"Cotton Blossom"
Title
"Cotton Blossom "
Subject
Steamboats ; Showboats ; Riverboats ; "Grace Devers "; Towboats ; Tugboats ; Levees ; Otto Hitner
Description
The "Cotton Blossom " began life in 1896 as a raft for a lumber company working out of St . Paul . She handled the large excursion barge named "Mississippi " at one time , was renamed "The Princess " and was then sold to the Barrett Line for use as a storeboat at Cairo . Otto Hitner bought it and built it into a showboat and named it "Cotton Blossom ". It had the largest hull ever used as a showboat and it had no pilot house . Hitner operated it until 1929 . We think the "Grace Devers " is acting as tow in this picture . The "Cotton Blossom " is seen here at the Madison Levee . An interesting sidelight to the "Cotton Blossom " appeared in the June 5 , 1928 Madison Courier . "Suits alleging libel will be instituted by the owner of the showboat Cotton Blossom , now anchored in the Paducah port , against Edna Ferber , author of the novel "Showboat ", Doubleday Page Company , publishers ; Flo Ziegfeld , staging "Show Boat " in New York ; and the Universal Film Company , unless satisfactory settlement can be made immediately , it was revealed in a telegram sent to these persons by Attorney Charles C . Grassham , of Paducah , Ky. , employed as counsel by D . Otto Hitner , owner of the showboat . Attorney Grassham said that suit for $250,000 damages by reason of alleged libelous material in the novel and stage offering will be instituted in New York unless adjustment is reached in each case . Mr . Hitner claims that he and members of his family have been libeled and that his business has been ruined . The novel "Show Boat " used the name of "Cotton Blossom " and material which he charges is libel. "
Creator
Harry Lemen, photographer
Contributors
Madison-Jefferson County Public Library; Jefferson County Historical Society
Date
Photograph taken circa 1927
Type
Photograph
Format
Original: tif, scanned at 1200dpi with a MicroTek ScanMaker 9800XL. Online: jpg, saved at 72dpi.; scanned image of 3x5 photograph
Identifier
"MJCPLriver5058-cottonblossom"
Source
Way's Packet Directory Harry Lemen Collection of the Madison-Jefferson County Public Library
Rights
Permission to reproduce this image for other than personal use must be requested from the Director of the Madison-Jefferson County Public Library. Please contact at 420 W. Main St., Madison, IN 47250 (812) 265-2744.
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