Mt. Vernon Optic-Herald (Mount Vernon, Tex.), Vol. 108, No. 10, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 4, 1982 Page: 7 of 21
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Mount Vernon Optlc-HoraM, Thursday, November 4, 1982, Page 7
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The World's Largest Seiling Chain Saw.
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Stihl M -1**1 UIOAV
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See Your Authorized Servicing Dealer
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Phone: 537-4796
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Watch and Wait
For Our
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Winners of
Grand
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Tacky Party
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Charlie Tittle
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784-6564
Paris
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Ruth Nuft, Adm.
537-2571
South Side Piezo
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Terry Haven
Hursing Home
Mary English
and
SPECIAL
price s235.0Q
Terry Haven Nursing Home will accept all patients
regardless of race, sex, color or creed at any time that
space is availalbe
“I’ve been working on it
for three weeks, day and
the captain’s brother, who
also took a personal interest
the night before, requiring
replacement of the section
Crawford, Sandra Miller
and Patricia King. (Staff
Photo by Lillie Hush)
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TACKY prize winners at
the Terry Haven Nursing
Home's Halloween Tacky
Party, Friday, October
29, were Mary English
and Charlie Tittle. The
winners were selected
BONUS KIT SPECIAL
REG PRICE $258 00
BONUS KIT SPECIAL
REG PRICE $232 00
Buy. Sell Or Rent
With Optic Classifieds
Stihl’ Mixivl 009L
A Lot of Saw
in a Little Package.
VISA i
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Manufacturing Co.
Mt. Vernon
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BEN’S
301 W. Main
Mount Vernon, Texas 75457
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“WHY PAY MORE FOR LESS”
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Feeling somewhat like
characters in a short story,
we climbed aboard the boat,
which whisked us to shore
and from there to Mt. Plea
sant in the truck, as the re-
maining passengers aboard
the Queen Maria Cheered.
It was not until late that
evening that we heard of the
rescue of the remaining
passengers on board by
private boats, a task taking
some 90 minutes. Private
craft joined with officers
with the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department to tow
the Queen Maria to shore
about dark
A new hydraulics system
is being put into place for the
engine's operation this week,
along with numerous other
details which were in-
complete for the maiden
voyage.
Fowler and his wife are
joined in the operation of the
floating restaurant and sight
seeing boat by their sons,
Floyd and Arion
This week the craft will
operate Saturday and Sun
day only, with an 11 a m
tour ride on Saturday, as
well as dinner rides at 5:30
p m. Saturday, and 1:30 p m
Sunday
Although the trip had its
anxious moments, it was
most pleasant, and certainly
the making of an unforget
table wedding day for the
O'Hanlons
B, STIHL
rw trCNMOU UAMir ML1MM CMAflV SAW
of one of the paddlewheel
pins, disabling the craft.
Dickson and his partner, followed by the breaking of
Jack Wright, both currently
of Mt. Pleasant, will be in
charge of meals for future
luncheon and dinner cruises
by the Queen Maria
The meal was delicious,
and things were going
smoothly, as the boat passed
underneath the FM 21 bridge
for the first time The boat
had almost cleared when the
wind and current vortex
In "Captain" Fowler's ad-
dress to the crowd, credit
was given to friends and
who gave
volunteer assistance in mak-
ing last minute ar-
rangements for the voyage
He explained that part of the
delay was due to the vessel's
on the service crew were
Ty Lyles, Susan Pickens,
Mark L y I e s. Regina
boat was unable to be
steered clear of this area
of brush in the lake where
it became lodged.
Passengers were taken to
shore by small craft and
the Queen Maria was tow-
ed to shore after about
three hours of flounder-
ing. (Staff Photo)
7
A SHEARED paddle
wheel pin and broken
drive shaft left the Queen
Maria powerless in the
waters of Lake Bob
Sandlin near the end of
the craft's maiden
voyage Saturday, Oct. 30.
Left without power the
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from among ten finalists
in the contest. Kanga
Room children visited the
residents in their Hallo-
ween costumes, and were
treated to candy and
donuts. (Staff Photo)
SPECIAL
y PRICE121 000
Big Top”
The Franklin Follies
Nov. 13 at 8 p.m
at the
High School Auditorium
ATTEND
STIHL
and his son, David, of Mt
Pleasant, was flagged down
their footing, but nothing by^my anxious fiance
serious resulted
The excursion continued
uneventfully, although the
length of the voyage began to
Tacky Party Heid At...
Terry Haven Nursing Home
I
After the crack of the concern my fiance, who I’m
traditional bottle of cham- sure wore a trench in the up-
pange over the bow of the per deck by pacing around
boat by Maria Fowler, the railing. As his concern
guests poured onto the upper became more apparent,
deck of the craft over the most of the other passengers
makeshift gangplank, since on board became aware of
completion of the dock for our situation. Well meaning
the vessel has been delayed friends and acquaintances
until the water level in the pointed out an obvious solu-
lake is raised. tion to the situation by
Passengers and crew for noting, “There’s a minister
the voyage, less than half the on board." However, without
total capacity of the vessel, the license in hand and due
paid little attention to the un- regard to those who were in-
finished portions of the boat vited to the wedding
including the unpainted sec- ceremonies, no relief was at
tions of the more than 600 hand
feet of rough iron railing Finally the Queen Maria
which edged both the upper neared the bridge once
and lower decks, bare upper again, and Capt. Fowler re-
deck lacking in carpet, yet to quested passengers to be
be put into place tiles in the seated in case of another
dining area, and the missing brush with the supports On-
twin telescoping smoke ly a light contact was made,
stacks All are scheduled to
be completed this week
Second thoughts crossed
my mind in considering both
my presence on the cruise
and that of my husband-to- •
be, Pat O'Hanlon, when
speaking to a man on the
stern of the boat, between
the twin paddlewheels, who
informed us he was to make
sure the gears shifted
Doubts were smoothed by
my fiance’s enthusiasm for
the novelty of the trip and
confidence in both the craft
and Fowler's ability The
trip proceeded
The 220 Cummins diesel
engine, which is the main
power source for the boat,
groaned as the twin 12’ tall,
9' wide paddlewheels began
to turn and the boat pulled
away from shore
Music by the contem-
porary group “Dixie
Review" kept the feelings
light as part of the
passengers mingled on the
upper deck, while others
were served their meal
Full length, two-foot wide
picture windows in the
paneled dining area allow
easy viewing of the shore by
guests as they eat Late
evening diners will be grac-
ed with the soft glow from
gas hurricane style lanterns
along the walls between the
windows
The luncheon, served buf
fet style, included turkey,
ham, prime rib, a chef’s
specialty crab dish, a varie-
ty of vegetables, and over 30
salads and condiments
Preparation of the meal was
THE CREW of the Queen
Marla, Glen Fowler's
newly christened pad-
dleboat. were on deck and
ready to serve the more
than 200 persons on board
for dinner and the ship's
maiden voyage. Persons
and passengers cheered as
supervised by Chef Harold U*e craft cleared the bridge
Dickson, a 28 year veteran of The extra power required to
the food service business He Pass through the bridge
was assisted in the effort by resulted in the shearing off
his son, Zachary, who is in
training
the drive shaft
The forward motion of the
boat carried it into a area of
partially submerged trees
less than a mile from the
docking area Passengers
took the incident with grace
as the boat came to a halt
lodged in the brush
Less than eight minutes
remained before our
scheduled wedding, set to
under the bridge caused the take place in Mt Pleasant,
boat to brush one of the as a nearby fishing boat
bridge support columns, driven by David Whittington
Drinks spilled and several
passengers had to secure
Opening <
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An Unforgettable Wedding Day
( Queen Maria’s Maiden Voyage
By Lillie Bush O’Hanlon insistence on being present
Christening of large water for the maiden voyage over
craft has traditionally been my publishers' volunteer ef-
• an event taken on a serious forts to step in after making
note. However, the first wedding plans for 4 p.m. that
1 voyage of Glen Fowler’s same day.
1 paddleboat, the Queen Fowler’s first work on the
’ Maria, will be remembered project on July 3, 1979, was
; lightheartedly by this the start of the building of a
*, reporter and moat of those dream for both he and his
on hand for the extended trip wife, Maria, for whom the
j on Lake Bob Sandlin Satur- craft is named.
; day, Oct. 30. Three and one-half years
- The day’s events surroun- of “full time” work, over
ding the maiden voyage of $200,000 in materials, and at
. the Queen Maria were least four missed deadlines
scheduled to begin for later the Queen Maria took
members of the press at her first voyage.
• 10:30 a.m. with the christen- Although 205 people were
• ing at 11:30, followed by the actually on board for the
voyage. Coupled with the first voyage, nearly 400
fact that the day was also to gathered) to watch the
. be my wedding day, I should christening ceremonies,
have anticipated the timing which included John Mason
for the rest of the day when of the Titus County Fresh
the ceremonies did not get Water Supply District, and
started until after noon Pittsburg’s Mayor David
The Queen Maria’s birth Abernathy
and growth has been watch
ed and followed closely by
many in the Franklin County night," noted A J Fowler,
area, since its inception to
the first day construction
began on the massive 100 ton in the project
boat's 4' diameter paddle
sections, to Saturday’s
christening and maiden
voyage, none of which have neighbors
been uneventful for either
Fowler or passengers on
board the 130x36' boat
It was this avid and long-
established interest in the
project, plus the years of transmission breaking down
family friendship with the
Fowlers that prompted my
j*________
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Wright, Pat. Mt. Vernon Optic-Herald (Mount Vernon, Tex.), Vol. 108, No. 10, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 4, 1982, newspaper, November 4, 1982; Mount Vernon, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1296017/m1/7/: accessed July 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Franklin County Library.