| |
|
Paddleboat Steamers
|
The most popular form of tourist transportation along the Mississippi river today is by replicas of yesteryear's paddle steamers--large, gaudy, raucous, and fun rather than luxurious.
Paddle steamers were a combination of paddles and steam engine technologies that heightened the power of the boats’ reversing capabilities, while most today are powered by diesel engines. Most original paddle boats were preferred for navigation through rivers and harbors as they were fazed out of use in oceans and replaced with screw-propelled vessels. The two popular types of Mississippi river steamers are sidewheelers, which use a paddle wheel on each side, and sternwheelers, which use a single paddle wheel on the rear.
Photo courtesy of a private individual.
Updated: 1/26/2012
|
|
|
