Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Inland & Coastwise Waterways Service was established by the 1918 Federal
Control Act to serve as a temporary boost to ailing inland waterways companies. All
privately-owned equipment on the New York State Barge Canal and the Mississippi and
Warrior rivers were commandeered as an emergency measure until new vessels could be
built. The Inland Waterways Corporation was created in 1924 "to promote, encourage,
and develop water transportation, service, and facilities in connection with the commerce
of the United States, and to foster and preserve in full vigor both rail and water
transportation." To fulfill the water transportation aspect, the Corporation operated barge
lines called the Federal Barge Line on the Mississippi-Missouri and Warrior Rivers. As a
result of a successful bid in 1953 a subsidiary of the St. Louis Shipbuilding and Steel Co.
took over the Inland Waterways Corporation (Federal Barge Lines).
To read more about the history this corporation, see "The Federal Barge Line," by
William J. Petersen, The Palimpsest, vol. 53 (September 1972), pp.390-401. (Copyright
1972. State Historical Society of Iowa. Used with the permission of the publisher.)
This collection was acquired through donation in 1985 when the Federal Barge
Lines equipment was sold to the Ohio River Company, by a gift of John F. Lynch, former
president of the Federal Barge Lines. Simultaneously Robert A. Labdon, former marine
superintendent - vice president in charge of maintenance and repairs of Federal Barge
Lines made a gift of his manuals and photographs.
SCOPE:The contents of this collection includes primary and secondary materials
pertaining to the operation of towboats and barges by Federal Barge Lines, Inc. and built
by various shipbuilders from the 1950's through the 1970's. This collection deals with
towboats and barges and concerns for their maintenance.
HOLDINGS: 28 1/2 linear feet of blueprints, papers, and photographs. There are
annual reports, advertising, clippings, public relations materials, and history of Federal
Barge Lines in The Waterways Journal Collection in the Herman T. Pott National Inland
Waterways Library at the St. Louis Mercantile Library.
The Federal Barge
Lines materials are arranged
into seven series:
Finances
Traffic
Operations
Engineering and
Maintenance
Machinery History
Blueprints
Photographs
Series 2:Traffic includes the costs for specific cargo movements and the notes and
considerations used to arrive at those costs, such as: size and type of barge needed;
navigational considerations (including weather forecast); repair facilities; cleaning costs;
damage costs from loading and unloading; and the towboat requirements including fuel,
manpower, and insurance.
List of all barges for which there are blueprints, their uses, their builders,
and their dates of construction:
COVERED BARGE AND COVERED HOPPER BARGES used for fertilizer, cement,
grain, salt, sugar, steel, pipes, tin plate, lumber, paper, and fire brick.
- 200 Series Covered Hopper Barges built by Inland Waterways Corp., 1933
- 250 Series Covered Hopper Barges built by Inland Waterways Corp., 1930-1939
- 280 Series Covered Hopper Barges built by Inland Waterways Corp. and St. Louis Ship,
1938-1956
- Series A Cargo Barges built by Inland Waterways Corp., 1947
- Series B and C Cargo Barges built by Inland Waterways Corp., 1948
- I.W.C. Integrated Cargo Barges built by American Bridge Co., 1947-1948
- Series D Covered Cargo Barges built by St. Louis Ship, 1948-1950
- Bow Barges built by Alabama Dry Dock, 1951
- Semi-Integrated Covered Dry Cargo Barges #613-620 built by Dravo Corp., 1952
- Semi-Integrated Covered Barges #613-620 built by Dravo Corp., 1952
- Semi-Integrated Dry Cargo Barges #621-632 built by St. Louis Ship, 1954
- Miscellaneous Covered Cargo Barges (195 x 35 x 11) built by St. Louis Ship, 19541965
- T2000 and other 200 foot Covered Hopper Barges (200 x 35 x 12) built by St. Louis
Ship, 1965-1967
OPEN HOPPER BARGES used
for pulp, coal and ore
- Semi-Integrated Open Hopper Pulp
Barges built by St. Louis Ship, 1967
OCEAN-GOING BARGES used for coal,
raw sugar nuclear reactor parts, and oil
well derricks
- Lake and Gulf Cargo Barges built by St.
Louis ship, 1957-1973
- Gulf Service Covered Hopper Barges
built by Dravo Corp., 1953-1958
- Deck Cargo Barges built by American
Bridge Co. and St. Louis Ship, 1958-1970
- Large Ocean-Going Barges built by
G.S.I. in 1964 and Zidell Explorations,
Inc. in 1965
- Oil Well Derrick Barges built by Inland
Waterways Corp., 1942
TANK BARGES used for petroleum
products, methanol, asphalt, phosphoric acid, soybean oil, molasses, and wine
- Double Skin Oil Barges built by St. Louis Ship, 1968
- Oil Tank Barge #877 converted for molasses by St. Louis Ship, 1955
- Tank Barge #622 converted for sulfuric acid by St. Louis Ship, 1962
- Wine Barges built by St. Louis Ship, 1956
- Oil Refueling Barge built by St. Louis Ship, 1958
- Caustic Soda Barge built by St. Louis Ship, (no date)
CAR FLOATS used for transporting railroad cars at Cairo, IL, built by Inland Waterways
Corp. in 1931 and revised by St. Louis Ship in 1947.
Series 7: Photos consists of 18 towboat photographs which hung in Robert
Labdons office at Federal Barge Lines; 14 promotional photographs of the M/V Ernest
Mack; a promotional photograph of the M/V John Alexa; an aerial photograph of Delta
Iron Works, Inc. at Houma, LA; and two photographs of Tank Barge #877 converted for
molasses. All photographs are black and white (Federal Barge Lines Box 57) with other
waterways photographs.
ACCESS: This collection has a searchable database. A published finding aid for
Special Collection P-2 is also available on site in the Reading Room: An Inventory of the
Federal Barge Lines Collections, 1988. Some of the collection may be photocopied,
digitally scanned, or photographed, depending on condition.
The collection is available for on-site use only in the Rare Book and Manuscripts
Reading Room. Current hours are 8:00 A.M.- 5:00 P.M., Monday-Friday. Researchers are
advised to call ahead concerning changes in hours due to University intersessions and
holidays. The St. Louis Mercantile Library is located on levels one and two of the
Thomas Jefferson Library building.
In observance of security procedures, certain services may not be available shortly
before the daily closing time.