call and came to our rescue. Ev later said this was the most frightening time of the entire trip.

* Departed Merchant’s at 0645 – Current swift; dropped Paddlewheel below the dock and thrust her head out. Came ahead on wheel enough to clear the end of a barge fleet, just below.
* CLYDE would not spin bow around in the current. Pier of Douglas McArthur Bridge straight ahead, but as soon as CLYDE got into the current, she drifted below the pier, flat. As soon as the head dropped below the pier, I came full ahead and steered downstream.
* The river was extremely choppy due to all the commercial traffic as we headed downstream.
* Temperatures, all over, forecast to be in the 100’s.
* Back home, Son, Jesse, reported “103 in Indiana, today”…. hot, here, for sure.
* I was so tired that I had to “catch a nap” – now 1230, and feel better. A hot shower would pick up spirits.

Once the CLYDE passed the Jefferson Barracks Bridge, much of the turbulent water stirred by local tugs and tows left behind in our wake. 

LOG.

* Oiled both chains – mopped fantail.

CLYDE at Kelly Oil Dock, Cape Girardeau, MO.

* Passed Augie Busch Home of Anheuser-Busch fame. Mr. Busch was a friend of Captain Ernie Wagner who often pulled the DELTA QUEEN close to the platform against the limestone bluff below the home where the old friends would chat a few minutes before “Big Cap” had to come ahead on the QUEEN and head her upstream to St. Louis.
* At 1100 CLYDE. glided past a classic Gothic Revival home atop the bluff.
* 1315 –  53 miles @ 8.12 mph.
* 1400 to 1415 – Fuel transfer.
* While abreast a limestone bluff at a rock quarry, Everett and I heard loud gun-like reports and thought the paddlewheel chain was the cause of it all, but it turned out to be explosives set off at the quarry.

Nosing-in Below Cottonwood Bar.
28 June 2012

LOG.

* 1730- At anchor behind Cottonwood Bar, Mile 77.8 – 101 miles @ 8.4 mph.
* Wind was so strong above Grand Tower, the boat would not steer into it with full right rudder and increased power. The wind laid as soon as we anchored.
* It seemed unreal, but two stars (planets?) stayed in the same place in the heavens all night and were range markers for determining if the CLYDE was drifting at anchor, or not.

Departed Cottonwood Bar
Friday, 29 June 2012

Sunny, Hot, Expect Nemesis Wind. 
LOG.

* Up early – getting ready to roll.
* Ck’d strainer, added oil, anti-freeze. Hydraulic oil: 12 1/2 ” – added to 13.

EMERGENCY!!

Looking for Cairo Point where three rivers meet: Upper and Lower Mississippi and Ohio. Aaron Richardson on Cairo Point taking pics. He was a big help.

* 1000- Mile 64. EMERGENCY!
* Water Pump belt broke; engine hot and quit!
* Anchor out – skipping on the hard river bottom.
* Called US Coast Guard – Broadcast “Pon-Pon.”

Though to the casual eye, it might like the CLYDE was serenely at anchor… when in reality, the boat was falling down the river on a swift current at an alarming rate toward stone dikes on either side of the narrow channel. It was then that I, as Captain, decided to alert the U. S. Coast Guard that we were in a possible life-threatening situation and needed immediate help. Soon, the Cape Girardeau fire boat and its capable crew answered our distress call and came to our rescue. Ev later said this was the most frightening time of the entire trip when the anchor was skipping on the hard bottom while stone dikes pointed their bony fingers at the CLYDE as a strong current pulled us steadily downstream. 

28 June 2012
Above Cape Girardeau, Missouri

LOG.

* The Cape Girardeau fireboat responded at 11 45. One of the firemen was a boat mechanic – he “fine-tuned” Ev’s work, and together they got us running again.
* Underway after the fireboat had pulled away, but stood -by on their boat some 50-feet off the CLYDE’s port side.
* Ev had more than a difficult retrieving the anchor, and seeing our difficulty, the firemen pulled back alongside and two beefy young men reeled in the anchor with no trouble. Ah, Youth!
* Called USCG and informed them CLYDE was underway. 
* Late Afternoon- Landed Cape Girardeau, Kelly’s Oil Dock.
* Aaron Richardson on the dock waiting – he took a video of us landing and posted it on Youtube.
* 1530- Ev and Aaron left for the Wal-Mart.
* 1538- Rabbit Hash General Store thermometer – 104 degrees inside the cabin!
* The guys brought back supplies and ten gals. diesel – the ramp up the hill so steep my initial concern was they couldn’t get the fuel jerry-cans down, but Aaron carried both like two cans of beans – wish we’d filled the others.
* Stayed all night at the dock. 

Departing Kelly’s Oil Dock
Saturday, 30 June 2012

LOG.

With Everett steering, it was time to start looking for an anchorage for the night. Total mileage for the day: 83.5 miles. 

* Up at 05000 – So much for sleep – difficult in the heat, even on the roof –  and the constant mosquitoes!
* 0641- Strainer cleaned, oil and coolant ok. Batt’s -both. Hydraulic oil: 13-inches. 
* 0600- Departed Kelly’s Oil Dock. Aaron there to see us off – hope he gets some good pics.
* The river is beginning to look like the Lower Mississippi does down to at least Baton Rouge.
* 0710- Thebes Highway Bridge – 8.1 mph.
* Broad river with dikes and lots of trees on either side.
* Hot! Hot! Hot! 104 degrees!
* Last stretches of Mississippi very rough.
* Many towboats are churning river into choppy waters.
* A “sand boil” turned CLYDE 90-degrees.
* Mississippi’s been a constant battle since St. Louis. 
* Expecting the Ohio River around noon.
* Looking for Cairo Point where three rivers meet: Upper and Lower Mississippi and Ohio.
* 1220- Completed Upper Mississippi River. CLYDE had some trying moments, but made it!

The Ohio River at Last!

* 1225- Entered Ohio River @ 1225.
* Aaron Richardson on Cairo Point taking pics. He was a big help. Locks 53 and 52 are in use as the Ohio River is low.
* 1600- Just below Olmsted Lock & Dam – Fuel transfer and oiled chain.
* 1625- Olmsted L&D. Through Pass. CLYDE bypassed the lock.
* 1930- Anchored at Mile 953.5.
* Mileages for the day: Mississippi River, 56. Ohio River, 27.5. Total mileage: 83.5 miles. 

With the treacherous Mississippi River behind us, ahead lay nearly 500 miles of challenges the Ohio River had waiting for the CLYDE and her weary crew  – and every mile was uphill! 

(To be continued.)

Captain Don Sanders is a river man. He has been a riverboat captain with the Delta Queen Steamboat Company and with Rising Star Casino. He learned to fly an airplane before he learned to drive a “machine” and became a captain in the USAF. He is an adventurer, a historian, and a storyteller. Now, he is a columnist for the NKyTribune and will share his stories of growing up in Covington and his stories of the river. Hang on for the ride — the river never looked so good.


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2 Comments

  1. Jessica Yusuf says:

    What an interesting adventure! I’m looking forward to the next installment!

  2. Bob Sanders says:

    Well told story of an epic adventure.

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