The Delta Queen to Become a Hotel

This 82 year old steamboat, that has been designated as a National Historic Landmark, is poised to make a final trip to its new position as a riverfront hotel. The Delta Queen once ran up and down the Mississippi River. But now it is docked in Cincinnati and will leave its winter home in New Orleans on Wednesday for Chattanooga, Tennessee.

On October, the mostly wooden boat which is the last of its kind, lost its exemption to operate overnight river cruises for up to 176 passengers. The Federal law prohibits such boats from carrying more than 50 overnight passengers. The boat was designated a National Historic Landmark in l989 but the exemption to continue operations requires annual renewal. Critics have objected to the exemption, saying that the boat is a fire hazard and that its crew should be unionized.

Vicki Webster, a freelance writer who moved from St. Louis to Cincinnati to help the boat's preservation efforts, has fought since l970 to keep the Delta Queen running. She's doing this for the love of the boat. She isn't in it for the money or an ulterior motive. She plans to continue lobbying lawmakers to renew its exemption. She says she can't imagine the river without the Delta Queen.