the ramona's transition from store boat to freight operations

the ramona moved into exclusively freight after 10 years operating a store boat in the summer and a shore based store in the winter, first in nulato then later in galena.

i was only a boy just coming of age when.....

changes in alaska set in motion a change for the business.  oil was discovered on the north slope. and the state of alaska began a series of village infrastructure improvements.

some where along the line dad became good friends with the owners of Ghemm Co., a major construction contractor.  they had been awarded the job to drill water wells at the schools for koyukuk, hughes, allakaket, russion mission and marshall.  dad and ghemm co. entered into a full time charter agreement to haul the drill rig and it's supplies to each location. wait for the well to be drilled, reload and go to next site.  the 24 hr charter was for loading, moving, or standby until the work was done, one entire summer.

for this job, dad cut the house off the barge, leaving a plywood hull with small front and back decks and a 3' drop down into the barge, rimed by a 8" walk around the edge of the barge.

the wheels of that drill rig barely fit with all the blocking used to roll it in. the drill pipe fit high along both sides of the rig.  the barge modification and loading was done in Fairbanks in the late 60's.  turned out to be by far the heaviest load we had ever had up to that time, 50 tons.  loading up with fuel in nenana, we stowed drums of diesel  in every corner, any place there was a level surface to stand a barrel.

this was our first trip up the koyukuk river, and the first below holy cross.

wasn't long before construction chartering became more lucrative than groceries.

dad started looking for a freight barge.

it just so happened that the old FAA sites were changing and the city of tanana acquired 4 bulk fuel tanks from the faa, approx 50,000 gallons each.

i don't know where or when these bulk tanks were built but they had been built as 50'x30' barges.  watertight on the top and bottom. floated to tanana pulled out and set up as bulk fuel storage.  dad bought 2 of these steel barges.  a third went to harold esmailka in ruby.  i saw it still there when i last drove by. i don't know how but 40 years later the 4th ended up in the mouth of the tolovana river with doug bowers at the old tolovanna roadhouse, where it still sits today.

after a couple years taking on other jobs using these barges to grow the freight operation, we spent one entire spring widening the barges and modifying the bows and sterns of both to make them easier to push as they were only designed to float once down to the village then sit still holding fuel. without the barge modification, the ramona at full throttle would push the bow under water.  we gave it a normal barge shape, adding 12 feet to the bow and 5 feet to the stern and 4 feet wider on each side.  cleaned the rusty, oily inside. after much spring work and money we had our first freighter. that was about 1973. i gave my entire season's pay to become a full time partner, and now assumed the pilot's shift (noon to 6pm and midnight to 6am each day). dad took the captain's shift, the other half of our 24 hour days.

after lengthening and widening the ramona the following spring, we bought a second engine, another 671 jimmy with a 3/1 gear reduction turning a 38" 4-blade prop with a 42" pitch.  this way we could rebuild one motor while the other keeps working.  when it wore out, we could in one day switchout the rebuilt with the worn. repeat and keep moving.  it was during the transition to freight that we started loading in nenana as opposed to fairbanks.  because of the width and depth of the tanana we could take heavier loads out of nenana. but on occasion and by special arrangement we would go up to the chena and take on a load there. very difficult swift stretch of river for barges, but possible. one of my stories will include one of these trips.

it wasn't uncommon to load right to the deck for our two steel barges. each holding 60 tons.  people would look at our load, shake their head...water right to the deck. any kind of wave washing over.  in fact at 160 lbs i would walk across the stern from starboard to port or vice versa and make the load list one way then the other.

people would ask, where you going with that?  downriver! it was OK.  loaded to the deck the barges never leaked from bottom or top, those two old steel barges sealed up tight.

with water on the deck, they couldn't be pushed at full throttle 24 hours a day.  the bow wave swings out wide to return and run over the mid-stern deck.  had to throttle back on turns since the weight of the water became a critical factor adding to the 60 tons aboard caused the vessel to lean. touchy work keeping her straight and upright while moving as fast as possible. throttling back to enter a narrow crossing, or make sharp turns, or to minimize the effects of wind.  many times a stern corner would go under. disappear until throttle eased.  then slowly float back to it's balance, shedding water.  recovering..time then again to pick the rpm up one notch and go..go..go.  get rid of this load before the wind changes.

the heavier the load the bigger the pay day.  when someone would ask dad about how much he had on board.  he say," OH..120-150 tons between the two barges, you have something you want to send down?"  there was always room on the bow for a couple more propane tanks, an outboard motor, or small truck".  things that could get wet from bow spray.  if they showed doubt he'd say,"you can't make money with free board."

right as usual, every load was maxed out, yet somehow there was always room for little things.  a snow machine, drum of gas, or propane tank. never had any free board but always had room for that one important item that missed the last trip and was needed now more ever down river.

we'd unload anywhere the freight was going.  in the village, a fish camp, any point or eddie.  our motto was, "if it's wet we go there."  and we could.  we could always find a narrow channel and keep going as long as it was deep enough, 3 feet.

it was these years freighting where i received my best river education. most of my stories will now come from this period, heavy loads, questionable conditions.  all excitement for this young man eager to learn the trade and prepare to become a captain, like dad.

the ramona was now a full time freighter.  much smaller than our competition, yutana barge lines (YBL).  but in the most basic way we needed eachother.  we couldn't haul bulk fuel, while YBL found it costly to turn around in the river and stop 600 tons just for a pickup truck or tank of propane. competing businesses can and do compliment each other.

i should say that we did not try to compete.  we each filled a need along the river that benefited customers and barge services alike.

my subsequent stories will now recall river navigation with heavy freight, narrow shallow channels and the rush to return for another load before the ice ran and the season came to a close.

wasn't long before we had a steady summer routine.  a dozen trips from nenana to the koyukon area per season, with a major  trip to holy cross and beyond.

early on dad had also found an old plank barge (80 tons) with a ramp, i think from don peterson.  100 feet long and leaked like hell each spring until the caulked timbers swell up.  he also found a small 50x25' narrow fast barge (20 tons) made out of flattened oil drums welded by billy burk in manley hotsprings.

it was with these starter barges and the faa barge tanks from tanana that mom and dad put away the store business and went exclusively into freight operations.

it wasn't long before we were hauling heavy equipment and gravel for new school construction and airport improvements.  we spent 3 years at the mouth of the yukon hauling dump trucks of gravel from saint mary's and mountain village to emmonak, allukanuk, sheldon point, and kotlik.

freighting is where this new chapter in the ramona takes on a different life.  dominated by weight and water or the lack thereof.

we always tried returning to nenana to load for the final fall run carrying our own winter supplies, and leo kriska's last chance liquor store fall delivery.  leaving one barge at leo's we'd dash down to reindeer lake near holy cross with our winter supplies on one barge before putting everything away for the winter.  try to make it back to nenana, but sometimes it was not possible. getting caught in the ice is another story.

my stories  coming now from freighting, much heavier river work.  a period when i became a real river pilot and had  most of my harrowing experiences. part of my growing up.  i never gave it much thought at the time. it was our way of life and the tug was our summer home.

a very lucky boy i was.  i hope you enjoy reading as much as i enjoy reliving these times with my parents.  may they rest in peace. thank you mom and dad for this life.

landing in a village.

as the store boat turns around in the river and sets up for a landing. it was easy to hear from up and down the bank.
store BOAT!!
taking the braided eye of a 1.5 inch manila rope, from the center of a rope rug neatly coiled on the bow deck.  i'd jump onto the beach. run the line out toward a possible anchor. sometimes hard to find,
occasionally village boats had to be moved. maybe an extra length of line needed to reach a fish wheel raft, a stake, or old boat.
heavy loads prefer a deadman.  as it's called in the trade, a cable and log buried in the bank.
tie shackle. take in slack on the 2 foot galvanized bow cleat tie her up....signal wheelhouse.
watch it tighten up. doesn't slip? or move?  we're good to go... except for a light stern line on a breezy day.

by the time the barge is secure, people have gathered on the bank. occasionally running to help and show good spots to tie up, but mostly watching with interest and maybe a bit of curiosity about this different plywood tug and barge with a store and family..  was one of two covered barges at the time.

dad shuts down the motor, comes forward and slides out the gangplank.  step onto the beach and starts shaking hands..but not immediately with all the men standing there.  he'd  go to each kid down to see the excitement, and shake their hand first.  then turn and greet others.  mom would come out to the bow by this time.
dad and i would reset the plank, barges move ever so slightly after engine shut down.  stepping once into the shore water we'd hold mom's hand on each side and off comes mom to make her own beach greetings, asking which of her buddies were in town.  she never did like gangplanks. in bad spots i would bring her ashore with our little sounding boat.  and she'd be off, sometimes saying, soups on the stove just have to heat it up. i'll be back in a moment.

by and large the store was ready to open before landing.  with everyone back on board, it was time to open up.  dad's best buddies might come aboard and go back to the ramona galley, engine room, or wheel house. not an area where most people could freely walk around. but the closer the friendship the more relaxed people felt about going through the store , and back to the tug. was still a boat, and respected as our home by all.

people in and out of the barge for the rest of the day.  their eyes widen when it rocks ever so gently after a boat passes.
many liked to come aboard the tug into our home in the evening,
but on occasion we'd be invited "up the bank" to someone's home for dinner.
it's there in a normal house where i could still feel the rock of the ramona.
it's gentle sway lives with me long after weeks of being on the water.

then it's but just a few days before it's time to move on.
as a teen i wanted to stay longer, especially if there was "action" going on.  4th of july, nuchalawoiya, a wedding, or boat races. but dad would always gently but firmly say...no..we have to go, the ice is gonna run!

it could be +90 on the water and it was always the same,let's go... ice is gonna run.

dad warms the engine, a quiet rumble while i wait to cast off from the front deck.
with the stern line gone he turns the wheel in, engages the engine. when the bow line goes slack, someone there to see us off would untie.  once the line was pulled in..dragging end in water to clean.  signal wheel house.
turn around in the river, and we're off...Open her up....afterall, the ice is gonna run...24 hrs a day movement.
not long before we hear again,

STORE BOAT! ccommiing.

a gift my parents gave me==lucky start for this young man

  during my entire childhood on the interior waters of alaska, i never gave much thought to living on a tug boat.  this was just another town, fishcamp, or creek. i had seen before, on the way down river. looks purdy much the same as it did last month.  it wasn't till i started to mature did i begin to see just how special it was to see these places and to have these river journeys of many kinds. always close to me~ never far.  i find river metaphors in everything i do. i'll try to show you.

maybe you'll see how special it was.  or not.  it's ok,
every wind in the river finds it's way the sea.

claude JR!  mom sometimes said...was all it took. like bears make their cubs escape danger. 

a clear calm very hot summer afternoon. heat only the interior alaska water can make.

 i was at the wheel of the ramona, our family home and business.

 i thought i was as pilot now! we were heading down river with the store boat in an area of the yukon near half-way to ruby. the yukon spreading out just a little bit.  mile or so.

dad noticed that i always took the same path through this 20 mile stretch.

favoring some hills yet half-way across the yukon, he tells me, "you'll never know what's over there (pointing to the far bank lined with sandbars), unless you go over there".

he was right, so i went.

turned the wheel till barge starts to swing, turn back feel....rudder pressure. make the swing stop. 

>>>>>>>>>>>and i was on my way across to the rest of the river.

'''''happy explorer now````

i spent the remaining 4 hours of my shift exploring yukon gravel bars. all the while heading in the right direction, down river, just close enough to understand what's happening on this new side.

too shallow for barges, i used that area of the yukon years later as a wind route, during a yukon 800 race.

and was also used in high water by the ramona on upriver runs because of it's good slack water.

 

on that hot..lazy yukon river day, i learned to not use the whole river unless i had to.

the store boat would load in fairbanks at a landing called weavers,

the weaver bros. fuel transport header to galena. the bulk tanks are still there.
their tug was the skookum, a very fast twin tunnel tug with a single narrow 50,000 gal. tanker barge.

when dad, our captain, thought everything was aboard and in the store to complete a trip to holy cross, we'd cast off on the winding, narrow, swift run to nenana. 75 miles or so.  only takes 10-12 hours with a barge drawing 2' of water.  takes twice as long to go up empty.
 the first leg is a dandy!!  if one leaves early enough it can be done in one alaskan summer day. otherwise gonna spend the night somewhere between wood river and nenana. 10-20 miles short of our 1st stop, nenana.

it's ok to camp as long as we're at the dock when coghill's standard oil opened first thing in the morning, some trips our plan was to camp, as we called it. sleeping on the tug.   to break camp....we'd cast off..

take on our fuel in 50 gal drums.  the barge back deck held 20 barrels.

usually filled them all with diesel as well as the engine day tank.

then we cast off>>>>>>> the trip starts

next leg is to old minto. only called minto at the time. 3 hrs...35 miles or so.....  1st stop for store.

and then on to the yukon.  but....the best laid plans of...we never made it to holy cross with a fully stocked store.

could only make kaltag then have to return to fairbanks and restock. do it over again.

this became the family summer routine for the first 15 yrs.  5 or 6 runs to kaltag a summer.

holy cross became a special trip in the fall!!

what fun that was.  time to fill the freezer.

this is the story of how i fell into this luck of growing up on a river. it's a gift.

dad and i navigated, learned these waters together. memorized horizons,  points, sloughs,  cotton wood and spruce stands.

 i'd learn about  reading water and life.............not entirely unlike.

thank you Claude and Martha demientieff for giving me such a wonderful life.

this blog is for you. rip, i love you.

with a third grade education dad built our life with his own hands. in the 1950's He was one of the cat skinners on the construction of the dewline.  returning after one  long rotation  been away for quite a stretch.  my 6 yo baby sister, ramona, didn't recognize him for a moment. 
during his free time on the slope he had been making drawings of a tug boat and covered barge to hold a general store.  when mona became a bit nervious and hesitant, he said ok..that's it. 

he had made a decision.

we are gonna go build a tug and barge, make it into a store. travel the river, open the store business in each community till we run out. then return to fairbanks, restock. do it over again till the ice run.

that's how it started.  my baby sister, ramona, is the genesis of claude demienrieff, sr.'s river business.  not surprisingly the tug was named ramona.  typical of that generation. dad simply set out to do it. make his dream real.  keep everyone  together....he can be home.. quit the dewline job and went into business.  that was in 1960.

we built the two hulls in the yard of columbia lumber; in the area around 18th and cushman, fairbanks
the lumber yard is no longer there.
dad got a $10,000 sba loan, set up an account with max hundorf, the manager at the time and went to work. 

many people would come around watch. sometimes help.  my uncle rudy seemed to always be available, when something essential or extra hard  needed doing..  dad's brother, we could always count on uncle rudy.

long daylight makes for pleasant work evenings.  i didn't have to do much for the $5/wk that was my allowance.. follow dad's drill with a box of brass 3" wood screws and a can of red paint..i learned how to work till the job or sun was done. learned how to work by simply dipping a wood screw into paint, start it into a pre-drilled hole. dad would go around  back behind me with a screw gun sinking each screw holding 2" plywood to 2 x 10 ribs.

it took all spring and a good part of the first barging season.  worked till it was done.

finished with the 2 hulls and all that could be done there.. she was ready to be turned over, loaded on a flatbed trailer and  brought to the river to be set down close to the water for finish and a launch.

dad chose a slip at the end of a road on the chena.  a trucking company lifted and moved these plywood hulls in the middle of night through fairbanks over a gravel college road, down university ave. to the chena at the end of the road.. the ramona was launched right on the north shore of the chena where the university ave. bridge now lives.

set it down close to the water and the work continued.

in short order the barge had walls, a roof,  and store shelving.

the tug, a cabin, engine, and pusher knees with tackle.

exploring the controls and wheel house perched high on top, i did not know the helm was to be my study hall for the next 45 years. i learned how shafts could go through hulls without leaking.  how engines tie in.

to pick and tie the right knot for the job, mainly a special knot which could be taken apart no matter how much strain was applied.

a simple, amazing knot, the bowline.  double bowline being perfect for a tow harness.

setting out on this adventure...i had only eager anticipation.  now turned into fond memories of working long into a fairbanks summer evening,  till mom would makes us stop by calling at 10 or 11pm,  " i warmed up our dinner left overs........... made fresh tea, and it's rreadyyy!" 

eventually all was ready.  launch time. the blessing and christening set,

mom's best friend, mary van hatten, was asked to break a bottle of champagne over a crowbar hung on the bow.  to give the tug a name.

father richard carrol, S.J. blessed the vessels and work.  and the ramona was born.  people brought food and beer and we had a special river side picnic and a short barge ride on an chena river summer evening.

received our first truck deliveries, loaded by rollers.  and we're off...........

while traveling or tied up, it was common for mom and dad to be in the barge. stocking shelves, cleaning, always working.

getting ready to open the store at the upcoming village.  mom liked to get special things for the kids.  we carried a blue ball of bubble gum called satellite. was the only time it came to town.  anticipated by village children.  years later, she'd ask grown people,  are you one of my buble gum babies?

store booooaat is commming!!!!STORE BOAT!!  we could hear as we approached a village.

  mostly the store was general merchandise.  sugar, flour,coffee,salt, etc.  occasionally we'd stop at a fish cxamp with gardens to trade staples for fresh vegetables to be sold farther down along the line.

and that's how this journey begins