River World Field Trip, Alton, IL to Lake Charles, LA and back on a working towboat, 1956

There was a good deal of conversation about the storm and how many boats were tied up. A sternwheeler was in trouble over near shore. As night came on and we went around the other side of the narrow neck, we could see the searchlights of boats on the other side, less than a mile away.

Then clouds breaking, Venus, moonlight, the river smooth as if there had never been a storm. Narrow chute of Island No. 8.

Heavenly day, how cold it was when I came out on deck this morning.  Under Cairo bridge at dawn, but I just missed the junction of the two rivers, not realizing where we were till we were just past. The Ohio was backing up the Mississippi, so we had slack water for many miles, increasing our speed to almost eight miles an hour.

A clear, brilliant, sparkling morning. Around the great loop of Dogtooth Bend, which sent us south again for quite some little while, and put the east sun over on the west, or so it seemed. Canada geese were sitting and preening on a sandbar near where one would fly straight inland to Horseshoe Lake. It’s late for Canadas, but nice to see them where there would be thousands earlier in the season,

The sun finally got itself around to the east again, after we navigated around the compass and once more headed north. A much narrower Mississippi than we had below Cairo. It looks broad enough before you have that comparison of the much bigger lower river, but this is a nice friendly one.  The RAY HECKLING, the J.W.BAHTA loaded with new cars downbound, the ILLIHI.  Coffee and cookies in the pilothouse at 9:45.

We notice much more green on the Illinois and Missouri shores than was there two weeks ago when we went down.  Quite a conversation between our captain and the one on the MECHLING, mainly about the state of fishing on the Ohio and at Kentucky dam just now, which Captain G is joyfully anticipating.

“Going to grow a beard for the centennial, George?” “Yeah, I guess so, Holland, how about you?” “Well, I tried, a while back, but it got uncomfortable and I shaved her off. And when I tried another one, my wife didn’t like it so well,” “Yeah, I know what you mean, Holland, I gotcha okay.”

We traveled 30 miles in four hours because of slack water above the Ohio,  Commerce, Missouri, the oaks in bloom on the hills, a nice little town facing the river, unusual below here.

A resounding blast for Cape Girardeau, tulips in bloom there, then continuing upriver two miles to the Streett terminal, which, as usual, is out in the woods and hard to get to.  Tied off 133. Cars waiting for those of the crew who were going to leave — Griffin, Carlton, the little impatient oiler, Eddie, who had had enough of the river, and who took off up the hill as if wolves were after him.  Russell was dressed up, ready to go, too. Sam came back on, and Vess, and Captain Houchin.  The barge was turned and finally tied off, and ——— two new cooks came on, quite unexpectedly, and much to the consternation of the Todds, and their delight as well, but there was no place to put the two ladies, so they were dumped in my room, not to my delight. The gals were talkative, especially Mrs. Stabbe, who told me, within the first five minutes, that she was writing a book on the order of the ‘Egg and I, that her husband died suddenly of penicillin overdose, that he used to teach at LSU and didn’t like Negroes, and felt they should all be shipped back to Africa, that she was allergic to penicillin, had just had had the flu and wasn’t feeling so good, had a blister on her toe which had to be bathed frequently … and on and on and on.

Mrs. Todd turned out a horrible supper, as a poor example of what cooks are expected to do for the crew — greasy spare ribs, sauerkraut (third time lately) mashed potatoes, boiled cabbage, chopped lettuce, and tapioca pudding.

As we steamed upriver, the water was as smooth as glass, but a heavy cold wind started up, roaring and whistling. That evening because I couldn’t work in my room — my guests had to go to bed early, and besides they talked too blamed much — Bill and Vick turned over their office to me, fixed an easy chair, plied me with coffee and cookies, and I did right well till 11 or so.  When I went up, it was pouring, rain, with a bit of snow mixed in. Later, during the early morning watch, the snow came down heavily with some rain and made visibility low. We have had all sorts of weather.’

Cold and windy this morning, terribly cold, in fact, turning my ankles blue when I walked out for a bit of exercise, but the sky was clearing and it turned into a lovely day. The Missouri cliffs were simply beautiful, redbud in bloom still, and some magnificent dogwood, and the new leaves coming colorfully on the oaks. Past Herculaneum and Buschberg, the sun breaking through and gilding the leaves on the east shore and lighting the west cliffs. There were curiously red and white banded cliffs topped with yellow oaks.

Saw a log raft pushed by small towboat and pulled by another, four strings wide. I had no idea …

Glen Park, and three blue-winged teal in backwater, then a good sized flock in a small willow inlet.  An osprey with a fish on a dead limb, well held down, two crows kibitzing and waiting their chances.

The mouth of the Meramec. Another osprey; both were very black and white, strikingly marked.

More driftwood — driftwood, not floating placidly but wallowing, following eddies, slams into waves crosswise or with the current like a lance, slicing through the waves.  And ahead at last, the Jefferson Barracks bridge.  To LeMay Terminal. Moored, and got the Todds thankfully ashore. Brought on some furniture for my room, and met Mr. Kenneth Baker, who came on to measure for a windshield wiper, which we badly need.  Then up to St. Louis Shipyard — I had decided to stay on to Havana — and picked up bedsprings and mattresses, etc. Saw the Missouri, a new towboat being built at the shipyard, quite streamlined and odd.  And on our way at 10:30, past the Coast Guard base with lots of buoys and weights, past mansions on the rocky cliffs, and iris and lilacs in bloom.

Meanwhile the cooks were laboring from breakfast time until noon to get on a meal which was simple enough to have taken a quarter of the time, and yet was half an hour late, while everyone stood around waiting. “They have to learn,” the men said kindly. They surely did!