Delta Queen_Safety at Sea Exemption Request2723 Shetland Court
Dubuque,lowa 52001
September 30, 2007
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Dear Dubuque City Council:
The city of Dubuque has a long and rich history which is intimately connected to the
Mississippi River. This river, its people, and the boats which have plied these waters
have played a vital part in the development of Dubuque over the years, and they will
continue to do so into the future. Unfortunately, a vital link in this river connection is
being threatened with extinction in November 2008.
The Delta Queen, America's last classic, authentic ovemight passenger sternwheel
steamboat, which has operated safely and successfully for eighty years on rivers in
America's heartland and on rivers in California, will be required to cease operation
when her current exemption from the 1966 Safety at Sea Law expires next year.
This law contains provisions, originally drafted for American vessels canying fifty or
more ovemight passengers, to be of fireproof construction throughout, a law which
was designed for ocean-going vessels, and which unknowingly caught the Delta
Queen simply because she was the sole ovemight passenger vessel remaining on
America's rivers. Recognizing the unique nature of both the boat and her operation,
Congress authorized exemptions for the Delta Queen from the provisions of that law,
in part due to the groundswell of public support for the boat bads in 1970.
This historic vessel, one-of-a-kind, and a national treasure, has been operating under
Congressional extensions since that time. The current Congress, however, seems
inclined to grant no future extensions. It should be emphasized here that the vessel
has been renovated and updated over those years to make her as safe as it is
possible to make her while maintaining her traditional design. Although she has a
double steel hull, her upper decks are crafted of oak, cedar, teak, and mahogany.
Contrary to the opinion of some uninformed observers however, the boat is not a
"firetrap", but has been updated with safeguards, equipment, special coatings, and
on-going crew training and inspection by government officials.
To outlaw the operation of this historic, living link to the great steamboats which
helped settle this part of our nation and your city, would be an irreparable loss. As a
result, concerned citizens and friends of the Delta Queen are once more asking for
help in the boat's hour of need. Attached is a resolution which we submit for your
consideration, endorsement and forwarding to the Congressional delegation from
• Page 2
September 30, 2007
Iowa. Once this vessel is gone, we will not see her likes again. And so we must act
while time yet remains to forestall this loss of a priceless piece of our river legacy.
Thank you for your consideration and support, not only on behalf of this generation of
Americans who live along the banks of this great river, but for future generations as
well. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me, or visit the website at
www.steamboats.org for additional information.
Sincerely,
David Tschiggfrie
(tschigd@mchsi.com)
Enclosure (1)
A RESOLUTION
Of the City Council of Dubuque, Iowa
Urging Congress to Provide for the Permanent Exemption
of the Steamer Delta Queen from the Provisions
of the Safety of Life at Sea Act of 1966
WHEREAS the Delta Queen is a living connection to the culture and
history of the Mississippi River and all of its tributaries; and
WHEREAS this steamboat is a national treasure listed on the National
Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark;
and
WHEREAS the vessel is an original and the last of her kind, the
culmination of the art of steamboat craftsmen, an authentic sternwheel
overnight passenger steamboat like those that helped foster the growth and
settlement of our nation; and
WHEREAS the Delta Queen has operated safely for eighty years (the last
thirty-seven of those under extensions previously granted by Congress) and
has been updated with fire detection and suppression equipment in addition
to her extensive sprinkler system in all public and passenger spaces, has had
all her wooden surfaces coated throughout with NASA-developed fire-
resistant paint, is patrolled every twenty minutes at night by fire watchmen,
has a crew trained and drilled regularly in emergency evacuation procedures,
and is regularly inspected each year by the United States Coast Guard; and
WHEREAS the Safety at Sea Act was written to apply to ocean-going
vessels whose routes are remote from land and from other vessels, while the
Delta Queen can be safely landed within minutes over the entire route she
traverses; and
WHEREAS the steamboat contributes to the economy of the river
communities where she is based and where she makes shore stops through
the goods and services purchased by her passengers and crew, by the
company which owns the vessel, and by the third party businesses which
provide the boat and her passengers with amenities and services; and