The riverboat captain is a storyteller. Captain Don Sanders shares the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This a part of a long and continuing story.
By Capt. Don Sanders
Special to NKyTribune
What happened to August? When I was a kid, August was my favorite month — summer days were long, hot, and lazy — perfect for slipping away for a swim in the river. Nowadays, kids are back in school before the “dawg days” of August are half over. They’ll never know what they’re missing.
As a boy, I was blessed that my hometown, Covington, across the river from Cincinnati, had two rivers bordering it, the broad Ohio and the ancient Licking rivers, making living there twice as enjoyable for me. Few in my generation agreed, but I couldn’t care less. Usually I had those aquatic paradises all to myself and my younger brothers. They were my great escape — somewhere that I miss dearly now.
So what else has been happening lately on the river? For starters, Captain Pete O’Connell, veteran BELLE OF LOUISVILLE pilot now recently retired with 35 years of steamboating experience, recently withdrew his bid for my old boat, the Rafter CLYDE, which has been in a state of confusing predicaments since it returned to Aurora Bend from the upper reaches of the Tennessee River over a year and a half ago.
Fans of the once majestic Wisconsin-built sternwheeler had high hopes of seeing her paddle down the Ohio River to Louisville, Cap’n Pete’s home port, for a full restoration to her former glory. But sadly, it’s not in the cards. The CLYDE, we hear, may end her twilight years as a “coffee shop” parked onshore at the foot of the broad river bend not far from my place high atop “Billy Goat Hill.
Speaking of the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE, this past week, on August 24, was the 29th anniversary of when she sank beneath the waters at her moorings on the Ohio River. The 83‑year‑old historic steamboat, built in 1914 and considered the last authentic Mississippi River paddlewheeler, was moored in Louisville, when a night watchman discovered it taking on water. By daybreak, she was stuck on the bottom of the Ohio River, with her stern about 10 feet down and dangerously close to sliding off a muddy shelf into deeper water.
The celebrated salvage man, Okie Moore and his crew from St. Charles, Missouri did the dangerous dive work — sealing the hull, patching, and using pumps and hoses for seven days to remove 15,000 gallons of fuel from the boat’s tanks, then utilizing a towboat and crane to keep her afloat while divers inspected for leaks. More than anyone else, Cap’n Okie Moore and his fearless crew saved the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE from certain destruction.
The U.S.Coast Guard later determined the cause of the sinking to be an open valve that had been used to drain drinking water into the hull. Consequently, a former BELLE crewman was arrested, charged with sabotage, and prosecuted. The vessel was eventually refloated and repaired, and it continues to operate today as a National Maritime Historic Landmark in its 112th year.
While we’re thinking about the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE, her most exciting recent event aboard was the retirement of its long‑used “Captain’s Chair” after 40 years of service to make way for a new one, replacing it as part of the ongoing operations on the Ohio River steamboat that was only a youthful 45 years of age during my first season aboard her when she went by the name of AVALON.
The retirement was marked by a special ceremony held on the bow of the steamboat, attended by former captains, guests, and interim CEO Barbara Sexton Smith, who joined in by sending off the old chair with a poem.
According to a Falls City news blurb, “The new pilothouse chair was donated with community support, ensuring the BELLE could continue its role as a working riverboat while honoring its history.”
From what I’ve heard, the old upholstered pilot’s seat was relegated to the engine room, where it may withstand another 40 to 45 years before some future steamboat executive eventually donates it to the Howard Steamboat Museum across the Ohio River in Jeffersonville, IN. In fact, according to photos posted on social media, the chair looks so good that dollar-watchers are wondering why such a fine specimen wasn’t left in the wheelhouse for yet a few more generations.
On Friday, August 21, my friend, mentor, and fellow steamboat crewman, the late Ed “Seth” Smith, was officially inducted into the National Rivers Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Herman T. Pott National Inland Library on the campus of the University of Missouri, St. Louis, Ed’s hometown, Attending were members of Ed Smith’s personal family, friends and members of the river community who knew and cherished him.
Although I couldn’t attend due to personal issues, I wrote a short set of remarks that were read. As soon as I receive photos of the ceremony and speak with some of the people who attended, I plan to write a detailed account of Ed Smith’s induction into the National Rivers Hall of Fame.
Around Aurora Bend on the Middle Ohio River, folks still wait for the Showboat MAJESTIC to peek ’round the bend, her steam calliope calling for all to come down the river and watch her land.
With all the various stories I’ve heard over my lifetime tinted with many shades of color, I’ve learned to be wary of tales told on the water.
Still, if I hear the musical toots of brass whistles off in the distance becoming louder with every passing moment, you can bet that I’ll be down there on the riverbank waiting, too. Maybe this August isn’t so bad, after all.
Captain Don Sanders is a river man. He has been a riverboat captain with the Delta Queen Steamboat Company and with Rising Star Casino. He learned to fly an airplane before he learned to drive a “machine” and became a captain in the USAF. He is an adventurer, a historian, and a storyteller. Now, he is a columnist for the NKyTribune and will share his stories of growing up in Covington and his stories of the river. Hang on for the ride — the river never looked so good.
Click here to read all of Capt. Don Sanders’ stories of The River.
Purchase Captain Don Sanders’ The River book
Capt. Don Sanders The River: River Rat to steamboatman, riding ‘magic river spell’ to 65-year adventure is now available for $29.95 plus handling and applicable taxes. This beautiful, hardback, published by the Northern Kentucky Tribune, is 264-pages of riveting storytelling, replete with hundreds of pictures from Capt. Don’s collection — and reflects his meticulous journaling, unmatched storytelling, and his appreciation for detail. This historically significant book is perfect for the collections of every devotee of the river.
You may purchase your book by mail from the Northern Kentucky Tribune — or you may find the book for sale at all Roebling Books locations and at the Behringer Crawford Museum and the St. Elizabeth Healthcare gift shops.
Click here to order your Captain Don Sanders’ ‘The River’ now.