Title: Maiden Voyage 2

RivermenandRiverboats > Mazie Krebs Introduction > Mazie Krebs

Go to subcategory： Introduction To This Site—— IntroductionInformation On Other Riverboats—— Information On Other Riverboats 2Streckfus Steamers—— Streckfus Steamers IntroMazie Krebs Introduction—— Mazie KrebsThe Streckfus Brothers Introduction—— The Streckfus BrothersEarly Steamboat Days—— Early Steamboat DaysDay Of Wreckoning—— Day Of WreckoningWood To Fuel Oil—— Wood To Fuel OilMary Greene—— Mary GreeneBelle of Louisville—— Belle of LouisvilleCaptain Donald J. Sanders—— Captain Donald J. SandersJohn Hartford Tribute—— John Hartford TributeCheyenneCheyenne—— CheyenneCheyenneTommy Towboater—— Tommy TowboaterInfo On Cornelius McGee—— Info On Cornelius McGeeTidbits Of Information I & II—— Tidbits Of Information I & IICalliopes—— CalliopesFultons Folly—— Fultons FollyIf Twain Came Back—— If Twain Came BackTwains Degree—— Twains DegreeQuotes—— QuotesTwain As A Pilot—— Twain As A PilotSteamboat Pilots—— Steamboat PilotsPoints Of Interest—— Points Of InterestThe Super Flood 1937 ~Paducah~—— The Super Flood 1937 ~Paducah~The Ohio River In 1937—— The Ohio River In 1937Olde Saying—— Olde SayingMisselhornSketches—— MisselhornSketchesWrights On The Ohio River—— Wrights On The Ohio RiverFlatboats—— FlatboatsBio. Sketch-Jacob Von Scyster—— Bio. Sketch-Jacob Von ScysterShanty Boats—— Shanty BoatsGenealogy Tidbits—— Genealogy TidbitsGenealogy Of Conrad McGee—— Genealogy Of Conrad McGee††Obituaries††—— ObituariesInteresting Books—— Interesting BooksGeneral—— General DiscussionCategory

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Fiddlinsue

Rank：none Score：220 Posts：220 From：USA Register：11/11/2008 8:17 AM

Date Posted：12/08/2008 8:04 AMCopy HTML She had not been tough enough with the President commission. The engineers and builders were sick- eningly condescending, despite her experience in Chicago and Los Angeles. Because her grandparents spoke German, and she had studied French in highschool, Mazie read the European design magazines. But she had been too busy with the President to attend the 1933 Exposition Universelle in Paris. How she longed to see the rounded facade of Henri de Velde's Belgium Pavilion with her own eyes. Mazie pronounced the names of two St. Louis boulevards "Choteau" and "Gravois" like a Parisian. No she told the slightly disappointed Captain, she would wait for the Admiral's maiden voyage in two weeks. She was having a special dress made and such things werenot to be rushed. Although, forty-two, Mazie was usually thought to be in her late twenties. But these past months finishing the Admiral had taken a toll. She had worked at night, never rising be- fore eleven. She visited the dry-dock in the late afternoon after the workmen had left. That way, she could inspect without interference the finishing touches on the quilted doors of the great Blue Ballroom, the curved chromium fittings of the Art Deco glamour room, and the round mirrors in the three powder rooms she had named after movie stars Sonja Henie, Greta Garbo, and Deanna Durbin. All her designs and instructions for change were written or drawn, with detailed notes for the workmen. She signed her work M. Krebs and used the rubber stamp of president Joseph Streckfus's signature under it. The S. S. Admiral was her piece de resistance, worth every ounce of effort. Now, with just two weeks to prepare, she would get a facial, and redo her limp hair. As she finished her third glass of champagne, the tightness in her shoulders eased and she hiccupped. She deposited a peach on the linen napkin across her lap. She cut the peach into precise wedges, admiring the color she sometimes specified for interiors, and then chewed thoughtfully. As the breeze picked up and dark nimbus clouds blew in from the west, she smelled the coming rain. Mazie looked at the aviator's watch that curved around the top of her wrist. By now Captain Streckfus should have reached the mouth of the Merimec River where he would bring the Admiral around for her slow, return upstream to the dock beside Eads Bridge. As she was packing her picnic basket into the trunk of her white convertible, she heard the Admiral's whistle blast. Either the Captain had shortened his run, or he was run- ning at full steam to impress the inspectors. She walked to the edge of the bluff and looked down. Like a massive toy, the Admiral chuffed by under her, and she could hear the hiss of the steam drivers like the blowing of a great whale. Then she caught a movement beside the angled jack staff on the lookout bridge. It was Ray Maxwell waving to her, dapper as usual, in a tan, double-breasted suit. Beside him stood Captain Streckfus and a young woman in a white dress, Marie Kantjanis, who had been selected as Queen of the inaugural voyage. Ray waved his hat in a slow signal. Just then the stream whistle blew when it had no cause to. The girl jumped and threw her arms around Ray's neck. It was one of his cheap tricks, and Mazie felt her cheeks go hot. She found herself side-arming the champagne bottle and watched it arc and shatter on the afterdeck. The scared girl ran into the pilothouse. Mazie strode to her car and closed the top, got in, and pushed back her hair. She jammed the key into the ignition, stepped on the starter, and felt the V8 gurgle to life. As she hit the gas, the convertible spun gravel and picked up speed. No part of this story is to leave this site under any circumstance. It is used with permission from the writer, Al Gowan. Thanks Al.  ©Maiden Voyage. Backgrounds and images created by me (©Fiddlinsue). Background html code was provided by Liz from Beyond the Horizon. Thanks Liz. Image is from ©image-cafe.net.