Way's Steam Towboat Directory

by Frederick Way Jr., Joseph W. Rutter (Contributor)

After the initial release in 1983 of Way’s Packet Directory, 1848–1983, the demand was enormous for a similar treatment of the steam towboats that once populated the Mississippi River System. Captain Frederick Way, Jr., aided by Joseph W. Rutter, gathered together this wealth of information concerning steamboats that shoved river barges laden with coal, petroleum products, chemicals, sand, gravel, and similar bulk commodities from the headwaters of the Ohio River to the jetties of the Mississippi.

The steam towboats that performed these services have completely disappeared from the scene, their places having been taken by hundreds of modern diesel-propeller towboats, but this thorough and remarkable reference guide helps preserve their history.

294 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1990

About the author

Fredrick Way Jr. (February 17, 1901 – October 3, 1992) was the youngest steamboat captain on the Ohio River and Mississippi River. He was the author of books on the boats that ply the inland waterways.