Steamboat_Belle_of_Louisville_at_Clark_Bridge_Louisville_Kentucky_USA_Ohio_River_mile_604_August_1987_file_87h102.jpg
Summary
Description Steamboat Belle of Louisville at Clark Bridge Louisville Kentucky USA Ohio River mile 604 August 1987 file 87h102.jpg |
English:
Steamer
"Belle of Louisville"
at
George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge
(commonly known as 2nd Street Bridge)
Louisville, Kentucky
,
USA
|
Date | |
Source | Own work |
Author | William Alden |
Camera location | 38° 15′ 39.66″ N, 85° 45′ 07.83″ W | View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap | 38.261017; -85.752175 |
---|
This sternwheel
steamboat
(
Coast Guard documentation #
212813) was built in 1914 by
James Rees and Sons Co.
,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
The
hull
was originally 158 feet long and 36 feet wide, with a 5-foot
draft
.
The two
steam engines
are 16 inches in diameter with a stroke of 6.5 feet.
The paddlewheel is about 17 feet in diameter and the blades (also called buckets) of the wheel are made of hard white oak, 24 feet long.
Originally named "Idlewild", the boat was owned by West Memphis Packet Co. and operated variously as a
packet
, excursion boat and
ferry
.
In 1928, the boat was sold to New St. Louis and Calhoun Packet Corp., Hardin, Illinois.
In 1947, the boat was sold to J. Herod Gorsage, Peoria, Illinois.
In 1948, the boat was renamed "Avalon".
In 1950, the boat was sold to Steamer Avalon Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio.
In 1962, the boat was sold to
Jefferson County, Kentucky
, and renamed "Belle of Louisville".
In 1966, a new 32-whistle steam
calliope
(the Belle's third since 1924) was installed at the stern of the
Texas
roof. This calliope was troublesome and the whistles eventually failed. In 1988, new whistles were installed, making the calliope operational again.
In 1968, the boat was rebuilt by Jeffboat, Jeffersonville, Indiana. A longer bow was added, bringing the hull length to 168 feet and the total length including the sternwheel to 192 feet. Three new return flue
boilers
(each 28 feet long, outside diameter 56 inches, 13 flues, heated with fuel oil) were installed.
As of 2018, the boat is still running public and private cruises from the 4th St. wharf.
File # 87h102
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