I know the Delta Queen is a steamboat and not a train but I hope those of you who appreciate this national treasure will join me in signing a petition to exempt her from the Safety at Sea Law which is coming up for a vote in congress. Her current exemption expires in 2008 and will force her retirement unless a new exemption is approved.

She's the real thing, a steamboat built in 1926 and 100% steam driven. Originally built for service on the Sacramento River with her sister boat Delta King (now a floating hotel at Sacramento), she served the U S Navy in WWII and was bought and moved to the Mississippi and Ohio river systems in 1947. Since then she has cruised there under several owners and continues to operate today. She's on the National Register of Historic Places but that doesn't guarantee her exemption.

I compare this vessel to the grand passenger trains of the past in the sense that she offers style and a level of service unavailable today. I know many of you, like me, appreciate steamboats along with our love of steam locomotives, heavyweight passenger cars, and the nostalgia of that period.

So, I invite you read more about her situation and sign the petition on the Steamboats.org web site. The URL for the Save the Delta Queen web page is http://www.steamboats.org/save-the-delt ... -2007.html

Thanks for your interest and help in this important campaign.

-Jim Herron

.

Jim, do you happen to know when the Delta Queen last had a Coast Guard Survey completed? Thanks

There is still a chance. The exemption was removed from the Coast Guard bill that normally has it while in the Transportation committee. The Senate has not yet acted on the equal CG bill. If included in the Senate version and if pressure is applied in the House, the final bill could include it coming out of conference.

It's interesting that the current owner appears to have "given up." I suspect they've tried, failed and now are hoping that the "give up" press release will finally get the attention it needs.

It will be a sad day when she is retired. As an 8-eight year old in the 1970's I spent a number of hours in a small space where you could watch the steam engine operate. I've been hoping to provide that same experience to my kids sometime in the coming years.

Bob

Let us hope that they Delta Queen receives a new exemption. A few years ago, the wife and I spent 5 days cruising the Mississippi aboard her between Memphis and St. Louis. In fact, this was a railroad/steamboat experience. We took AMTRAK's City of New Orleans (sleeping car) from Chicago to Memphis, then the Delta Queen and rode St. Louis to Chicago in an AMTRAK coach.

Les