Riverboat enthusiasts try to save Delta Queen
ST. LOUIS (AP) – A group of riverboat enthusiasts is trying to get the 1920s era paddlewheeler Delta Queen back on the Mississippi River.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/1rSIVCW ) that former Delta Queen Steamboat Co. executive Cornel Martin is concerned the riverboat won’t survive another winter in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where it was serving as a floating hotel until severe weather damaged it this past winter.
The riverboat’s supporters need nearly $10 million. They also need congressional approval for an exemption to a federal law that prohibits overnight cruises on wooden vessels.
Martin was in St. Louis this week to seek support and investment in his company.
If all goes as planned, the boat with room for 176 passengers would be available for cruises of between three and 10 days starting next summer.
