Hi PD's,

a few day's a go i found on the German ebay a booklet about the "World largest sternwheel towboat" the SPRAGUE. I'm not interested in these kind of paddle steamer as in the european side wheeler (sorry) but it is interesting to read about the history of this big boat and the way it was used. Does any of you know some thing about her or has she seen sailing?

Kind regards Hans

She is said yo have been not only the largest towboat, but to have carried the largest steamwhistle ever on the Mississippi.  
You can still hear its sound at http://www.steamboats.org/whistle-calliope/eblow.html
I wonder how far you could have heard the whistle, sounds like some kind of  infrasonic to me, the same kind of noise elephants can hear hundreds of miles...  
Unfortunately, she burnt down in 1974, see http://www.steamboats.org/traveller/lower-mississippi-river/vicksburg.html

And of course  she appears regularly on the paddleducks frontpage...