Henderson, Kentucky, carrying mail, freight, and 

 passengers. The Grey Eagle, typical for her date of 

 building, was similar in every way to the famous 

 Mississippi River side-wheel packet steamers. This 

 type had become well developed by 1850 and played 

 an active part in river operations by both the Con- 

 federate and Federal armed services during the 

 Civil War. These packets were often fast, and on 

 both sides some were converted into steam rams. 

 The great period of these river packet steamers was 

 in the 1850's but for at least 25 years after the Civil 

 War the packet trade was prosperous on the Ohio, 

 Mississippi, and Missouri Rivers, as well as on the 

 Tennessee and Red Rivers. With the development 

 of the railroads, the packets slowly disappeared; 

 the last survivor ceased operations some time about 

 1955. 



The model shows a shoal-draft, side-wheel, wooden, 

 river steamer having a straight keel, curved stem, 

 vertical post, a round fantail counter, slight sheer, 

 a moderately sharp convex entrance, and an easy 

 run: The midsection is formed with a flat floor, 

 an easy round bilge, and a flaring topside. The 

 hull, at the main deck, is fitted with wide overhanging 

 guards fairing almost round into the stem and counter. 

 The side paddle-wheels are about one-foiu'th the 

 length of hull from the stern. 



The model has a large deck structure consisting of 

 a 2-deck house reaching from the stern to a point 

 about one-fifth the hull length from the bow, the 

 lower portion of the house being quite high. This 



was the main-deck freight space, on which were also 

 the boilers, engine, and fuel space; the upper deck 

 contained a promenade, cabins, and saloon; and the 

 long deckhouse on its roof also contained cabins. 

 On the deckhouse roof are two high stacks side-by- 

 side and another small house, containing cabins or 

 public spaces, on which is the pilot or wheelhouse, 

 well abaft the stacks. The two decks fitted with 

 promenade areas have turned-stanchion-and-cap rails, 

 with ornamental posts, or columns, supporting the 

 upper deck. 



The Grey Eagle measured 250 feet long, 40 feet 

 beam at gunwale, 60 feet 6 inches beam over the 

 guards, 5 feet 6 inches depth of hold, and about 54 

 feet extreme height from rabbet to roof of pilothouse. 

 Scale of model is ){ inch to the foot. 



Model made in the Museum from plans not now 

 in the Museum files. It was built to float and was 

 intended to be self-propelled, but was never completed. 



SIDE-WHEEL HUDSON RRTIR EXCURSION 



STEAMER, 1906 

 Rigged Model, usnm 309408 



Heiidrick Hudson 



The Hendrick Hudson was a steel, side-wheel Hudson 

 River excursion steamer built in 1906 by the Marvel 

 Shipbuilding Company at Newburgh, New York, 

 under subcontract with W. and A.. Fletcher, of New 

 York, who built her engines. The steamer was de- 

 signed by Frank E. Kirby and was built for the Hud- 



TopsiDE Detail of Rigged Model 

 (USNM 160323) of river packet 

 Grey Eagle. {Smithsonian photo 

 32867-a) 



135 



