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Rank：none
- Score：220
- Posts：220
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From：USA
- Register：11/11/2008 8:17 AM
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Date Posted：01/23/2009 7:28 AMCopy HTML
 
SHE DRAWS TRADITION
RIGHT OUT OF THE RIVER
St. Louis, Sept. 3-It took a girl to substitute steel, streamlining, air-conditioning and functional furniture for the traditional "wooden gingerbread" of Mississippi River steamboats. Riding the river daily on excursions from St. Louis is a new giant, the $1,000,000 S. S. Admiral, largest inland steamer ever built in America, as modern as a streamlined airplane and as modernistic as a cocktail lounge. The massive boat longer than an average city
block, was planned from stern to bow, inside and out, by dainty Mazie Krebs. It was a man's job for a girl. The Admiral was the second boat off Miss Kreb's drawing board. The S. S. President, which went into river service in 1933, was itself more than a hop, skip and a jump from conventional design. It was the first all-
steel inland steamer. Miss Krebs wandered into steamboat designing through her work as an advertising illustrator. One day she heard Captain Joseph Streckfus remark that his line was contemplating construction of a new boat of radical design. Miss Krebs went home and designed the President. She asked permission to submit her sketches, and Captain Joe consented, merely to humor her. Her plans turned out to be just what he wanted. In 1936, when the Admiral first was conceived,
Streckfus called her in. She planned and surpervised the construction of all exterior and interior details.The job took several years, but Miss Krebs said she was happier while
working on the boat than at any other time in her career. She does her best work between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. That explains what she calls her worst habit---sleeping late.
DELUXE EXCURSION BOAT
IS BOUGHT BY STRECKFUS
St. Louis, March 28--A giant, air-conditioned, streamlined excursion boat--said to be the largest ever built for that use on American inland waterways--will be placed in service here next June by Streckfus Steamers, Incorporated. The vessel, a departure from conventional riverboat design also in that it is free of exterior decorative "gingerbread", is 374 feet long-
more than a city block-and has five decks, two of which are air-conditioned and three open.Its steel hull is divided into 74 compartments, as many as 11 of which may be flooded with
the boat still remaining afloat, according to the company announcement, made on its purchase of the vessel at an undisclosed price, from its builders, Steamers Service Company. The "steamer" had been a "mystery" boat during
the two years it was under construction here. No name has been chosen for the vessel, but Capt. Joe Streckfus says there will be an official christening ceremony in the Spring.
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This set is not in the public domain.
All backgrounds and images were
created by me (Fiddlinsue). Image
is from my own personal collection.
The above story was taken from the
Streckfus Steamers magazine-dated
1934-1935
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