Snagboats?

[KC6OLD]

Fellow paddlers:
Could one of you knowledgeable folks out there please explain to me about
snagboats?
I think I know what they did, I MIGHT know how they did it. The only picture
I've seen show markings that say "US Snagboat" does this mean it was a Gov't
function? How was it funded?
Gunner Dave (in the land where any 6 rain drops going the same direction is
called a river)

[Joe E Brown]

Here's a link about the man who started it all.
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/transport/shreve.html

[HBelflower]

Gunner,

I am not a very knowledgeable fellow but it is my understanding that
snagboats were developed to remove trees and other debris from the river
channels that were "snagging" the paddlewheelers. These obstacles to
navigation were usually found in shallow channels and after high water or
flood conditions. They were simply workboats (paddlewheelers) of shallow
draft with a derrick affixed to the bow. The object was to manuever close to
the obstacle and "snag" it with a rope, cable, or whatever and drag it clear
of the channel. The derrick would be used to lift the log or stump, etc.
sufficiently that it could eb moved.

I ahve a book "Perilous Journeys: A History of Steamboating on the
Chattahoochee, Apalachacola, and Flint Rivers, 1828-1928", by Edward A.
Mueller, copyright 1990, second printing 2000. The book is published by the
Historic Chattahoochee Commission. If interested, I can provide an address
where you can ontain the book. As I recall, it was about $30.00. It is a
wonderful source of SE riverboats and full of photos and a few drawings in
addition to an interesting history of steamboating in that area.

Harry

[KC6OLD]

OK You "River Rat" Types!
Are there MODERN Snag boats? I've run google searches for both images and
text and found nothing. Are there NO more snags? Are they irrelevant with
steel hulls?
Tell me!

[Joe E Brown]

Dave,
If you do the Google search again. Check out the ROS site. It's one
of the last of the big snag boats. Today, most snag boats are merely
a towboat pushing bascially a derrick barge. I don't remember which
site shows one, but the site is on page 2 of Google search for
snagboat.

[HBelflower]

Hi Joe,

Nice pics. I cannot do as well. My reference has several dredges which look
pretty much the same but I hesitate to call them snag boats. There was a
History Channel TV recently on Mississippi River steamboats. There was some
coverage of snag boats in it and some facts about how it took nearly two
years to clear the Mississippi after a major flood. It was remarked that two
years was pretty quick considering the length of the river and the number of
boats and crews working at that time. That was a long, long time back and I
don't know the date.

Harry

[Joe E Brown]

Yor're right about the dredges. At first glance they look simular,
but they do a completely different job. While the snag boats clear
the river of obstacles the dredges dig out the channels to keep barge
traffic from running aground.