Filled with memories of a slower-paced, more gracious era, steamboat aficionados flocked to the Ohio River in the US for what could be the Delta Queen riverboat's final visit to its former home port. The 82-year-old sternwheeler is scheduled to shut down because Congress has refused to grant another exemption from a federal law that bans overnight passengers on boats that are largely made of wood. The exemption expires Oct. 31, and congressmen from the Cincinnati area say they will renew the fight for another one next year. But as the Delta Queen pulled away from a landing here, tears flowed and cameras snapped among onlookers, passengers and crew members. Stephanie Siegrist, 31, of Villa Hills, Kentucky, said she went to see the boat because it held pleasant memories of her grandparents, who lived near the river in Rising Sun, Indiana. “You could see it from their house,” Siegrist said, brushing away tears. “My grandpa had all kinds of pictures over the years; he would take another one whenever it went by.” Massachusetts native Tom Adams, the Delta Queen's first mate, worked on oceangoing ships before joining the riverboat's crew last year. “Everybody here is sad to see it end; this boat is a living legend,” Adams said. “It's definitely a different type of vessel, different type of crew and different type of group that rides these boats. It's really nice to see the dedication these passengers have.” One such passenger is Sherrin Kraus, who along with her husband, Ken, boarded the Delta Queen in Nashville, Tennessee, a week ago for a 7-day excursion. “We went for our 25th anniversary, our 35th anniversary and next spring would be our 45th anniversary,” she said. “This was our 45th anniversary trip because we don't know what the future's going to bring, but we're worried. If she doesn't survive this last onslaught, it's the end of an era.” Kraus can see the 285-foot (87-meter) steamboat and other river traffic from her home in Hanover, Indiana, midway between Cincinnati and Louisville, Kentucky. “I've been in love with this boat since I was 5 years old,” Sherrin Kraus said Tuesday as she wished the Delta Queen bon voyage. Built in 1926, the boat is the last operational overnight steam-powered sternwheeler in the United States. It has four teak decks and accommodates 174 passengers, all in outside staterooms. Delta Queen was locally owned from 1946 to 1985, and Cincinnati - once America's busiest inland port - was its home. The boat was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989. It will spend the winter in New Orleans, as usual, while its owners, Majestic America Line, look for a buyer. Until then, farewell events are planned along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Republican Rep. Steve Chabot, whose congressional district includes part of Cincinnati, said he hopes to extend the Delta Queen's career. “I look forward to seeing the Delta Queen return to Cincinnati next spring,” Chabot said in a statement. “The fight to save the Delta Queen is far from over.” House Minority Leader John Boehner, whose district includes suburbs north of Cincinnati, said the 1966 Safety at Sea Act was intended for oceangoing vessels and never should have been applied to the sternwheeler.
