LJP

Cathead, No, JHC stayed with the Astroturf. Real grass would have required a faucet in the stateroom to water the grass, a lawnmower to cut the grass, and a horticulturist to maintain the grass. Way too expensive on a working boat. 🤣 LJP

Cathead, TOO FUNNY! So I suppose the blue employee bunks on the main deck are Boise State Blue Astroturf? LJP

I have started assembling the boiler deck superstructure. This is the starboard side rooms. The interiors will be hidden when built - except for any window views. The windows were single pane and slid down into recessed panels. The interior view shows the men’s smoker forward and women’s salon aft. I still need to build and populate those rooms. The port side will be somewhat open to allow the room details to be viewed. JHC had a combined galley/kitchen. It was initially a working boat with passengers a secondary interest and no overnight accommodations. The dining room was either the open area between the women’s saloon and the toilets, or the main deck if available. The forward stateroom was for the engineer and fireman. I still need to build the entire port side along with all of the furnishings. After that, the railings – which I expect will take a lot of time based upon my experience with the Thistle.

Hi John, Thanks for your support! Hi Cathead, No clarification needed. I loved your comments on the November 8 post. I wish I could remember all of the comments and tips from everyone's builds. I would then be a much better model builder. LJP

I have been working on the walls for the staterooms, saloons, &c. This is what the walls look like for the boat interior. And the reverse side for the exterior. I continue to use mica to simulate the glass in the windows. This really works well compared to the clear plastic that I used in Thistle. Again, thanks for the suggestion. I need to create the furnishings before I can assemble the superstructure. I will use a modified description of what was used on the sister boats, Leander Choate (II) and Paul L. This means a women’s saloon, a men’s smoker (these were both 15 by 15 feet), a galley/kitchen, three staterooms for the Captain, Cook and Engineer, and lastly a multipurpose office used by the purser, captain and small mail and package storage.

Hi Cathead, Loved your Bertrand and stole some of your modeling ideas. Arabia too. LJP

I am probably obsessive compulsive to do this, but I “Outfitted” the men’s and women’s toilets. This really took a long time to complete (but I was also away for several weeks) and hopefully the rest of the cabins and furnishings will go faster. Please note this is build number two (Pun intended) as the first attempt was not good. Amazingly, the later Ryan boat the Leander Choate (II) 1908 actually listed the dimensions of the toilets: 6 by 6. The dimensions of virtually nothing else was ever listed, but for some odd reason, this was. Since both JHC and Choate had the same width (and eventually the same length), I used these dimensions. The first photos are the interior look that will be partially hidden once assembled. I have no idea if this was a “two holer” with a urinal trough in the men’s side. As one who used this type outhouse in northern Wisconsin camps, privacy, and the sensation of smell leave much to be desired. The false transom has drain holes that actually showed up on some photos. Again, this is gross but effective as the spray from the paddlewheels would help clean this. And the completed model. This is self-standing and will be affixed later. I would suspect there was a hand wash sink and mirror (and dirty towel to go with it) so I added this beneath the water tank which was located on the hurricane deck. Now off to building the staterooms &c.

Hi Keith and John, Sorry for the real late response but I have been away. I have a photo of the capsized sister ship, the Paul L. It is difficult to see on this photo but the Boiler Deck planks ran east to west while the Main and Hurricane planks ran north and south. I have or have access to numerous photos of the capsized Paul L. These have helped immeasurably with both the J H Crawford and the Thistle. The photo is from the Murphy Library of the University of Wisconsin La Crosse.

Unbelievable work! Always love your builds and your great subjects. Can hardly wait for the next one..... LJP

Absolutely incredible! LJP

Hi Cathead, Thanks for the comments! I really like the grain pattern of using individual planks although it does take more time. LJP

The boiler deck has been planked. My four piles (plus some more) of 1/8 by 1/32 by approximately 6-inch basswood boards were used. Time to get started on the superstructure: saloons, staterooms, galley, &c.

Keith, Thanks for your kind words. Love your build but the scale is unbelievable. I wish I had your patience. John, Thanks from down under. It is taking me longer as our summer & fall are busy on "other duties as assigned" but I hope to be able to dedicate more time to the boat in the next few months. LJP

The carlines are done and now it is time to plank the boiler deck. Surprisingly it was not the carlines which took the time but all of the other little piddly stuff: the two bells, the speaking tube, steering ropes, and a bilge pump. Several water pipes were also added. Most of this will never be seen unless it is really looked for. Still needs a bunch of cleanups before the next step can start. Note the four little piles of deck boards needed for the next step.

Keith, Thanks for the support. It is coming along with lots more to do. Cathead, Thanks much. I am trying to provide better views. There are lots of detail that simply get buried because of my picture angles. LJP

The stairs are now completed. JHC had a very utilitarian set of stairs. Many of the other early steamboats had a wonderful rounded double stair with an arched entrance underneath. JHC was simply squared off and angled. Early construction shows the sliding doors from the inside of the boiler room. I needed to repair one of the door slides which I had knocked off. The stairs stringers were cut to an 8-inch rise. A tread was then added along with a riser. The arrangement for the stairs was a short central stair to a landing and then a short course of stairs to either side. Two frontal views. The first shows an up close with the access doors to the coal chutes. The second view is a front on with a view through the access doors. The green hand pump is in the background. Time now to complete the rest of the underside of the boiler deck. Before I can add the carlines, I need to add both bells, the speaking tube, steering ropes and a bilge pump. I also need to complete the various water pipes. Lots of little odds and ends.

Glad to hear the good news about your health. That is the most important thing. That said, I love that you choose topics that are more unique. And in the scale that you use is unbelievable. Take care, LJP

Had some time to spend on the model. Quickly installed the boiler panel. The bull rails were added. The forward one could be opened. I used Bates’ method where the rails could be inserted onto hooks. I also added the canvas coverings above the rails. Apparently, this was a common practice for passengers due to weather. Lastly, I included a gangplank. The gangplank was used where a finished dock was not available. Long and narrow, it was prone to accidents according to newspaper articles. There were several references to people falling in, women in hoop skirts, and a boy who broke his arm and sued the boat. Now I can get started on the stairs.

I completed the half of the panel entrance into the engine room and the single sliding door. Initially I thought that I could cement the hog chains and the stern wheel chains at a later point in construction. But I found out that would not work. So, I had to affix that panel and the starboard engine panel. The hog chain braces are still loose and will be cemented in at a later point in construction. Next steps will be working on the bow hog chains, affixing the boiler room panel and then the bull rails. Hopefully after that I can start on the stairs. But the way I keep changing the sequence once I get started, who knows what will be next.

Sorry about the delay, but I have been away. JacquesCousteau, Thanks much! I have gotten much better but will continue to improve my skills. This is in no small part to all of the information provided on MSW. The insights are invaluable. John, Still have much to do in the engine room. It continues to amaze me how they got all that stuff in such a small area. LJP

Hi John, Thanks much. II know my time working on the model has really been in fits and starts. It will continue to be sporadic in the near future. I have completed the engine room panel. As mentioned earlier, I will only complete an engine room panel on the starboard side and leave the port side off to allow better viewing of the engine room itself. This also means I will only complete half of the panel entrance into the engine room, and only a single sliding door. For the engine room “glass” for the windows, I used mica. My thanks to Roger Pellett & wefalck for their recommendations and discussion of the same in Cathead’s Peerless build. The thickness is much more to scale, and the imperfections in the mica replicate the imperfections in early glass windows. For the grids, I was able to find 1/32 x 1/32 strips, but I no longer remember where I got them from. The interior view is a bit more busy with all of the engine room detail. I still need to do lots here: more pipes, bells, some machinery and all of the boiler room carlines. I may do the stairs first and then the carlines as this will make piping placement much easier.

Keith, Thanks much for your praise! Really appreciate it! Cathead, Same question I had: how would these work in a boiler pit? My distance between the boiler and coal shoot is 6 feet. I actually used one of the tools (the "D" - see below) and it works if you start in the corner of the boiler pit. And a bit obsessive on my part... Not ideal but workable. This is where I got my info: Marine Boilers; Marine Engines; Western River Steamboats - International Library of Technology. (1902) Probably way too much information but hope this helps. LJP

I have been working on the boiler room. The outside panel is simple. The hand ropes are the only detail on the outside. Not certain what it is called, but on the main deck, a panel was added to keep people from falling into the pit. On the inside, there is the handles for the capstan and the fire hose. Although the capstan was steam powered, there seems to have been a habit of still including manual handles “just in case”. The panel is still removable and will not be cemented in until after the hog chains are finally set when the hurricane deck is in place. Lots of little (time consuming) details have been added. In the boiler pit, a coal shovel and the four firebox tools were made. Period publications listed the tools at eight feet tall - probably long enough to both stay away from a hot fire box but also to keep the handles cooler. On the opposite side is the ladder into the pit. The steam dome had several additions. Piping to the capstan, and the radiators in the men’s smoker and the pilothouse were added. Other stuff like finishing the water piping and spent steam vent to the chimney were also built. Now I would like to finish up the engine room. Again, sorry for the delays but life has gotten in the way.

Hi Keith & John, Thanks for the comments! Life has gotten in the way and I have not been able to dedicate much time to the model. It may be awhile before I can again, but I will sneak in time when available. Take care, LJP

I have completed the stationeries and deck beams. Things are getting crowded. Nothing too exciting but now it is time for lots more piping and panels. The hog chain braces are only set in temporarily.