Category Archives: Steamboat Model
BILL OF LADING – FREIGHT ON BOARD Regarding FLATBOATS, KEELBOATS, and STEAMBOATS by John Bowman
What is a steamboat “Bill of Lading”?[i] A steamboat Bill of Lading was a two-piece receipt torn from a bound book, usually kept at the Wharfboat office that listed the goods received by a steamboat agent one copy of which was given to the carrier of the goods and one copy was given to the […]
Read MoreOHIO RIVER TOWBOAT COMPANIES HEADQUARTERED AT WHEELING by John Bowman
WHEELING’S OHIO RIVER TRANSPORTATION COMPANIES Armstrong brothers, John A. and Robert P. of Wheeling, West Virginia in 1871, went into the towboat business hauling crossties for the B&O Railroad and coal from the mines at Wegee Creek, Ohio. In 1875, three other Armstrong brothers joined the business, William H., Walter M., and Charles L. These […]
Read MoreSTEAMBOAT UNIFORMS and CAPS CATALOG No. 701
STEAMBOAT UNIFORMS and CAPS 1921 Catalog No. 701 from the John Bowman collection THE CINCINNATI REGALIA CO. Textile Building Fourth and Elm Streets CINCINNATI, OHIO A 12 page Catalog of Popular Uniform Designs for Discerning Rivermen This CINCINNATI REGALIA CO. catalog states they offer: INDIVIDUAL SERVICE “We will furnish special designs to meet individual requirements, […]
Read MoreWHEELING STEEL CORP. TOWBOAT FLEET by John Bowman
WHEELING STEEL CORP. – WHEELING-PITTSBURG STEEL CORP. WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA WHEELING STEEL & IRON CO. was formed by the consolidation of the Benwood, Belmont and Top Mills, and was incorporated April 16, 1892 as the Wheeling Steel Works. Wheeling Steel’s plants in Wheeling in the early 1900s were the La Belle Works at Thirty-First Street, […]
Read MoreSTEAMBOAT STACKS LOWERED FOR THE WHEELING SUSPENSION BRIDGE by John Bowman
The River Coal or River Combine (R.C.) 1894 Coal Towboat Valiant down bound at Wheeling has just cleared the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, and the Steel Bridge with lowered stacks. In this, a second photo, the River Combine (R.C.) 1880 Coal Towboat Iron Age down bound at Wheeling has just cleared the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, and […]
Read MoreWHEELING’S LINK TO THE ‘EDMUND FITZGERALD’ OGLEBAY NORTON’S GREAT LAKES FLAGSHIP by John Bowman
In 1958, the Great Lakes Engineering Works at River Rouge, Michigan, built the bulk freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald named for Mr. Edmund Fitzgerald of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. who owned her. Her 729’3” x 75’ x 39’ registered hull number was 301. When launched June 7, 1958, she was the largest ship on […]
Read MoreAMERICA’S FIRST STEAMBOAT EXPLOSION by John Bowman
Henry Miller Shreve’s Steamboat Washington blows her head! Eight persons scalded to death! EXCERPT from the book, “A HISTORY OF THE STEAMBOAT WASHINGTON THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL WESTERN RIVERS STEAMBOAT” © 2013 John Bowman Wheeling, WV Henry Miller Shreve laid the keel of the riverboat Washington September 10, 1815 in Wheeling, Virginia. The sternwheel steam-powered Washington was […]
Read MoreTHE WHEELING SUSPENSION BRIDGE’S FIRST SUICIDE ATTEMPT 1854 by John Bowman
The First person to jump off the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. January 25th 1854, Capt. J.C. Jelly master of the steamer Albemarle, having just slipped away from the Wheeling wharf, observed a person leap from the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. He dispatched two crewmembers in a yawl to rescue the person, apparently still alive in the icy […]
Read MorePOINT PLEASANT RIVER MUSEUM FIRE Point Pleasant, West Virginia by John Bowman
West Virginia’s River Museum, the Point Pleasant River Museum, Point Pleasant, WV was heavily damaged by fire July 1, 2018. Several (eight) of my (John Bowman’s) boat models were displayed at the museum. If you would like to donate to the museum’s rebuilding effort, please make a donation to the museum in the name of […]
Read MoreSTEAMBOATS SERVING WHEELING 1811 – 1920 By John Bowman
A 100-year listing of approximately 500 steamboats that served Wheeling businesses. The year shown is the first year they served the port and some would serve Wheeling for many years. From the Civil War years to 1900, eighteen steamboats docked daily at Wheeling. Steamboats porting at Wheeling were charged a wharfage fee of $3.00 per […]
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