Zebulon Pike Table Rock Lake

[nagel]

Nem, you would know better than me. In this picture, is the Stern or the Bow closest to shore on the General?

Snagel

 

[Avonthediver]

In 1815 a steamboat called the Enterprise made the first successful trip upriver from New Orleans to Louisville; and on August 2, 1817, the Zebulon M. Pike arrived in St. Louis and became the first steamboat to make it up the Mississippi beyond the mouth of the Ohio.
Yes, siree, the Missouri River was right up to date. It was only two years before that the first steamboat had arrived at the St. Louis waterfront. She was the Zebulon M. Pike. She was such a freaky-lookin' craft that her master, who had an eye for business, made himself a tidy penny by chargin' curious folks a dollar to come aboard and look around.

From Old Man River: The Memories of Captain Louis Rosche, Pioneer Steamboatman, Robert A. Hereford (Caldwell, Idaho, Caxton Printers, 1942), pp. 97-100.

Found on the steamboat history site. Not really looking like the critter underwater does it? I find it funny I can find all kinds of info on how the S.S. Zebulon M. Pike came to be and what it was most famous for, but not what happened to her.

 

[Nemrod]

View attachment 138698

Nem, you would know better than me. In this picture, is the Stern or the Bow closest to shore on the General?

Snagel

I am not sure I know anything but the smoke stack (fake) is generally closer to the bow as is that pilot house looking thing. So, in that photo, the bow, of what I am seeing underwater, matching to that picture is the part on the most left side of the photo, lol If it is indeed a barge flat there is no bow or stern.

Here is a painting of a real paddle wheeler, if they were copying one of these, then the stack position should be to the bow. Like I said earlier, I suspect what we are looking at is modern redneck engineering.

n

 

[dwellerbottom]

The bow is closest to shore. In the picture the top railing in the far left corner is where the rope you follow from the stump is tied on to the barge.

---------- Post Merged at 08:50 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 08:00 AM ----------

If you watch the video at 10:20 into the video we have swam around the whole barge & are heading back to that corner to follow the rope back to the stump. You can see the two bars that are sticking up to make an upside down V shape above the top railing of the boat at 10:20 into the video.
In the picture the rope is on the corner to the left of these two bars & in the video the rope is to our right of the two bars.
I hope I am making sense.

---------- Post Merged at 08:57 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 08:00 AM ----------

On another note, I think the smokestack is gone as I was swimming right around where it should be on the top deck & I have never seen the smokestack. It should have been fairly close to the staircase going down into to the barge I belive & I was at the staircase, what say you Nem?

 

[Nemrod]

Hey, where is the video posted?

You could be right, just not what I recall. I do have a backwards brain. I often anchor and go down my rode straight to the deck. But, in my mind, the "smoke stack" is away from shore. Here is another thing. I distinctly recall there being two smoke stacks and some time back, I posted on scubatoys forum that one of the stacks had fallen. This last trip I never went to that place on the top deck so cannot say if there is still a stack or refresh my memory as to the number. One was fallen over, one was still standing, that is the picture imprinted in my feeble brain. As well, not having seen the video, I still believe it is stern to the shore and the stack(s) on the top deck area and past the stairwell opening from whichever end is nearest shore.

But, where is that video again cuz I want to see it. I am not a facebooker so if that is where it is no joy.

Oh well, the mystery of low viz induced myopic memory deepens.

James

 

[dwellerbottom]

Here is the video.

Zebulon Pike - YouTube

---------- Post Merged at 02:02 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 01:54 PM ----------

When we follow the stump from right over by the shore the corner we arrive at first is circled in this picture & the two poles that makeup the upside down V shape are also circled. at just after the 10:00 minute mark I am looking down the stairs & at 10:20 into the video as I look up you can see the 2 bars that makeup the upside down V shape. the rope back to the stump is on the right corner in the video. Maybe there are two sets of stairs that go down into the boat? I have not yet swam over the entire deck towards the back end from where we start our dive?

---------- Post Merged at 02:57 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 01:54 PM ----------

In the 2nd picture I was looking down the staircase & as I looked up you can see the upside down V shaped bars I am talking about. The rope back to the stump is tied to the corner of the barge on the side right of these two bars.

 

[Nemrod]

Yeah, hmmm, not sure, interesting video but I cannot orient myself with it much. In my mind, the incline of the stairs, coming up from inside the "bar" room below, if you were walking up them, you would be heading to the stern. The stack(s) are (were) forward of that opening. You would have to walk up the stairs and turn and then walk forward to the stacks.

But, it does look like you had a great dive and decent viz, good show!

N

 

[nagel]

All this is very interesting. I guess the path I was going down earlier is that if BD is correct with where the rope is that possibly the General was docked near the shore close where she currently sits. If that is true, it is reasonable to believe she was pushed away from shore or broke lose and sunk. I'm thinking that the cove on Indian Point (where the General currently is underwater) is where you went to get on the Zeb.

Snagel

 

[nagel]

Looks like she made it out of the water is now on dry ground.

 

[Nemrod]

Yes, yes, just like the marina manager told me, she is being pulled for restoration! Oh well, she will be pretty when done though I was thinking prettier parked in about 60 feet off Duck Island or Main Street of Oasis.

N