Dredge Potter on the Mississippi

Dredge Potter

November 11, 1997

Our RV’ing neighbors, Fred and Lovis Brodbeck - here at the “Trail of Tears” state park near Cape Girardeau, MO - knocked on the door and asked if we were interested in visiting the Army Corps of Engineer dredge operating on the Mississippi River.  I had been wondering if the Corps gave tours, but was too bashful to ask.  We have been fascinated with this novelty in our lives - heard it grinding away at the river bottom and have watched it moving slowly up and down the river for several days.  Fred had once worked as an intern on one of these dredges during the summer to make money for school and was less inhibited than I am.  After working as an engineer for McDonald-Douglas, Fred and his wife Lovis are now retired and experiencing the RV lifestyle.  “What is the procedure for getting onboard?” I asked him. 

Fred, Lovis, and Pat

“Simply enter the booth located by the boat dock, pick up the phone and ask them to send a launch,” he explained.

“Wow!,” I said.  “How exciting!  How soon can we go?  Let’s do it!”

The previous day, the four of us had explored the hills, valleys, and streams of the riverside area north of Cape Girardeau in our Honda.  We had an enjoyable afternoon, viewed this same Army dredge from a high bluff overlooking the river, then traveled through the hilly countryside to view Tower Rock and one of the longest gas pipe bridges in the world at Wittenberg, MO.  After spending some time together, the Brodenbecks were sufficiently familiar with our interests to think that we might enjoy visiting the dredge and were kind enough to offer. 

A small diesel-powered launch came to the dock.  Joe Brown, the launch operator,  instructed us to don life jackets; we climbed aboard and were quickly out in the 5 mph current of the Mississippi.  Without exception, the crew on the dredge was very friendly, informative, and good-natured.  I kept waiting to meet some old curmudgeon who had been a governmental employee so long that he was grouchy, but it did not happen.  Someone explained that living aboard a dredge is mostly monotonous work - visitors provide a break in their routine and are welcome. 

The dredge struck me as a beautiful old boat, but I did not realize that it was fundamentally a living museum until we stepped aboard.  It turns out that the dredge - Dredge Potter - had been built in 1932 for $520,000.  When Pat (the chief navigator in our RV) and I first saw it coming upriver from the window of Serendipity (our motorhome), it had the appearance and general shape of one of the old, steam, stern-wheelers without the wheel.  Large exhaust pipes which vented above the roof helped it fit the mental image of a steam-powered craft.  Come to find out, it is powered by oil which heats water to form steam.  Only distilled water can be used to produce the steam to avoid a mineral buildup in the engine, so it distills its own water.  The Norberg High-Efficiency Engines, built in Milwaukee, WI prior to 1932, were quiet when we entered the engine room.  Larry Griffin, the chief engineer, explained that Dredge Potter was the only remaining steamer dredge owned by the government.  Larry went out of his way to give us a demonstration of how the propeller shaft could be shifted into forward or reverse as needed by the captain.  The drive had no gears, only a direct shaft.  He phoned up to the bridge and asked for a signal to increase RPM’s to demonstrate how the system operates.  Some sort of chain mechanism, which linked the bridge to the engine room, moved a large arrow on a metal dial to “low rpm.”  Simultaneously we heard a noisy clang to alert the engineer to increase power to the two 900 hp steam engines that produce about 1200 hp when operating.  At low, medium and high power the RPMs reach about 50, 100, and 150 RPMs respectively - plenty of power to move the dredge quickly out of the way of any runaway barges coming down-river.  Two push boats are tied up - one on each side of the dredge to help maneuver this very large dredge through the tricky currents of the Mississippi.  

Then came the sad news, Dredge Potter is due to have its old, steam engines replaced with new diesel engines sometime in the near future at a cost of 58 million dollars.  When we chatted with Captain Geroid Lix, he explained that the diesel engines will increase the horsepower from 1200 to 2400, will use 1/3 as much fuel, and manpower needs will drop from 58 to 48 persons as compared to the steam engines.  The crew meets this news with mixed emotions - they know that diesel engines are more reliable and economical to run, but they are very fond of the old oil-burning engines that they know so well and which have served so reliably.

When I asked Len Politte, our tour guide, if Politte is a French name, he replied, “French and Indian.”  He took us to the front of the dredge and explained how it works.  “It is like a big vacuum cleaner.”  A large hose extends down to the river floor, sucks up sand and gravel, and forces it through a long pipe over to a shallow edge of the river.  This pipe rides on a series of pontoons to the end, where in a small building, the baffle plate operator can direct the high pressure in the pipe to move the entire pipeline forward or backward as needed to deposit the sand and gravel where needed.  While working, the dredge is pulled forward by large winches attached to large steel cables which are anchored to the river bottom.  Water jets stir the sand to loosen it for the dredge.  Then Dredge Potter is pulled forward at a rate of about 3000 feet in 12 hours while cutting through up to 20 feet of sand and gravel.  In heavily graveled bottoms, the sound of the rocks passing through the metal pipe can be heard for miles.  The goal is to ensure that the river is deep enough for river traffic.  Fully loaded barges have a nine-foot draft.  Therefore, the dredge must maintain a depth of at least a 12 ½ feet.  When gates on the Missouri River dams are closed, the river depth on the Mississippi may drop as much as two feet.  Consequently, the river must be sufficiently deep so when the river drops, it will still maintain the 12 ½ feet required by river traffic.

We asked Mr. Politte if he minded giving tours.  “Better than working down in the hole” he replied.

Upon the bridge, we meet the Dredge Operator, Tom Winston.  Through a large glass window, he can view the large suction head as he raises it for cleaning.  He watches his pressure gauges carefully and when an orifice became clogged with a log, the pressure decreases. He then raised the head so that it could be cleaned by a deckhand using a long pole with a hook on the end.  To help anchor the dredge in position when cleaning the head, a long, large, metal shaft is extended down into the river floor.  As we watched, Tom explained that he was now dredging 26 feet below the surface of the water.  He depends on a long, metal bar that is dropped to the floor of the river to determine the river depth.  It is supplemented by two electronic depth finders that he reckons are “pure junk.”  These are used to replace the rope and weight method of Mark Twain’s fame.  A GPS satellite system is used to determine the exact location on the river so that they dredge according to plan.  This section of the river required 14 cuts 5500 feet in length and they were currently on cut seven.  A train was approaching on the bank of the river.  I asked Tom if he could identify the various trains that pass by.  “That one is probably the Burlington-Northern,” he replied.  “My father worked for the railroad, so I know most of them.  See that green marker on the west river bank?  It is called the Tea Table marker by the riverboat pilots.  Way up north a rocky outcrop can be seen; the name of the marker there is Hanging Dog Quarry.  A local girl was killed when she fell in the quarry, so it is now closed to visitors.”

Entering Captain Lix’s office, I was again amazed about the royal treatment we were receiving from the crew.  We were just four, unimportant individuals who showed up on the bank of the river, and we were receiving a first class tour.  The Captain’s eyes lit up and he was impressed when our RVing friend, Fred explained that as a young man he had worked on the old Kennedy and St. Genevieve stern-wheeler dredges.  Captain Lix started working on a dredge when he was 17 years old.  The age limit at the time was 18, but workers were needed so badly that he was hired anyway.  He currently lives in Fruitland, MO where he nursed a small fruit orchard for many years.  He cut it down with a chainsaw when the pruning and spraying became more trouble than it was worth.  

A sign on his wall reads: “Transient personnel are required to pay for meals and quarters furnished by Dredge Potter, breakfast $2.00, lunch $2.75, dinner $2.75, and lodging $3.50.”  During a tour of the kitchen and galley, Darryl Heck, the Cook Steward, was busy slicing a large ham.  A large bowl of peanuts rested on the counter.  In jest, Darryl agreed that the contents constituted his salary - peanuts.   

“Anytime you wish to visit Dredge Potter, you will be welcome,” said Captain Lix, “but not everyone is welcome to use the lodging.  I must obtain permission from higher authorities before someone can use the lodging facilities.”  

“If I provided identification that I am a senator, would I be welcome?” I asked.

“I could obtain permission very quickly,” he replied with a smile.  Then he returned to the subject of the dredge.  “We start dredging in about June or whenever money is appropriated.  Dredging is stopped when the river freezes over.  Dredging is seasonal work so many of the workers go on unemployment or get another job during the off-season.  When loaded to the draft line, a barge holds 1400 tons.  There is currently a strong effort to export the corn and soybean crops to foreign markets so the barge traffic on the river is intense.  It is the job of this dredge to make sure that there is no delay in moving the crop down-river because of any shallow spots in the river.”  Pat and I had noticed that barges traveling down-river sunk down into the water to the draft line.  When they return upriver the barges ride high out of the water indicating that they are empty.  We have seen the push boats pushing up to 16 barges at one time.

I asked the Captain, “What changes have taken place in the dredge operations since the advent of the EPA?”

He replied that “Permission must be obtained from the various states before dredging can start.  The concerns of 18 different agencies must be satisfied before dredging.  After the river is surveyed and cuts marked, a copy of the plans is sent to each of these agencies for their comments.  Sometimes the biologists have concerns about the locations of cuts or discharge, so their concerns must be satisfied before dredging can start.  After the EPA was established, there were a lot of turf wars between the various agencies, but we get along fine now.”  

“Back in 1956, there were lots of eagles on the river.  Then DDT and other chemicals started killing fish.  Eagles ate the fish and the eagle number declined dramatically.”

Although the dredge operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week when on a particular site, visitor tours begin at 10:00 A.M. and end at 6 P.M..  Some of the crew, such as the Captain, Chief Engineer, and the Dredge Operator, work 12-hour shifts.  A full crew consists of 55 folks divided into three crews or watches, A, B, and C.  Most of them work six-hour shifts.  “But we are usually short-handed,” claimed the Captain.  A current “watch schedule” showed that there were vacant positions for three deckhands, a fireman, and a food service worker.  I asked the Captain if I could have a copy of this schedule so that I could double check the spelling of crew names.  Without hesitation, he made a copy and handed it to me.  The sun was setting so we decided it was time to leave.  “Come back anytime you wish,” said Captain Lix.  Our tour had been very informative and fascinating.  We left satisfied that today we had lived a bit of continuing history - a very unique experience.

Anyone wishing to take a tour of Dredge Potter may not find it working by the Trail of Tears Park.  It could be almost anywhere on the river.  When leaving the Captain’s office, I asked for an email address where they can be reached. The Captain located Thomas Kent, the chief clerk, who handed me a printout containing the address: thomask@smtp.mvs.usace.army.mil.  Anyone wishing to communicate with Dredge Potter can reach Mr. Kent, the captain or anyone else at this address.  If that address does not work, try: cemus-co-tsd@smtp.mvs.usace.army.mil.  Anyone with an interest in old machines, river maintenance, river history, or the lives of the crew on the river will enjoy an opportunity to visit this unique living museum.  Arrive well before lunch and for $2.75 you may be able to share a fried chicken lunch with the crew. 

But, now I am having an internal quarrel.  My entrepreneurial side tends to agree with the decision to convert this old dredge to diesel to extend its life.  As compared to building a completely new dredge, this decision might save lots of taxpayer dollars.  I did not ask how years its life could be extended and it is not possible for me to make a fair economic analysis of refurbishing the old as compared to building a new one.  But given the fact that much of the technology of the grand old dredge is bordering on obsolescence, maybe there is a better use of the dredge.  The hull and other structures remain in very good condition.  Maybe it could put into dry dock in some State or National Park along the Mississippi River for use as a museum.  Of course, it would not have the romantic appeal of gambling boat, stern-wheelers, but it could serve as a reminder of the commercial importance of the Mississippi River in the history of the United States.  It could be made into a very important educational memorial to the role played by the Army Corps of Engineers in the development of the river.  It might even make a useful and interesting addition to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.

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