Riverboat Could Be Cruising to the End of the Line
ON THE CUMBERLAND RIVER, Tenn. — Looking out over the Delta Queen’s wooden paddle wheel kicking up frothy trails of white water, Don Mauger could scarcely contain his disappointment.
When Mr. Mauger and his wife, Dixie, reserved their spots for this seven-day trip on the country’s last original paddle-wheeled, steam-driven, overnight passenger boat, they received a depressing letter with their tickets.
It said that 2008 would be the last year for the Delta Queen, an 81-year-old riverboat. The owner, Majestic American Line, said it could not get Congress to grant an exemption from the 1966 Safety at Sea Act, which prohibits wooden boats from carrying more than 50 overnight passengers. (The Delta Queen, which has a steel hull but a wooden superstructure, carries up to 174.)
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When Mr. Mauger and his wife, Dixie, reserved their spots for this seven-day trip on the country’s last original paddle-wheeled, steam-driven, overnight passenger boat, they received a depressing letter with their tickets.
It said that 2008 would be the last year for the Delta Queen, an 81-year-old riverboat. The owner, Majestic American Line, said it could not get Congress to grant an exemption from the 1966 Safety at Sea Act, which prohibits wooden boats from carrying more than 50 overnight passengers. (The Delta Queen, which has a steel hull but a wooden superstructure, carries up to 174.)