VINTAGE STEAM

Mention Mississippi steamboats, and the first image that floats into one’s mind is the Currier & Ives lithograph to the left of a “Midnight Race on the Mississippi.”  The vessels featured luxuriously ornate interiors and exteriors. Often called “Wedding Cake” design due to the stacked-deck arrangement, they dominated the inland rivers into the 1890s.  Regarding carrying freight, which many did, they were gradually replaced by the railroads crossing new bridges such as Eads Bridge.  (Steamboat operators did not like Mr. Eads bridge.)

While indeed plush with impressive craftsmanship, the classic river steamboats had a common problem: all-wood construction and flaming, high-pressure boilers for generating steam. Pressure gauges were primitive or nonexistent.  The boats often exploded and burned, causing many passenger casualties.  On May 17, 1849, a burning steamboat, the White Cloud, broke free of its moorings on the St. Louis Mississippi riverfront.  It floated downstream, bumping into and igniting other moored steamboats. The raging conflagration jumped the cobblestone riverfront and consumed a huge portion of Downtown.  It was the worst fire in the history of St. Louis and directly attributable to river steamboats.  These vessels also frequently hit huge, submerged trees called snags, causing them to quickly sink.  So, while definitely glamorous, the boats were also certainly dangerous!

BEFORE THE SS ADMIRAL

Prior to the launching of the SS Admiral in 1940, Streckfus Steamers had several excursion steamboats operating from the St. Louis riverfront for many years.  As an interesting note, the Streckfus business usually bought an older vessel, built by a different company, then rebuilt the boat for excursions out of St. Louis.  The rebuilt boat would retain the old, original hull.  (This practice would have a big impact later.)

THE ST. PAUL

The St. Paul, built in 1883 in St. Louis, MO for the St. Louis & St. Paul Packet Co., ran under the Diamond Jo flag.  The Streckfus Line acquired her in 1911 and in 1917 rebuilt her into an excursion boat cruising out of the St. Louis riverfront.  The boat was wooden and with a traditional riverboat design.  Many 1920s jazz greats played in her ballroom.  The St. Paul was retired from excursion service in 1942. She met an unglamorous fate when abandoned near St. Louis in 1953, left to the ravages of the Mississippi River

THE JS DELUXE (Photo by my Grandfather, Herman Mueller)

The JS Deluxe was built at Dubuque, IA, in 1896 as the Quincy for the Diamond Jo Line. Streckfus purchased the vessel in 1919 and completely rebuilt it into the super-excursion boat the JS Deluxe.  The rebuild followed traditional river steamboat design using fanciful wood ornamentation.   The reconstruction was completed at St. Louis.  Jazz great Louis Armstong’s band played onboard.  The JS Deluxe was the Streckfus Line’s flagship until the President was launched in 1934. The JS Delue was dismantled at St. Louis in 1939.

THE PRESIDENT

Although the President’s profile mirrored the wedding-cake, river steamboat design, in its final form the boat was all steel, a linage the SS Admiral would continue.  The boat began life in 1924 as the Cincinnati for the Louisville & Cincinnati Packet Company.  Its steel hull, laid down at Midland, PA, measured 291 feet long by 84 feet wide. The vessel was completed at Cincinnati, OH.

The 1930s Great Depression’s financial chaos resulted in the sale of the Cincinnati to Streckfus Steamers in 1933. Streckfus rebuilt the vessel with a new superstructure as an excursion boat christened the President. The work was executed at the St. Louis levee.  The big steamboat gradually took shape as a rotating audience of curious citizens watched. The February 4, 1933, issue of The Waterways Journal printed an article proclaiming: “The Democrats will soon present us with a new president (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) and, not to be outdone, Streckfus Steamers will soon do the very same thing.”

As mentioned, the President was 295.5 feet long and 84 feet wide. She could carry 3,100 passengers. She had six oil-burning boilers. Her lower decks were glass-enclosed in preparation for the boat to be a full-time excursion vessel in 1944.

Beginning in 1941, replaced in St. Louis by the SS Admiral, she spent a lot of time operating out of New Orleans. In 1985, because the Admiral was no longer cruising, the President returned to St. Louis as an excursion boat until 1990.  I was fortunate enough to take a daytime cruise on the President.  She had a big dance floor and vintage look which I really appreciated.  I could imagine big swing bands of the 1930s pounding some very hot jazz.

The boat was bought by businessman John Connelly, and he transformed her into a casino which opened in April 1991. (Connelly would also unfortunately be involved with the Admiral.)  The President spent her last years in Davenport. The boat lost its cruising license by not being drydocked for an inspection. Unfortunately, the boat was dismantled after numerous restoration and reconstruction plans failed in the early 2000s.

THE SS ADMIRAL

 “MODERNE” STEAM

In 1907, a steam-powered, sidewheel ferry was launched.  It was called the SS Albatross, a name which would later be quite ironic.  In 1937, Captain Joe Strecfus hired Famous-Barr illustrator Mazie Krebs to redesign the Albatross into an Art Deco masterpiece.  1940 saw the completion of her design with conversion of the Albatross into a huge, silver, Art Deco riverboat christened the SS Admiral, owned and operated by the Streckfus Steamers family.  Streckfus had a long and glorious nautical history on the St. Louis riverfront prior to the SS Admiral’s launching.  The mighty SS Admiral was like nothing seen before on the Mississippi.  In style, it would have nothing in common with 19^th steamboats.  The boat, executed in the popular Art Deco style, sported a streamline, modern steel exterior with a shiny, silver paint job.  The vessel’s interior was also an Art Deco masterpiece.  The ballroom could have easily been a setting for a 1930s Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers movie.  The Admiral’s overall dimensions were impressive.  The boat was 374 feet long, 92 feet wide carrying a maximum of 4,400 passengers.  The new steel frame was completed by Banner Iron Works on 1920 S. Kingshighway, St. Louis, MO.  (I worked at Banner Iron in 1969-70.  Quite an experience.  It was located behind O’Connell’s Irish Pub.)  The Admiral was the first Mississippi excursion boat to be air conditioned, cooling the enclosed 2^nd and 3^rd decks

ALL HANDS ON DECK!

The Admiral had five decks.  Here is a quick, pre-boarding review.  The 1^st deck, where boarding took place, was a vast game arcade. (Not gambling-yet.)  The 2^nd deck housed a bandstand, a huge dance floor accommodating 2000 dancers and seating.  The 3^rd deck featured more seating and a bar dispensing, for a price, non-alcoholic mixes and drinks. The 2^nd and 3^rd decks were collectively called the Cabin.  The 3^rd deck formed a balcony from which the 2^nd deck bandstand and the dance floor could be viewed.  The 4^th deck was open-air on the vessel’s sides and provided food and more seating.  The top, 5^th deck, named the Lido Deck, was completely open.

1^st DECK: FUN & GAMES

As mentioned, passengers boarded and deboarded the vessel on the first deck.  If you had young kids with you, or happened to happily be a kid yourself, chances were you never got any higher than the first deck. It was a vast arcade of games.  There was target shooting, machines dispensing pictures of cars and airplanes, old-time selfie booths that took a filmstrip of four little photos that immediately printed out, pinball machines, fortune-telling mannequins, skee ball and a bunch of other really neat stuff. Candy could be purchased. The film strip I’ve included from the selfie photo booth is of me at about six years old.

And then there was Popeye and Wimpy!  These two bad boys were massive steel piston shafts, well over 100 feet long and about three feet in height, located on the interior port and starboard side of the first deck.  They were driven by massive steam engines and turned the paddle wheels located underwater on the boat’s starboard and port sides.  Once under way, these huge shafts would alternate, thrusting forward and back, driving the vessel ahead.  One shaft was labeled Popeye: the other Wimpy.  They were quite a site under full speed, running smoothly and silently.  (I could not find a picture of them.) The first deck was really a magical place for kids, and I remember it very fondly. 

2^ND DECK THE BALLROOM: SWINGING & ROCKING

The Ballroom was, in my experience, the heart and soul of the Admiral.  It could hold 2000 dancers in air-conditioned comfort, a first for river excursion boats. There was seating on the far edges of the dance floor towards the boat’s bow and stern, and a gift shop tucked away on the opposite side of the bandstand. The ceilings were about eight feet high.  Above the dance floor itself, the room was open to the 3^rd deck’s ceiling, two-decks high. The 2^nd and 3^rd decks were integral to each other and together were called the Cabin.

The bandstand was a gleaming white leather fabric consisting of two flanking pillars with circular, chrome highlights.  Directly behind the band was the same fabric, only vertical with matching chrome accents.  The whole arrangement stood two-decks high.

The dance floor was huge. During day cruises, kids would slide across it until the staff told them to tone it down.  (I had personal experience with that.)  There was also a band and dancers during the day.

The big dance crowds came for the evening cruises.  I believe the big band that played the night cruises was Johnny Polsin, featuring 1940s-50s jazz and swing. From the 1940s through the early 1960s, men had to have a coat and tie in the Ballroom.  Women always had good-looking dresses.  That all changed later in the 1960s when rock replaced swing on the dance floor.  Casual clothes became the look.  The house band was Bob Kuban’s Brass, providing a solid rock sound that was great for dancing.  Kuban’s band was on the Admiral for many years.

3^RD DECK: Mix Up Some Drinks!

Relaxing seating toward the vessel’s bow and stern, along with a bar, could be found on the 3^rd deck, known as the Mezzanine.  Food was available on this deck.  Along the starboard and port sides were narrow passages with tables with seating overlooking the dance floor.  This whole deck had an oblong opening in the center above and conformed to the ballroom floor.  The ceiling, which was blue, had recessed lights with Zodiac symbol lenses. 

The Mezzanine was popular for just watching the dancers and listening to the band.  The bar sold non-alcoholic mixers for the booze the patrons brought aboard.  On the Admiral, you could bring alcohol such as scotch and bourbon, but not non-alcoholic drinks.  I don’t recall how beer was handled.

As mentioned, the Mezzanine deck formed a balcony open to the dance floor one deck down.  The opening was ringed by an Art Deco railing with intersecting circles and lateral, straight pieces, all composed of shiny aluminum.  Directly below the railing were aluminum stars.  This very decorative configuration completely ringed the opening above the dance floor.  While it functioned as a railing for the Mezzanine deck, it also formed a kind of crown for the dance floor.

GRETA GARBO ON THE MEZZANINE

What was Greta Garbo doing on the Admiral’s Mezzanine deck?  Nothing—she always wanted “to be alone.”  But her name was given to the magnificent ladies powder room on the Mezzanine deck.  Based on the pictures I’ve seen, the powder room must have been an exercise in elegance.  Mazie Krebs really outdid herself designing the powder room.  It was a 1940s work of art.

4^TH DECK: NICE BREEZES & FOOD

The aroma of something good cooking mixed agreeably with the soft wafts of wind on the open 4^th deck.  The window frames had no windows, so the Mississippi breezes cooled the deck on warm days and nights.  There were plenty of lounge chairs for relaxing.  A cooking grill served up soft drinks, hamburgers, hotdogs and such, cafeteria style.  As time moved into the late 1960s, this was called the Rock & Roll Deck.  On night cruises, a rock band provided music.  The 4^th deck provided a more casual setting than the Cabin.  It was a good place to enjoy an outdoor atmosphere without getting cooked on the Lido Deck during those very hot St. Louis afternoons.  I can speak from personal experience of a post-cruise sunburn!

 5^TH DECK: FUN & SUN

The top 5th, or Lido Deck had a 4-chime whistle—and it was loud.  A steam-powered calliope welcomed passengers aboard and entertained folks during the scenic cruises.  Both were on the top deck.  Upon parking on the riverfront, the sound of the calliope would travel across the cobblestones, building expectations for a fun-filled cruise.  The top deck sported more seating with tables and umbrellas, making it a great spot to sit and sightsee.  This is where the pilot house was located from which the boat was controlled.  Day and night cruises went north to south down to Jefferson Barracks.  A big thrill that always crowded the Lido Deck was when the Admiral passed under the Poplar Street and MacArthur Bridges.  It was quite a view.

The photo above is of Beth Eppy’s family on the Lido Deck from around 1966.  One of the Admiral’s smokestacks can be seen on the left of the photo along with part of the Arch’s leg.  From left to right on the photo is Beth’s sister Ellen Immer, Beth, her Mom Naomi and her brother Steve.  Beth’s Dad Edmund snapped the picture.

Beth is a member of the Southampton Neighborhood Association and was previously a Board Member at Large.  Her family lived on Delor in the 5400^th block.