The ''Island Queen'' was a series of two

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

sidewheeler A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

s built in 1896 and 1925 respectively. Both vessels were passenger carriers cruising along the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

and

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

rivers as both an

excursion An excursion is a trip by a group of people, usually made for leisure, education, or physical purposes. It is often an adjunct to a longer journey or visit to a place, sometimes for other (typically work-related) purposes. Public transportation ...

boat and

tramp steamer A boat or ship engaged in the tramp trade is one which does not have a fixed schedule, itinerary nor published ports of call, and trades on the spot market as opposed to freight liners. A steamship engaged in the tramp trade is sometimes called ...

. The first ''Island Queen'' burned in 1922 in a fire which destroyed several other vessels. The second ''Island Queen'' was destroyed in 1947 when her chief engineer, using a welding torch, accidentally cut into her fuel tank. ''Island Queen'' was reduced to her steel frame, and was scrapped by a local company.

First ''Island Queen''

The first ''Island Queen'' was a sidewheel

wooden hull steamboat built in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1896. She was owned by Coney Island Company and used to

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

passengers between Cincinnati and Coney Island amusement park. She was christened May 16, 1896 by the daughter of Lee H Brooks, Coney Island Company's chairman. In off-seasons when the park was closed she operated as a tramp steamer on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, going as far downstream as

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. On April 27, 1922 her forward hurricane deck collapsed, injuring 27 children and paralyzing one. That same year on November 4, ''Island Queen'' was severely burned and decommissioned after a fire engulfed several steamboats in Cincinnati harbor.

Second ''Island Queen''

The second ''Island Queen'' was built in parts beginning in 1923. Midland Barge Company of Midland, Pennsylvania built her steel hull, designed as a matched pair with the ''Cincinnati'' for the Louisville & Cincinnati Packet Company and John W. Hubbard. After taking delivery on the hull and naming it ''Louisville'', the owner instead resold it to the Coney Island Company. Coney Island Company finished the boat in Cincinnati on April 18, 1925.Way (1994), p. 228. The new ''Island Queen'' measured 285-feet long and could carry 4,000 people. The 1000-ton sidewheeler was powered by oil-burning steam engines with six boilers. It was fully completed and christened in Cincinnati by the Coney Island Company on April 18, 1925. Like her predecessor, ''Island Queen'' was used for excursions to Coney Island amusement park and tramping between New Orleans, and as far upstream as

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. Coney Island Company hired musicians to entertain the passengers. Sidney Desvigne, a coronet player from

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, recruited musicians from his hometown to perform on excursions for the Cincinnati market. In 1929, his band included Henry Julian, Ransom Knowling,

Walter "Fats" Pinchon Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...

, Percy Servier, and Gene Ware. While in Pittsburgh, on September 9, 1947, her chief engineer struck her fuel tank with a welding torch, causing a fire and a series of explosions that eventually reduced ''Island Queen'' to her steel structure, and killed 19 crew. No passengers were aboard at the time of the fire, but about 40 members of the crew were aboard. Force from the explosions could be felt throughout downtown Pittsburgh, shattering windows in nearby buildings. There were even reports of people being knocked down on streets close to the dock.

References

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External links

Island Queen steamboat
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
Island Queen (steamboat)
Indiana Memory Digital Collections. Paddle steamers of the United States Passenger ships of the United States Steamboats of the Ohio River Steamboats of the Mississippi River