Appreciating the Revitalization of the Clyde River, Anticipating Unforeseen, Eagerly Awaited Advancements
The historic paddlewheeler CLYDE, an authentic 50-foot replica of the first iron-hulled steamboat built on the Upper Mississippi River, has made a journey of 1,300 river miles from Alma, Wisconsin, to Aurora Bend. The steamboat, now under the care of Captain Jake Orcutt, was recently moored in a slip too short for the boat at a marina located on another tributary of the Ohio.
Captain Jake, a Cincinnati harbor towboat pilot, rescued and restored the CLYDE. The boat was later owned by Ed Newcomb, a descendant of the original steamboatmen and a self-proclaimed "boatyard carpenter." Before Ed, the CLYDE was bought by the author of the book "The River," Captain Don Sanders, after being spotted on social media.
Captain Don Sanders, a river man and a columnist for the NKyTribune, made numerous improvements to the CLYDE, including the renovation of the exterior of the pilothouse. The reconfigured CLYDE guided great rafts of first-growth Wisconsin White Pine logs from the Mouth of the Chippewa River south to sawmills as far downstream as St. Louis.
As Captain Jake prepared to leave the marina, long shadows darkened the inland cove announcing departure time for the CLYDE. He untied the CLYDE and paddled up the Ohio River to show his renovated pilothouse to friends. Along the way home, the sternwheeler passed the ship-like overnight passenger vessel AMERICAN MELODY. The MELODY pilot, who once steered the CLYDE on the Upper Mississippi River for builder Ed Newcomb, communicated with Jake over the marine radio.
The original CLYDE was built in 1870 at the Iowa Iron Works, Dubuque, Iowa. Unfortunately, information about Captain Don Sanders and his boat CLYDE is not widely documented or notable in major available online historical, biographical, or news repositories. For more specific details about Captain Don Sanders and the boat CLYDE, I recommend checking specialized maritime records, local historical societies, or archives related to the specific region or maritime community where Captain Don Sanders operated. Navy Department Library biographical files, local captains registries, or maritime museum records might hold relevant information not widely published online.
Captain Don Sanders' book "The River" is now available for purchase for $29.95 plus handling and applicable taxes. The 264-page book, published by the author's website, contains hundreds of pictures from Capt. Don's collection. Jake used sheets of wooden beadboard and ultra-white paint specifically designed for maritime construction use to restore the pilothouse. Captain Jake "shut 'er down" and secured the CLYDE in Slip #16 on Bravo Dock around 9:45 p.m. The CLYDE was the biggest boat in the marina.
Ed Newcomb constructed a reduced version of his ancestor's raftboat. The CLYDE's journey on the Ohio River marks a new chapter in the boat's history, and it continues to be a testament to the ingenuity and resilience of the steamboat era.
The CLYDE, a steamboat, was renovated by Captain Jake, a resident of Cincinnati, who also rescued and restored it. Ed Newcomb, a descendant of the original steamboatmen and a self-proclaimed "boatyard carpenter," once owned the CLYDE.
The city of Covington, Kentucky, might hold records or information about Captain Don Sanders, the previous owner of the boat CLYDE, as he was a columnist for the NKyTribune and operated primarily in the Northern Kentucky area.
Upon returning home, Captain Jake showcased his restored pilothouse to friends, using sheets of wooden beadboard and ultra-white paint specifically designed for maritime construction for the restoration.
The CLYDE, now moored in Slip #16 on Bravo Dock, continues to be a symbol of the ingenuity and resilience of the steamboat era, with the recent addition of a reduced version of Ed Newcomb's ancestor's raftboat.
