Bill Could Save 82-Year-Old Steamboat
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | Jan. 14, 2008
This could be the last year that the 1926 Delta Queen, the country's last overnight paddle-wheel steamboat, will operate on America's rivers, thanks to the U.S. Congress.
Last July, for the first time in 37 years, Congress rejected Seattle-based owner Majestic America Line's request to waive the vessel from the Safety of Life at Sea Act, which restricts overnight guests to 50 rather than the boat's capacity of 164. It would have been the boat's seventh exemption from the 1966 act.
Now Congressman Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) is proposing a bill that would exempt the 285-foot-long boat, docked in New Orleans, from the act and keep it on the water for another 10 years.
Supporters say the wood boat has a steel hull and is equipped with a sprinkler system, so fire safety isn't an issue for the Delta Queen, which can land on a riverbank in minutes.
Nonetheless, the Delta Queen, a National Historic Landmark since 1989, will make its last 24 trips this year, Majestic announced in August.
"We are incredibly disappointed by this decision, but we are extremely grateful to those who worked tirelessly on behalf of the Delta Queen to preserve her place on the Mississippi River," said Joe Ueberroth, President and CEO of Ambassadors International, which has owned and operated Majestic America Line since 2006, when it refused to employ union workers on its seven boats.
"Our role in helping safely operate this vessel is one reason why the waiver has been granted in the past," the Seafarers' International Union said in a November statement. "At no time did the SIU demand or even request recognition for employment aboard all of Majestic's vessels."
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has offered tours on the historic steamboat, which is also one of the Trust's Historic Hotels of America. The Delta Queen has four decks, Tiffany-style stained-glass windows, an 1897 calliope, and the same steamboat bell that graced the ship Samuel Clemens rode in 1883.
The Delta Queen's Coast Guard-issued certificate expires in November.
To book a tour, call (800) 434-1282 or visit http://www.historichotels.org/hotel/188.
Watch a video about the Delta Queen's predicament >>
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Comments
Submitted by d46ducky at: January 9, 2009
I think this historic treasure should be saved for the future generations to see her beauty and grace, as she is a majestic vessel for all the world to lay eyes upon. She should be preserved as she is a NATIONAL TREASURE !!
Submitted by Alycefaye at: January 9, 2009
I would also second the DELTA QUEEN's nomination to the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. Having traveled on her I would never forget her beauty. I even have pictures of her ceilings.
Submitted by ZigAnn at: January 6, 2009
It would be a shame to dock this beautiful which has given so much pleasure to many thousands of river boat enthusiasts. Please save her.
Submitted by katiedid at: January 5, 2009
I have watched the Delata Queen from Cincinnati all my life and have riden her twice. Please save her.
Submitted by redhead at: January 5, 2009
Keep this national treasure....Too much a part of history.
Submitted by BillBee at: January 4, 2009
With so many things of far greater importance why all the pressure to get rid of something that gives pleasure to so many. I think the government should spend a lot more time in overseeing all the tax money they have given the big businesses in this country. Make them accountable for every dime.Check the upper management's accounts, they should find a good portion of the missing money.
Submitted by befre at: January 4, 2009
I would like to second the nomination to place the Delta Queen on the 21st Annual America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list. Please save the Delta Queen. One of the most significant pieces of American history.