January 28th, 2008
Secrets Of Paddlewheel Cruises
For an unusual and distinctly American cruise experience, paddlewheel cruises can offer you a chance to see a different and slower side of the United States.
The paddlewheeler may sound as American as apple pie and it certainly conjures up thoughts of Mississippi gamblers, dance hall girls, and the American frontier. However, paddlewheel ships actually originated in China and can be found all over the world. Americans in the 19th century took the ancient concept of using a paddlewheel and made two improvements: they moved the wheel to the stern or back of the ship (ancient Chinese vessels had the wheel in the front) and they powered these new vessels with the steam engine.