Effort on to return Delta Queen to service

A historic steamboat could again cruise down the Mississippi River if Congress passes a bill being lobbied for by steamboat lovers.

The Delta Queen, an 86-year-old paddle wheel steamboat fashioned after those seen in the Mark Twain era, ceased its travels in 2008 and now is a floating hotel in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Lee Powell is the director of the Delta Grassroots Caucus, a group advocating for the steamboat's renovation and return to the river. He said safety and management concerns led to the boat's discontinued journeys, but both have been resolved.

The primary reason the historic ship was docked was the 1966 Safety of Life at Seas Act, which prohibits wooden boats from carrying more than 50 overnight passengers. Since its passing, Congress had always approved exemptions for the Delta Queen, until 2008 when a Minnesota congressman raised concerns about the safety of wooden boats. But Powell said the boat has undergone many renovations.

"It operated safely for 80 years," he said. "Tons of wood has been replaced with steel and other noncombustible materials, so it's erroneous to say it's an all-wooden boat. It also has an elaborate sprinkler system and smoke detection system and a 24-hour fire watchman."

According to Powell, the 2008 exemption "narrowly failed" in Congress and the new legislation, HR 1961, is gaining momentum. The bill, which would grant the restored steamboat a 15-year exemption from the 1966 act, passed the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on July 17 and Powell said he hopes it will come before the full House of Representatives and the Senate soon.

The bill has 22 congressional sponsors from both the Republican and Democratic parties, including two Missouri congressmen representing districts near the St. Louis area. Powell said the bill also has a "strong base of support" from cities all along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

Chuck Martin, director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, said he welcomes any increase in riverboat traffic. This year, the American Queen and the Queen of the Mississippi will make a combined 11 stops in Cape Girardeau, which Martin said is more than twice the number of stops they made last year. He said riverboat tourism was a "small, niche market," but did have some financial impact.

"It really serves two purposes," he said. "First, the people off the boats do wander around downtown and check out our shops and occasionally buy things. ... We also have an influx of people come into town to look at the boats when they hear about them coming in."

The Delta Queen is operated under a lease agreement from the owners by DQSC Inc., which plans to buy the steamboat if the exemption is approved, according to Powell. Cornel Martin is the company's president and CEO, and he said more updates are in the works for the steamboat. The most significant improvements include replacing the old boilers that make the steam for the steam engines, which were built in 1919, and replacing generators.

Martin said the steamboat is "clearly getting up there in age," which is why it's important to renovate it and keep the unique piece of history alive.

"This is one of the last opportunities we have as Americans to experience an old-time, nostalgic steamboat," he said. "It's a way to see America in a very unique way ... and an opportunity to relive our history and learn from it."

Martin said if HR 1961 is passed this year, the Delta Queen could be running again by next summer.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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