By Candice Ludlow
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkno/local-wkno-936141.mp3
Memphis, TN –
Two years ago, the Delta Queen left the Memphis riverbank for what was thought to be the last time. The boat failed to get permission from Congress to carry more than 49 passengers overnight. It was docked in Chattanooga, and turned into a boutique hotel. But now, there's a chance that steamboat may ply the Mississippi River again. Candice Ludlow reports a group hopes to buy the steamboat and put it back to work.
The Delta Queen may be the Taj Mahal of paddlewheel steamboats with its ornate crystal chandeliers, curved, dark teak interior, splashed with brass and rich carpet throughout.
The boat is up for sale for a whopping 4.75 million dollars. Vicki Webster's group Save the Delta Queen 2010 put in a bid earlier today.
"We plan as an interim step to put her on the water with 49 overnight passengers, which she is allowed to carry, just to keep her moving instead of being tied up. Because as you know, the longer a boat sits the faster it deteriorates," Webster said.
The Delta Queen is designated as a National Historic Landmark. Hank Wolpert is handling the sale. He says he should have contacted the Smithsonian. Wolpert says they've more than a handful of bids. Some future possibilities for the iconic boat include a museum, a hotel, a restaurant or it could return to Americas inland waterways.
All that depends on the future owner. Today is the last day to submit bids.