POWER BOAT

Those words usually bring up an image of a sleek watercraft hydroplaning across a lake at high speed. This is different. This is brute force. I can't imagine how many tons they haul up and down the Mississippi. The amount of horsepower, if that's the right unit, is enormous.

It looks like it could hold a fair size crew (it's a 24/7 operation) but I don't know how much of the length is given over to the engines. I watch these go past all day from my office window. I'll try to get a picture of a whole flotilla you can see the scale.

People generally call them towboats. Ellie thinks that's silly since they are obviously push boats.