POWER SOURCE

 

The power it takes to push a barge flotilla on the Mississippi - especially upriver - is almost unimaginable. I once toured one of these boats and the engine was, well, ginormous. There is a tricky way these things have to get through the lock, which we will come to.             

A WORKING RIVER

My last office before I retired looked directly over the Mississippi River. When I was tired of pushing paper or clicking screens, I would watch the long barge flotillas drifting up and down. Navigation looked terribly difficult, with powerful push boats at the rear. Think of it as a very big car with rear wheel drive, but also the steering wheels in the back. What we see here is a riverboat and barge facility just south of the Arch.