Monthly Archives: July 2017

“INLAND RIVER RECORD” 1945 Book by Way, Frederick, Jr. History by John Bowman

“INLAND RIVER RECORD” 1945 Book by Way, Frederick, Jr. History by John Bowman INLAND RIVER RECORD 1945 Way, Frederick, Jr. Steam and Diesel Vessels of the Mississippi River System in Operation as of March 1, 1945 Compiled by Frederick Way, Jr. 1945 121 River Avenue Sewickley, Pa. Sewickley Printing Shop, Inc. 148 pages 5 ½” […]

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MOUNDSVILLE FERRYBOAT “PAM” built in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1958 and named for Pam Ruble by John Bowman

PAM was built by YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. (Yates, Jack) in Wheeling, (Wheeling Island) West Virginia in 1958 as a steel-hulled single prop Diesel Ferry Towboat with a General Motors 3-71 100 hp diesel engine for Rosswell E. Ruble of Powhatan Point, Ohio, Rosswell named the boat for his daughter, Pam Ruble. Ruble owned the […]

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MOUNDSVILLE FERRYBOAT “RANDY” built in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1957 and named for Randy Ruble by John Bowman

RANDY was built by YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. (Yates, Jack and Pluckebaum, Arthur) built RANDY in Wheeling, (Wheeling Island) West Virginia in 1957 as a steel-hulled single prop Diesel Ferry Towboat with a General Motors 3-71 100 hp diesel engine for Rosswell E. Ruble of Powhatan Point, Ohio. Rosswell named the boat for his son, […]

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BOAZ DIESEL TOWBOAT built in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1957 by John Bowman

BOAZ was built by YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. (Yates, Jack and Pluckebaum, Arthur) in Wheeling, (Wheeling Island) West Virginia in 1957 as a steel-hulled twin prop Diesel towboat with two General Motors diesel engines developing 450 hp for the Monongahela and Ohio Dredging Co. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania length 60’ width 20’ hull depth 7’. BOAZ […]

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NORTH STAR DIESEL TOWBOAT built in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1956 by John Bowman

NORTH STAR was built by YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. (Yates, Jack and Pluckebaum, Arthur) in Wheeling, (Wheeling Island) West Virginia in 1956 as a steel-hulled single prop Diesel towboat with a General Motors 6-71 250 hp diesel engine for the North Star Transfer Co., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she was completed. Length 50’ width 12’. NORTH […]

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SISTERSVILLE FERRYBOAT “RIDES” built in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1955 by John Bowman

RIDES was built by YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. (Yates, Jack and Pluckebaum, Arthur) in Wheeling, (Wheeling Island) West Virginia in 1955 as a steel-hulled single prop Diesel ferry towboat with a 180 hp Cummins diesel engine for the Sistersville Ferry Co. which operated its ferry service from Sistersville, West Virginia to Fly, Ohio. In 1957, […]

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YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. WHEELING WEST VIRGINIA 1953 – 1967

YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. WHEELING WEST VIRGINIA 1953 – 1967 by John Bowman In 1953, YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. (Yates, Thomas ‘Jack’ and Pluckebaum, Arthur) began building diesel towboats, ferry flats and barges in Wheeling, (Wheeling Island) West Virginia. Yates and Pluckebaum had worked in the Louisville, Kentucky, Jeffersonville, Indiana boat yards, and in 1953, […]

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BLOCH BROS. “MAIL POUCH” CHEWING TOBACCO

BLOCH BROTHERS TOBACCO COMPANY by John Bowman MAIL POUCH CHEWING TOBACCO and BLOCH BROTHERS TOBACCO COMPANY dates from 1879, when Samuel S. Bloch and Aaron Bloch started their business with ten women at 1501-1503 Main Street in Wheeling, West Virginia. The tobacco business amounted to a group of women rolling cigars on the second floor […]

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WHEELING CANNON “Old Garibaldi”

WHEELING’S “OLD GARIBALDI” Civil War CANNON by John Bowman “OLD GARIBALDI” was forged at Wheeling, Virginia’s La Belle Iron Works, Cut Nail Plant in 1861 and fired following the CIVIL WAR, the SPANISH AMERICAN WAR, WORLD WAR I, WORLD WAR II, the KOREAN WAR, the VIETNAM WAR, and the PERSIAN GULF WAR. The Cannon, named […]

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