Keokuk, IA – The Delta Queen is the last, authentic paddle-wheel steamboat that still carries overnight passengers.
2008, though, could be the last year the vessel travels up and down the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.
The Delta Queen has been in operation for the last 80 years.
Its future is in jeopardy, though, because its exemption from the 1966 Safety at Sea Act expires in November 2008.
That law requires ships carrying more than 50 overnight passengers be constructed of fire-proof materials.
The Delta Queen is not.
David Tschiggfrie of Dubuque, IA says the ship is a national treasure, not a fire hazard.
Tschiggfrie is part of a grass-roots effort that is working to show Congress that the Delta Queen should receive a permanent exemption to provide overnight trips.
He says the vessel's last trip to Southeast Iowa was in July.
You can hear more with David Tschiggfrie by clicking the audio link above.
Additional Information
* The Keokuk City Council has passed a resolution in support of a permanent exemption for the Delta Queen