Actually Art, I should have been more accurate in my above reply. To be perfectly pedantic about it all, you also told the story a few months later on December 29, 1998. And as you will note, I was on your case even even then!

Subject: RE: Wreck of the Old 97
From: Art Thieme - PM
Date: 29-Dec-98 - 10:57 AM
Shop: River

Catspaw (as opposed to Cat's Maw---Ised to think a pap test was to figure out who the father was)
As I mentioned here once somewhere else, on the Misssissippi River, barges ("We don't need no stinkin' barges!!") were often filled with live pigeons. When the tow (term for several barges pushed by a towboat) went aground, a guy would crack his bullwhip & get the birds to flyin'--- that lightened the load enough to get 'em floatin' on their way. These were famous from Lake Itasca in Minnesota all the way to the dead zone below New Orleans as PIGEON TOWS.Sometimes hammers were transported that way too---hammer tows. Even tic-tac candy...

My 500 pound uncle once dropped a safe he was moving & broke his foot. We had to call a toe truck to get him to the hospital!

Art

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: RE: Wreck of the Old 97
From: catspaw49 - PM
Date: 29-Dec-98 - 11:37 AM

Oh gawd Art...they're gettin' worse!!! And sometimes these barges were FREE, opening the market for an entire line of corn chips.....What was this thread about anyway?

catspaw
**********************************************************************

Your Humble, Faithful, Servant and Biographer,

Pat