Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Name this boat from this description?

A former co-worker of my wife -- a guy who retired a year or so ago -- send this request along. I've cleaned up spelling and typing errors.

... (S)ome time ago in the mid '70s my brother-in law & I were getting ready to go duck hunting on the Ohio below my house in Glenwood (West Virginia, about halfway between Point Pleasant and Huntington).We had the boat in the water. Was so foggy & cold, having trouble getting the motor to start. While we were waiting, the fog had cleared a little. There came a boat out of the fog near the Ohio side of the river going north. No barges, but this is the strange part. Was sort of brown in color. No windows we could see. Had a big arch that reached from back to front that sorta was like a lighting design. Ran so quiet if we hadn't looked up we probably wouldn't have saw it. Never ever saw it again. I heard it could have been a gambling boat from the Mississippi. Hope you can help me with this mystery boat from years gone by. I'm sure if anyone would know it would be you. Thanks in advance.

I was trying to think of what boat that boat could be. I spent part of the 1970s in college away from the Ohio, getting my education at Ohio University (the Harvard on the Hocking, they call it). If it was really quiet, it might have been a steamboat, but I don't know of any that would fit that description.

The closest to that description that I could think would have been the Jondrea or Jon Drea. From the way the name was painted on it, I couldn't tell if it was one word or two. I don't know whenb duck hunting season is, but it might have been in towboat painting season, and the boat could have been covered in primer. I have a photo of the Jondrea/Jon Drea in my archives, but it might take time to dig out. That could be a project for this weekend.

That's all I got. If anyone has a better idea, please let me know.