ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 23, 1996 TAG: 9602230035
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: DUBLIN
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
The 60-foot Pioneer Maid cruise boat sank to the bottom of Claytor Lake early Thursday morning, leaving only its top half above water.
Howard Barrett, who captains the 140-passenger boat and his wife, Joyce, were still trying to determine what happened later Thursday afternoon.
"I have no idea," Joyce Barrett said. "Howard thinks it's probably something silly, like a hose clamp. ... The boat never has any water in it. Howard checked it yesterday."
State hazardous waste workers quickly placed a ring of orange floats around the vessel to absorb any diesel fuel or oil, should it leak into the water. The Barretts were making arrangements Thursday with a private Roanoke company to put more absorbent devices in place. "We want to be very careful," Joyce Barrett said.
"It's been such a shock."
The double-decker boat survived high water, heavy snow and heavy winds with no trouble this winter. "Of all the things in the world, that's the least thing that I thought could go wrong," she said. "I might go into air balloons!"
Richard Johnson, manager of Claytor Lake State Park, said "We came to work this morning about 8 o'clock and saw it was settling. ... It went down pretty fast."
Slightly more than a year ago, the Pioneer Maid took on some water during a winter freeze. At that time, fire departments in Pulaski and Newbern were able to pump it out, and the boat remained aloft.
"This time, when they got here, it was too late," Johnson said. "It was really a gut-wrenching feeling to watch it go down and not be able to do anything about it."
He said the boat may not be raised until this weekend. Once that is accomplished, he said, it should be easier to determine the problem.
The boat has been offering cruises, dinner and historical excursions on New River since Spring 1992. It already is getting bus and group tour reservations for its next season, which starts in May.
LENGTH: Short : 48 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. Paul Dellinger.The Pioneer Maid cruise boat at theby CNBdock today (far left) 2. and in 1995 file. in 1995 (inset). color.