TOPIC: I was thinking about Charlie H

I went fishing the other morning in a cove just north of Kittanning in pool 7 and seen the a few things from the past. We lost almost all the river dredging on the Allegheny River. They been doing it for since the red man was in charge when the whiteman came and tried his hand at ethnic cleansing at the battle of Kittanning. Yes you can look it up it was a big battle long ago. That's another story. I've been watching Charlie H going up and down the river since me and Dad went fishing. I remember her all bright and new when I was very young. She was pushing barges up and down the Allegheny. Mostly from the dredge to the processing plant. I think of all the jobs that are no longer here. It's just another industry that has just gone away. The river will be better maybe but we still need jobs. But this post is not about politics and economics. I don't think Charlie H has sat in one place so long. If he did have a soul I'd think he would be wondering where all his people went. They just pushed him and his barges into the cove and tied them off. The cove in itself is a product of the sand and gravel industry. It would make a fine marina. It is 34 feet deep where I was sitting taking these pics. I just wonder where Charlie will end up.There is almost no commercial traffic here anymore so if Charlie finds work it will most likely be somewhere else.
I remember being out on a very foggy morning in Roston when I could here Charlie H coming down the channel no doubt pushing at least one barge south. The problem was I was very close to where she was going to be and could not see the banks. AS my 13 foot MFG does not come equipped with electronic such as GPS, radar and radios I headed toward the bank in a hurry. She passed with about 150 feet to spare. Lesson learned, stay the hell out of Charlie H's way. Not many boats could have traveled the course in that fog without electronics.

So those tugs are just parked?

Heres a link to an article about a nifty old dredge, this boat is destined to be cut up for scrap. Its huge and just sitting in the channel in Fountain City. Its a pretty cool looking boat. I have family that lives in there..

Link to article

robert,i used to work as an armed guard during night shift at glacial sand and gravel,not far from you,i had a huge german shepard that i owned and always went with me,man you could get lost out there,lol,john

Snyders still own half of everything here. Looks funny with the whole river complex shut down. I did a bunch of exterminating for them. They had a big camp below lock 8 they had parties at and their main office. I made some money off them.

Another thing I forgot to mention. If I had not shut down my motor I would not have heard the sound of the diesels. I was on the edge of the channel poking around for a catfish hole I knew of. I was switching to the trolling motor. As soon as I heard them engines I knew what it was. Visibility was perhaps 20 feet.

If you enjoy looking at rusting haulks... then check out this.. Staten Island Boat graveyard!

www.opacity.us/site55_staten_island_boat_graveyard.htm

I live just a few miles south of Fountain City and grew up on the river watching the William A Thompson dredge work it's way up and down the channel. It was retired a few years ago and they are looking for a permanent home for it. A marine art museum in Winona, Minnesota (about 5 miles down river) was going to buy it but couldn't afford the asking price. The dredge became outdated when the D.N.R. changed the regulations about where they could dump the material that they dredged up. They used to dump it on the islands along the river which created a 9 foot channel for the barges and nice sand bars for recreational boaters. The D.N.R. decided that it might destroy a nesting site for birds or other animals by doing that. It had been done that way for over 70 years with no noticeable problems. Thanks D.N.R. for over protecting us again. Now the way they have to dredge is using a long back hoe on a barge and putting the sand in another barge and hauling it to shore and offloading it in a run-off controlled area and hauled away in dump trucks. It is like using a tea spoon in the ocean. Talk about government efficiency!!!
Bill