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, Randy Ruble. Ruble owned the Moundsville Ferry Co. that offered ferry service from Moundsville, West Virginia to Dilleys Bottom, Ohio. Randy, length 30’ width 10’ hull depth 3.5’. RANDY was listed in the 1985 INLAND RIVER RECORD with the number 596468.
Source: Owen, Daniel C., INLAND RIVER RECORD 1985 A Publication of the Waterways Journal St. Louis, MO.
John Bowman’s photo of the Ferry Towboat RANDY
John Bowman’s photo of Ferry RANDY and SANDY Ferry Flat at Moundsville, West Virginia
SANDY a FERRY FLAT BARGE (Barges have names too) is shown in this photo coupled with RANDY.
YATES MARINE CONSTRUCTION CO. (Yates, Thomas ‘Jack’ and Pluckebaum, Arthur) began building diesel towboats, ferry flats and barges in Wheeling, (Wheeling Island) West Virginia in 1953. Yates and Pluckebaum had worked in the Louisville, Kentucky, Jeffersonville, Indiana boat yards, and in 1953, they decided to go out on their own. That year, they came to Wheeling where they established a boat yard on Wheeling Island.
Source: Bowman, John, WHEELING THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE AMERICAN STEAMBOAT 2008 Wheeling, West Virginia
MOUNDSVILLE-DILLES BOTTOM FERRY SERVICE by John Bowman
Moundsville, West Virginia Ferry to Dilles Bottom, Ohio
Joseph Tomlinson’s late 1700s Ferry, at the mouth of Little Grave Creek ran across the Ohio River to the Northwest Territory (Dilles Bottom, Ohio). Tomlinson later moved the ferry to a landing just south of Eleventh Street in Moundsville, Virginia. In the early 1800s, Tomlinson’s ferry had a huge business just as Martin and Zanes ferrys were doing at Martins Ferry, Ohio. As at Martins Ferry, livestock Drovers were moving large herds to Dilles Bottom avoiding at all costs the Wheeling crossing.
In 1914, we find Joe Cresap of Moundsville in the ferry business running the gasoline-powered ferryboat Betsy Ann built for him at Clarington, Ohio. Cresap ran Betsy Ann at Moundsville from 1914 to the early 1920s. Joe had the towboat J.A. Cresap built at Clarington in 1923 for ferry work at Moundsville. The J.A. Cresap was sold in 1943 to Crain Bros. of Pittsburgh who in 1945 renamed her Skippy.
In the mid-1920s, we find the Moundsville-Dilles Bottom ferry service in the hands of E.B. Potts. Potts ran the ferryboat F.B. Potts built at Clarington in 1921 for F.B. Potts of Wheeling. By the late 1920s, J.F. Robinson of Bellaire, Ohio was running the ferry using the ferryboat F.S.W. (Farmers Supply Warehouse) built at Clarington and a barge flat. Robinson ran the ferry into the 1940s. Gasoline-powered ferryboats built at Clarington dominated the local scene from the early 1900s into the late 1930s.
Rosswell E. Ruble of Powhatan Point, Ohio entered the boat business in the early 1950s, in partnership with Nelson Potts. Circa 1950, Rosswell started building a boat, a wood hulled sternwheel towboat whose length was 50’, width 14’ and depth 2.5’ that he never quite finished, and in 1952, sold the boat to his neighbor, Robert ‘Bob’ G. Thomas. Thomas fitted the boat with a Caterpillar 100 hp Diesel, named her CINDY and ran the boat to 1956 when Thomas sold her.
Source: Source: Way, Frederick, Jr., INLAND RIVER RECORD 1959 Sewickley, Pa.
Rosswell in 1952 or 1953 bought the towboat Mickey built at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Rosswell ran Mickey in his tramp-towing outfit, the Bel-Mon Towing Co. In July of 1956, Rosswell now on his own became the owner of the Moundsville Ferry Co., and bought the old wood-hulled motor towboat TROUT and a steel-hulled ferry flat named SANDY.
TROUT Ferryboat and SANDY Ferry Flat 1956
Liberty Marine photo
Source: Way, Frederick, Jr., INLAND RIVER RECORD 1958 Sewickley, Pa.
Source: Bowman, John, A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF WHEELING AND OHIO RIVER STEAMBOATS 2009 Wheeling, West Virginia
Rattling good visual appeal on this site, I’d rate it 10 10.
very nice submit, i definitely love this website, keep on it
some really great info , Glad I noticed this.
Sounds pretty informative. Is it ok to counter with a few questions? It’s just that..there are additional points that contradict this.
This is relevant for myclique on Google+-awesome attitude!
Is it okay if I link this writing? It’s helpful and informative advice worth sharing! My friends will find value in this too.
Wow, this was great. Keep writing this kind of blogs, you will get a lot of people to this text if you continue working on this. I will be coming back this website more often. thx
Wow, this was awesome. Keep writing this kind of stories, you will get a lot of people to this post if you continue working on this. I will be visiting this domain more often. thx!
This is most useful article I have seen, when most people addressing this won’t stray from the accepted doggerel. You have a way with words, and I shall follow you as I get a lot from your posts.
Just wanna comment on few general things, The website pattern is perfect, the content is really fantastic : D.
I find this quite compelling. May I ask one or two questions?
Cheers, great stuff, I enjoying.
Thanks for another magnificent post. Where else may just anyone get that type of info in such a perfect means of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I am at the search for such info.
This is most useful piece I have read, when most people addressing this won’t stray from the scripted opinion. You have a great writing style, and I will follow you as I enjoy your writing.
Some truly nice and utilitarian information on this site, as well I believe the style has got fantastic features.
That is very attention-grabbing, You’re a very professional blogger.
I’ve joined your rss feed and look ahead to seeking more of
your excellent post. Additionally, I have shared your site in my social networks
I get what you mean, but I have questions. Could I PM you?
Hey there this is kind of of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML.
I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding
experience so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience.
Any help would be enormously appreciated!
Pretty part of content. I simply stumbled upon your web site and in accession capital to claim that I get in fact enjoyed account your blog posts.
Anyway I’ll be subscribing for your feeds or even I achievement you get
entry to constantly quickly.
We are a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community.
Your site provided us with valuable information to
work on. You have done an impressive job and our entire community will be thankful to you.
You’ve made some good points there. I checked on the net for more info about the issue and found most
individuals will go along with your views on this web site.
Appreciate this post. Will try it out.
magnificent issues altogether, you just won a new reader.
What may you suggest in regards to your post that you just made a few days ago?
Any certain?
Thanks for finally talking about >MOUNDSVILLE FERRYBOAT “RANDY” built in Wheeling,
West Virginia in 1957 and named for Randy Ruble by John Bowman –
JOHN BOWMAN <Liked it!
It’s going to be finish of mine day, except before end I am
reading this great paragraph to increase my knowledge.
It’s very effortless to find out any matter on web as compared to books,
as I found this article at this web page.
Wow, that’s what I was searching for, what a information!
present here at this webpage, thanks admin of this site.
Simply wish to say your article is as astounding. The clearness
in your publish is just nice and that i can suppose you are an expert in this subject.
Well together with your permission let me to grasp your RSS feed to
stay up to date with impending post. Thank you 1,000,
000 and please continue the enjoyable work.
Excellent blog here! Also your site loads up very fast!
What host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host?
I wish my site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
Appreciate this post. Let me try it out.
Post writing is also a fun, if you be acquainted with
then you can write if not it is complex to write.
Link exchange is nothing else except it is just placing the other
person’s web site link on your page at proper place and other person will also do similar in support of
you.
My brother suggested I might like this website. He was entirely right.
This post truly made my day. You can not imagine simply how much time I had spent for this info!
Thanks!
Well-written piece – people need to see more like this, because most info for this topic is done-to-death. You give real value to your readers.
Generally I don’t learn article on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very
pressured me to check out and do so! Your writing
style has been amazed me. Thank you, very great post.
I am regular reader, how are you everybody? This piece of writing
posted at this site is in fact nice.
Thanks for this sound opinion on what is normally an overlooked topic. Mind if I share this with my people?
Hurrah! After all I got a weblog from where I know how to actually get valuable facts regarding my study
and knowledge.
“Hi, this weekend is fastidious for me, as this occasion i am reading this great informative piece of writing here at my house.”
Hmm is anyone else having problems with the images on this blog loading?
I’m trying to find out if its a problem on my
end or if it’s the blog. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Whoa! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a completely different subject but it has pretty
much the same layout and design. Outstanding choice of colors!
This is my first time go to see at here and i am
truly happy to read all at alone place.
Really enjoyed this post.Much thanks again. Really Cool.
I really enjoy the post. Cool.
This is a topic that is close to my heart… Best wishes!
Where are your contact details though?
I think this is a real great blog. Really Cool.
I appreciate you sharing this article.Thanks Again. Will read on…
Great website. Lots of helpful info here. I am sending
it to a few pals ans additionally sharing in delicious.
And naturally, thanks to your effort!
I am so grateful for your article post.Thanks Again. Keep writing.
These are really impressive ideas in about blogging. You have touched
some nice points here. Any way keep up wrinting.
For latest news you have to pay a visit the web and on the web I
found this site as a most excellent website for most recent updates.
Hi! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before but
after checking through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
Anyhow, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back frequently!
constantly i used to read smaller articles
or reviews which also clear their motive, and that
is also happening with this article which I am reading at this time.
Currently it looks like Expression Engine is the best
blogging platform out there right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using
on your blog?
I’ve been browsing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours.
It is pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the web will be a
lot more useful than ever before.
I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your blogs really nice,
keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come
back later on. Many thanks
Great work! That is the kind of information that should be shared across the
net. Disgrace on the seek engines for not positioning this post upper!
Come on over and seek advice from my website .
Thank you =)
I enjoy looking through and I conceive this website got some truly useful stuff on it! .
Hey very nice blog!
I blog often and I seriously appreciate your information. This article has really peaked my interest.
I am going to book mark your website and keep checking for
new details about once per week. I opted in for your
RSS feed as well.
Thanks a lot for the post.Really thank you! Cool.