River World Field Trip, Alton, IL to Lake Charles, LA and back on a working towboat, 1956
October 24, 2015dinner was hardly worth the wait — an over-done and fat pork roast, hacked apart, plain boiled potatoes, plain canned tomatoes, the usual boiled limas, white bread, salad (Todd style), and soggy, under-done, discouraging apple pie, and warm coffee,
Into Chain of Rocks canal at 12:25. Common terns fishing in the blue canal.
The green and white CELESTE passed us, A little while later on the short-wave we heard the CELESTE talking to the lock man at No. 27 — had apparently rammed the lock wall and torn a hole of some size into a barge. An expensive repair job ahead — simply gas-freeing a barge costs $400 before any repairs can be made.
The Mouth of the Missouri, and up there above it, was the SINCLAIR MEMPHIS in trouble. There was a sunken barge just out of the channel, but the SINCLAIR MEMPHIS had somehow hit it, and was hung up quite thoroughly upon the obstruction. Meanwhile, part of the cargo was being pumped out into another barge to lighten it, but it still was stuck.
To Alton lock, where we had to wait downstream for the lock to clear. We waited 45 minutes. I went out on the barges and ate an apple and a banana — lovely sunshine, but the air was still mighty cool. Rode through the lock on the barge, and then went on, up past the big white hills and the lovely rocks of Elsah.
We blew for Elsah, and Mrs. Rhodes came out and waved, but I am sure she didn’t know who waved, Homer joining me enthusiastically, Redbud still beautifully in bloom, and new oak leaves picking up the sunset light.
supper — swiss steak, potatoes (boiled), peas, fruit salad, chocolate cake, which was an improvement.
A cold twilight going past Grafton, but I went out to the end again and watched the hills and the trees, and saw quantities of grebes fly up ahead of the quietly pushing barges, softly hissing through the water. Herons, and thousands of swallows, A big pink moon ballooned up from the east, and our foam was like whipped cream.
April 25, Wednesday
Rain poured hard all night, and wind blew a whistling gale. It was cold and raining and grim in the morning as we went up the Illinois River where new leaves on the maples were small and red and spring was just barely cracking through. The CITY OF JOLIET went by and Captain Joseph came out and waved to me, then talked over the short-wave about it. Foam, like detergent, fluffing up between barges. To Havana at 10, and finally got off, with the usual difficulty of ladders and boards, and Mr., Hennecke took me to the office to phone at 10:45. The one and only bus from Havana to Springfield was leaving in half an hour — wonderful timing — so he took me to the station, got my bus, and was home at 12:30, after having spent a total of $2.20 for bus fare and taxi, for a 17 day, 24OO mile trip.
[Virginia lived in Springfield, Illinois, just an hour east of the Havana landing on the Illinois River. She used this material for the basis of River World and a companion book, Mississippi Calling. After several trips on the Delta Queen, she wrote another successful book about that boat as well.]
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