PARAGON Towboat
OHIO VALLEY SAND CO. New Martinsville, West Virginia
PARAGON: Having no equal. A model of excellence or perfection

Authentic Scale Model Replica by John Bowman 2011

The Diesel Towboat Paragon was built at Clarington, Ohio in 1929 by Cook Bros. & Thomas (Charles Cook, Arthur Cook and Elmer Thomas) Boat Builders for the Ohio Valley Sand Co. of New Martinsville, West Virginia. She was 65’ x 16’ x 2.8’ with a 4 cylinder 100 HP Fairbanks Morse Diesel engine, rebuilt circa 1948 to 120 HP. The engine was started by a belt driven air compressor this, and a water pump were powered by a 1 HP gasoline engine. She was chain-driven. Her two diesel fuel tanks were in the hull. One entered the Pilot House by steps just inside the Starboard door which led directly up into the Pilot House. The Pilot House was heated by a coal fired pot-bellied stove. There was a lever to the left of the Pilot Wheel to shift ahead or back, a wheel to adjust the engine speed and the Pilot’s chair. On her roof, she had a Carbon-Arc Search Light with an Air-Whistle on the Starboard side. Her anchor looked like a double bladed pick and hung on the Port Towing Knee. William J. (Bill) Hyer was her Pilot and his son Bill took over from his father and piloted the boat from 1950. William (Bill) retired in the mid to late 1950s. The company also owned the Jane Rhea, the Ted B. the Frank B. and the Edwin B. She was sold and went to Huntington, W. Va. in the late 1950s and later sank there. Paragon history by Jack Hyer Hannibal, Ohio.

PARAGON TOWBOAT Model by John Bowman