Description: |
This image of the steamboat Sprague served as the 1947 Christmas card of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse P. Hughes. Captain Jesse Paul Hughes (c. 1877-1973) was a pilot on the Ohio River for nearly 70 years, working primarily for the Greene Line of Cincinnati, Ohio, at the helm of the Delta Queen. Hughes was also an accomplished artist and painted numerous images of early steamboats. The vessel featured in this image is the Sprauge, which was built in Dubuque, Iowa in 1901. It was built by Peter Sprauge for the Monongahela River Consolidated Coal and Coke Company and was the world's largest steam powered sternwheeler towboat. Nicknamed "Big Mama," the Sprauge had the capability to push 56 barges at once, and in 1907, the ship set a world's all time record for towing 60 barges of coal weighing over 67,300 tons. The Sprague was decommissioned for towing in 1948, became a museum in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and burned in 1974. |
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Origin: | 1947 |
Source: |
http://cdm17251.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p17251coll21/id/68 |
Collection: |
Transportation |
Rights: | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/ |
Copyright: |
This image may be printed or downloaded by individuals, schools or libraries for study, research or classroom teaching without permission. For other uses contact: genealogy@hcpl.lib.in.us |
Subjects: |
steamboats paddle steamers paddle-wheels rivers |
Further information on this record can be found at its source.