Landscape & Environment, Biography - General & Miscellaneous, Natural Terrain - Rivers, Ohio - Travel, Steamboats, 19th Century American History - General and Miscellaneous, Eastern United States - Travel Essays & Descriptions, 18th Century American Histo
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Overview
When young James Coomer was offered a job as deckhand on the tugboat Pat Murphy at a dollar an hour, he took his first smell of diesel fuel and knew he was hooked. Life on the Ohio puts the reader in the pilot's seat as Coomer wrestles with runaway barges, navigates through ice and fog, pacifies angry crew members, and contends with the loneliness of working a thirty-day stretch. A third generation river captain who grew up on the Ohio, Coomer has been observing and participating in life on the inland waterways for nearly fifty years. A modern counterpart to Twain's account of life as a steamboat pilot, Life on the Ohio depicts the working river as it is today with its immense towboats, gigantic locks and dams, and millions of tons of cargo. Coomer captures the movement of the boats and the colorful language of river people. He reveals that life on the river today is every bit as adventurous and humorous as it has ever been, and not likely to change.Editorials
From the Publisher
"Worth the trip." -- Booklist
"One that river buffs will enjoy." -- Filson Club Historical Quarterly
"A fascinating series of sketches of river life told by a keen observer." -- S & D Reflector
"Shows that Mark Twain's steamboat genre is equally compelling when the captain's voice emanates from the wheelhouse of a post-World War II 3,000-horsepower diesel towboat." -- The American Neptune
"This riverman's memoir never fails to keep the reader's attention tightly moored." -- The Valley Magazine
Book Details
Published
July 31, 1997
Publisher
The University Press of Kentucky
Pages
200
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780813120003