Natchez vs Robert E Lee Steamboat Race

[Mfoxchicago]

Yes, the condition of the Eppleton Hall is a sad state of affairs. You would have thought someone would have picked up the torch of opportunity to restore and re-activate her.

[fredrosse]

I understand there was some protesting in England at the sale of this little historic ship to a USA concern. Is the Eppleton Hall still at the San Francisco Maritime Museum? Is it going to be restored?

[Oilking]

I stumbled across thisnews online:http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/E ... to-5774523.
Looks like the Eppy's just come out of the yard where they spent around a half a million$$$ on here.

She should be open for visitors later this year.

Good paddling

Dave

[87gn@tahoe]

I stumbled across thisnews online:http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/E ... to-5774523.
Looks like the Eppy's just come out of the yard where they spent around a half a million$$$ on here.

She should be open for visitors later this year.

Good paddling

Dave

I'm glad she'll have a another few years of life. Only took them over 25 years just to allow visitors onboard.... I bet in another 50 she'll be destroyed like the Wapama.

[Mfoxchicago]

Great news! Now I really love to see folks take interest in genuinely classical vessels and dedicate the funds and time to keep them viable and available to public viewing. Maritime history is a valuable part of our culture as a nation. The "Brits" have an even better understanding of this principle.

Thanks for the heads up on the article!

Great stuff!

Mack

[87gn@tahoe]

The account of her crossing was pretty epic as I recall. I will try to find it.

Really she should be returned to the UK where she would most likely be returned to steam rather than relegated to await her eventual demise.

[Mfoxchicago]

Yes, the published account of her journey to America was a great read. If you can find it at your library or rare book store, it is worth having in your personal library.

Why return her to England, they were near scrapping her back in '68-'69 as well, just prior to her sale to the "Yank". And why not bring her back as orginally powered....???? With the righ sort of financial support and refitting her for passanger service for habor tours, she might help pay for some of her upkeep as well - it could be done.

[Oilking]

It all boils down to the money$$$$$$!!

I do volunteer maintanence on the "ST Portland" in Portland, Oregon. The last operationg steam sternwheel tug on the Columbia, and maybe the country, retired by the port in 1981. The city allows us to moore to the seawall down town being about the extent any Public support. I would describe local government as tolerating our existence, but not supporting. The Oregon Maritime Museum(OMM) which owns the Portland has only two paid admin staff leaving the bulk of operations and up keep to volunteers. OMM depends on memeberships, tour fees, donations from a few benefactors, and technical & material donations from private industry to fund operations, though barley.

Since we get underway with paying passengers a couple times a year we have to have added insurance plus an annual Coast Guard inspection, and dry docking every five years which is due this spring. This all takes $$$$$$$.

It would be nice if there was unlimited funds to presreve very machine of history, but we know there isn't.

The Portland steams up the first Saturday of each month May to October. I'll post the dates of any underwy outing as they become available.

Dave

[87gn@tahoe]

Sure the Brits were going to scrap her, and have scrapped many, but they've also preserved probably 10 to our 1, in running condition no less. Even practically complete rebuilds.

They have the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) which provides grants for projects deemed significant to their heritage. The Eppleton Hall is significant to THEIR heritage. We cant even get the State Parks to continue to preserve some of our own heritage, like the scrapping of the Wapma for example, or the static "preservation" of Hercules which used to be running in recent memory.

Rather than let her rot in the hands of people for which she has no real significance, offer her up to the people whom she does.

Half measures to keep her from sinking and not be a "blight" is not preservation.

[Chris W]

I was lucky enough to go out on the Eppie in '75 along with Scott Newhall, Karl Kortum and Scott Nicoll of the original restoration and delivery crew. I had flown up for several weekends from So Cal to help get her back in steaming condition and got the invitation because of that. I was told that the engines are stuck but haven't talked directly with those who are working on her.
I do know that Hercules is in process of being inspected by the USCG and will likely be under steam again. I talked with the senior traveling inspector shortly after he looked at her boiler and things sounded optimistic.
The biggest problem, next to lack of $$, with any of these "historic vessels" is that there is no classification that they fit in exactly. Medea, for example, was registered as an "uninspected yacht" but has a certificate of inspection because of her steam plant. We have complete annual boiler inspections by the CG even though we may only have 50 hours on the boiler in a year. We now have been given a COI allowing us to carry up to 12 passengers for hire. Most of our trips are VIP cruises for guests, donors, board members, port officials, etc. who are not considered passengers for hire.
Sorry about steering this topic further off course!