As the first successful steam engines were developed in the 1700s, many inventors wondered how these new machines could be harnessed to drive boats. The problem was to transfer the motion of the engine to some device that would propel the boat. Several...

A paddle steamer is a ship or boat driven by a steam engine that uses one or more paddle wheels to develop thrust for propulsion. It is also a type of steamboat. Boats with paddle wheels on the sides are termed sidewheelers, while those with a single...

It was opening night of last October's Cincinnati Reds-Oakland Athletics World Series, and suspense was in the air - for more than one reason. Not far from Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium, the 64-year-old paddle steamer Delta Queen was tied up at the Public Landing, embarking...

Byline: JOHN MACLEOD IT IS a sparkling Highland day in May and the old lady is surging down the eastern coast of Skye, her paddles pounding their eight-beats-to-the-bar rhythm and their wake streaming behind her like a bridal gown. We sweep into...