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River to Rail and Lemen Collection
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"Sprague"
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"Sprague"
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Description
Title
"
Sprague
"
Subject
Towboats
;
Tugboats
; "
Sprague
"; "
Big
Momma
";
Steamboats
;
Piers
&
wharves
;
Riverboats
Description
Built
in
1902
in
Dubuque
,
Iowa
, she was the
largest
towboat
ever
built
. Her
early
beginnings
,
however
, were
rocky
. On her
maiden
voyage
she
collided
with a
showboat
and
only
a
year
later
had to have her
engines
replaced
.
It
was
difficult
for
pilots
to
see
over
the
stern
and she had to be
reconfigured
. Her
early
years
were
so
tempestuous
,
Captain
James
G
.
Beazell
left
her in
disgust
. He
later
returned
and
mastered
her
until
1913
. She
did
finally
live
up
to
expectations
and
towed
record
breaking
loads
on the
Ohio
River
. She
earned
the
nickname
"
Big
Mamma
" but she
hadn't
overcome
her
jinx
,
having
at
least
two
more
major
accidents
,
one
in
1913
and
another
in
1916
. In
1927
she was the
victim
of an
explosion
that
killed
four
people
and
caused
the
loss
of
four
barges
. She
continued
to
tow
monumental
loads
until
1948
. She was then
docked
at
Vicksburg
as a
tourist
attraction
. In
May
of
1974
the "
Sprague
"
caught
fire
. There was
talk
of
sabotage
but
nothing
was
proven
; in
1981
her
remains
were
dynamited
putting
a
final
period
to the
story
of the "
Sprague
".
Creator
Unknown
Contributors
Jefferson County Historical Society; Madison-Jefferson County Public Library
Date
Photograph taken circa 1920
Type
Photograph
Format
Original: tif, scanned at 1200dpi with a MicroTek ScanMaker 9800XL. Online: jpg, saved at 72dpi.
Identifier
"MJCPLriver5060-sprague"
Source
MJCPL Historical Files
The Madison Courier
Way's Steam Towboat Directory
Rights
Permission to reproduce this image for other than personal use must be requested from the Director of the Madison-Jefferson County Public Library. Please contact at 420 W. Main St., Madison, IN 47250 (812) 265-2744.
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