CINCINNATI (AP) - Steamboat aficionados took memories and myths of a slower-paced, more gracious era to the Ohio River on Tuesday for a final visit by the Delta Queen riverboat.
The city, once America's busiest inland port, used to be the home port for the 82-year-old sternwheeler, which is shutting down because Congress has refused to grant another exemption from a federal safety law that bans overnight passengers on boats with a wooden superstructure.
The exemption expires Oct. 31, but congressmen from the Cincinnati area say they will renew the fight for another exemption next year.
''I've been in love with this boat since I was 5 years old,'' said Sherrin Kraus, 66, of Hanover, Ind., midway between Cincinnati and Louisville, Ky. She can see the Delta Queen and other river traffic from her home.
''All my life I have watched her go by. I have a picture somewhere in my luggage of her that I took with my little Brownie camera when I was 6 years old,'' she said.
Kraus and her husband, Ken, boarded the Delta Queen in Nashville last Tuesday for a weeklong excursion. They wanted to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary a few months early because they had spent such happy times aboard.
''We went for our 25th anniversary, our 35th anniversary, and next spring would be our 45th anniversary,'' Kraus said. ''This was our 45th anniversary trip because we don't know what the future's going to bring, but we're worried. If she doesn't survive this last onslaught, it's the end of an era.''
Stephanie Siegrist, 31, of Villa Hills, Ky., went to see the Delta Queen, which was tied up at the city's Public Landing, because the boat held pleasant memories of her grandparents, who lived near the river in Rising Sun, Ind.
''You could see it from their house,'' Siegrist said, brushing away tears. ''My grandpa had all kinds of pictures over the years; he would take another one whenever it went by.''
Massachusetts native Tom Adams, the Delta Queen's first mate, worked on ocean-going ships before joining the riverboat's crew last year and has been amazed at the loyalty he has seen.
''Everybody here is sad to see it end; this boat is a living legend,'' he said. ''It's definitely a different type of vessel, different type of crew and different type of group that rides these boats. It's really nice to see the dedication these passengers have.''
Don Wurtz, 88, of Cincinnati, recalled the time he and his late wife took the Delta Queen from St. Louis to Cincinnati about 20 years ago, how they hung out in a lounge in the back of boat to listen to the band.
Was it the best of times?
''You can say that again,'' Wurtz said.
He thinks the city of Cincinnati should buy the boat and run it as a bed and breakfast.
The Delta Queen will spend the winter in New Orleans, as usual, while its owners look for a buyer. Until then, farewell events are planned all along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, which the Delta Queen has traveled for 82 years.
The boat was locally owned from 1946 to 1985, and Cincinnati was its home port. The Delta Queen was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.
Republican Rep. Steve Chabot, whose congressional district includes part of Cincinnati, said he still hopes to extend the Delta Queen's career.
''I look forward to seeing the Delta Queen return to Cincinnati next spring,'' Chabot said in a statement. ''The fight to save the Delta Queen is far from over.''
House Minority Leader John Boehner, whose district includes suburbs north of Cincinnati, said the 1966 Safety at Sea Act was intended for ocean-going vessels and never should have been applied to the sternwheeler.
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On the Net:
Delta Queen's owner: www.majesticamericaline.com
Save the Delta Queen campaign: www.save-the-delta-queen.org
AP-CS-10-21-08 1528EDT
