Letter To The Editor: Jeffboat

(The planned Jeffboat closure) is sadly not surprising and with the new regulations of Subchapter M and again, just like what was experienced in the ’70s when towboats were being built right and left, they had more towboats then captains and pilots to fill the positions.

 You look back at all the companies that popped up; the grain market was strong until the embargo and then it all turned south: Dravo, Nashville Bridge, St. Louis Ship and now Jeffboat, the big four are extinct, plus many others.

 Steel prices going up, overly large surplus of towboats tied up, some even to the point of just rusting down or being sold off to South America. I have seen a lot of changes, and I’m just 57.  There’s a lot of history at Jeffboat and the former Howard Boat & Machine and Howard Shipyard.

John Miller

Keokuk, Iowa