The River Ferries of Calhoun County, Illinois

Elaine and I recently camped at Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton Illinois. A mile or so south of the park the Brussels ferry shuttles vehicles across the Illinois river into Calhoun County, Illinois. Calhoun County is a sliver of land bounded by rivers on three sides. The Mississippi River on the west side, the Illinois River on the east, and the confluence of both rivers at the south end. The influence of the rivers is evident in the lush crops, large orchards, and abundant wildlife. During the winter months eagle watching is a popular pastime. The topography is varied with bluffs, rolling hills and flat bottom lands. On warm spring weekends the roads are filled with people from the St. Louis area, which is 30 miles to the south. One of the attractions to the area is its remoteness. Being surrounded by rivers the county's access is limited to one fixed bridge and four car ferries.

The Brussels ferry, The Belle of Calhoun.

Two of the ferries cross the Illinois River. The Brussels ferry, north of Grafton, Illinois and the Kampsville ferry at Kampsville. Both of these ferries are run by the Illinois Department of Transportation and are free.

The other two ferries cross the Mississippi River, the Winfield ferry at Batchtown and the Golden Eagle ferry near Golden Eagle, Illinois. Fees are charged for the Mississippi ferries.

The Golden Eagle

Other area ferries are the Grafton ferry in Grafton, Illinois and the Ste. Genevieve ferry in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri about thirty miles south of St. Louis.

"Deer Plain"

If your unsure about car ferries the only bridge into the county is in Hardin, Illinois. Built in 1930 and recently renovated this vertical lift bridge is eligible to be on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a unique bridge and worth the side trip.

The area around the confluence of the Mississippi, the Missouri, and the Illinois rivers is one of the country's best kept secrets. For more information on this beautiful area see http://www.greatriverroad.com/mgrindex.htm

Enjoy this little dity by the Well Hungarians about the Winfield Ferry

Lignum Vitae

Mill turbines at Bridgeton Mill in Bridgeton, Indiana

I live in Byrnes Mill, Missouri on the Big River, slightly upriver from the ruins of the mill that gives our little burg its name. I, along with one of our alderman, am spearheading an attempt to remove and preserve the old mill turbine and other equipment from the river. In doing research on old mill construction I came upon a diagram of a mill turbine with the words Lignum Vitae and a line pointing to the bearings. Recognizing vitae as a botanical name I did some 'digging' and found some information on this very interesting wood. Also called the Wood of Life, Lignum Vitae is the one of the hardest woods known. Its uses include cricket balls, wooden mallets, English Bobby nightsticks ( it has the same effect as steel without the damage.) and propeller shaft bearings. Its high resin and wax content make it self lubricating and nearly decay proof when submerged in water, making it ideal for propeller shaft and water tubine bearings.

The turbine from Dawt's Mill in southern Missouri.

Many shipbuilders have used Lignum vitae in their vessels. Some of the more famous ships and uses include the propeller shaft bearings on the U.S.S. NAUTILUS, the first nuclear powered submarine. The the belaying pins on the U.S.S. CONSTITUTION, . U.S.S. PAMPANITO, a WWII submarine and other ships such as the St. MARYS CHALLENGER, which just celebrated its 100th birthday on the Great Lakes. Other uses include hydro-electric plants and possibly, a little gristmill a few hundred yards downriver.

Visit the U.S.S. NAUTILUS website. http://www.ussnautilus.org/history.html

Centennial- Steaming through the American Century. A wonderful book about the St. MARYS CHALLENGER. http://www.runninglightpress.com/books.php

Here is a little information on the Byrnes Mill. www.byrnesmill.org/turbine/index.html

Michel Desjoyeaux Wins Vendee Globe

Michel Desjoyeaux won the Vendee Globe around the world race. It took 84 days 3 hours 9 minutes and 6 seconds to sail the 28303 nautical miles. After having to return to Les Sables d'Olonne early in the race to fix electrical problems, FONCIA blasted through the pack to take the lead south of Cape Leeuwin, Australia. Armel Le Cleac'h in BRIT AIR, and Samantha Davies in ROXY expected to finish next. Eleven of the original thirty were still sailing. Several demastings, structural failures, a broken leg, and a capsize with a dramatic rescue have whittled down the fleet. For more information go to the Vendee Globe website. www.vendeeglobe.org/en/

ALGOWEST- PETER R. CRESSWELL

On a beautiful October day, after riding the Algoma Central Railway's Agawa Canyon Train into the wilds of Canada, Elaine and I stopped at the locks in Sault Ste. Marie to do a little boat watching. While we were there we watched the large grain carrier ALGOWEST lumber up the St. Marys River into the McArthur Lock. Standing on the viewing platforms, we watched the waters lift the ship up to the level of Lake Superior. Through the crystal clear water, her single propeller could be seen pushing her out of the lock. It was quite a sight.

ALGOWEST Entering the McArthur Lock

ALGOWEST as with much of the Algoma fleet uses the Algo prefix. West is for western Canada where her cargos of grain originate. She was built in Collingwood ON. and launched in 1982 for Algoma Central Railway-Marine Division. She is powered by 2 Krupp MaK 6M552AK 6 cylinder 4-stroke diesel engines developing 4730 H.P., geared through a single variable pitch propeller.

Going Up

She had one notable serious accident. On June 15,1988 in a dense fog, she collided with the small freighter COUDRES DE L'LLE . The COUDRES DE L'LLE sank with the loss of one life.

In 1997 she was converted to a self un-loader. After the 20 million dollar conversion, she was re-dedicated at the Port Weller Dry Dock. Her new cargoes would be bulk salt, stone, coal, and iron. Two skippers of the ALGOWEST were awarded the traditional "Top Hat" for being the first vessel upbound through the Welland Canal in 1985 and 1999.

On October 14 2001 the vessel was re-christened PETER R. CRESSWELL in honor of the retiring former President and Executive Officer of Algoma Central Corp.

LOA- 730'

Beam 70'10"

Depth 42'

Capacity 31,700 tons

The "SHOWBOAT BRANSON BELLE"

For years I've seen advertisements for the BRANSON BELLE showboat. I thought, another fake steamboat with dummy paddle wheels and a diesel powered prop. The kind that is a dance boat, but with folding tables is a dinner boat that serves rubber chicken. The BRANSON BELLE is anything but fake.

Billed as "Americas Largest Ship Built On A Land-locked Lake." Its grandeur is reminiscent of the by-gone days of traveling showboats. This stern wheeler is impressive. Built and launched on site, she is equipped with the latest in marine technology. Her 24 foot paddle wheels are powered by two electric motors developing 400 horsepower each. Each paddle wheel can work independently of the other at different speeds or even have one in reverse and one in forward. Maneuverability is further enhanced by the 350 horsepower fore and aft bow thrusters. Port and starboard wing stations make docking easy on either side. Three diesel powered generators provide 480 volt 60Hz three phase electricity for the propulsion and the ships electrical systems including the galley and the theater.

 

The 10 foot, solid maple captains wheel is from the C.C. SLIDER, a stern wheeler that worked the Ohio River between 1928 and 1952. The motor and thruster controls are housed in a brass control unit similar to an old ships telegraph.
Launched April 13, 1995, her nine second slide into Table Rock Lake reached 14 M.P.H., faster than she would ever travel on water. The skids were lubricated with bananas, a non-polluting, biodegradable alternative to the standard grease.

She is a Showboat, with a huge 700 seat multi-tiered theater and galley serving gourmet meals. (Up to 2800 meals each day.) The SHOWBOAT BRANSON BELLE is operated by Silver Dollar City Entertainment. For information on lunch or dinner cruises visit http://www.showboatbransonbelle.com/
I am happy to say I was impressed. If you want rubber chicken you'll have to find it elsewere
L.O.A. 278',

Beam 78',

Draft 7.5',

Height 112'3" to top of stacks ,

Top speed 11 m.p.h.,

Weight 2,500,000 pounds