For those who would like their information in a more straightforward manner, I have taken the liberty of posting Art Thieme's info here, from the Tavern Steamboat thread. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience about this subject & I am hoping to *lure* him in with more treasures like these:

"Folks, The 9-foot channel (guaranteed) is a product of our modern channelized navigable rivers. It's due to the efforts of the Army Corps of Engineers. The many dams on the rivers allow the water behind those dams to pool up in hopes of securing the guaranteed depth. Still, in low water years, dredging is often necessary.

A loaded barge has a draft of 9 feet. Needs 9 feet or MORE to navigate. (Empty they have draft of about one foot.)

In Mark Twain's time, the average life of a wooden-hulled steamboat was about 2 years. "THE CITY OF BAYOU SARA", which has a fine song about it's demise, was built at Jeffersonville, Indiana in 1884. She burned at New Madrid, Missouri 12/5/1885. Most sank from collisions with sawyers and snags and sandbars that weren't there on the downbound passage but appeared over night. Steel hulls helped a bunch though. There's only one steamboat (of the six remaining on the Mississippi River) that has a wooden hull.

Anybody know which boat that might be? And how does that boat defy the law against having wooden hulls on boats carrying passengers??

Art"

This is kat, again. The answer to Art's question if the Delta Queen, which has a special dispensation from Congress. You can read about her at www.steamboats.com.

Here's more from Art concerning a song LeeJ had mentioned, which Art does on his CD, The Older I get, the better I was:

"EJ,

I didn't write "Lamps Gone Out". It was included, in fragmentary form, in Mary Wheeler's 1944 book called Steamboatin' Days"----Univ. of Louisiana Press. Later it was expanded by someone, but not by me. Zipper verses found their way into the song. It might've been Dillon Bustin's morph job---somehow it sounds like his work to me. Anyhow, it's a good song.

Art Thieme"

Okay, so...let's hear more about steamboatin' and the music it inspires/d.

Thanks,

katlaughing