Tow Boat Down

The towboat disaster and tragedy on the Ohio River last weekend has prompted an overdue public examination of the work of towboat crews. There's some good background material available: The New Yorker magazine doesn't archive much of its material on the web, but if you happen to track down a copy of the Nov. 15, 2004 issue, you'll find a typically wonderful and insightful essay by John McPhee, who hitched a ride on a towboat on the Illinois River. In the meantime, take a look at The Waterways Journal.