I heard the sound that can only be made by a steam whistle long before actually seeing that familiar plume of steam rising from the hull of a sailboat steering right at me. Could it be? A steam powered boat on White Rock Lake. When the Linda Lue docked, it was without doubt an operating steam engine. One of the clues was that its owner, Dean Smith, was wearing a pair of heavy leather gloves.The kind you wear when you operate equipment that is hot from steam boilers.
Dean had a friend with him and said that he and his dad,Cole, had built the steam power and engine on a modified fiberglass hull of a sail boat.It was a kick to see the gauge,stack and needed wood used as fuel.But, the whistle was a genuine steam-powered whistle He also said that his son, was a student at Texas A & M Galveston in their Maritime School. He mentioned that one of the local newspapers had done a feature article on he and his dad within the past couple of weeks.
Over the years, I have seen a cornucopia of watercraft on White Rock. Today, was a first to see a boat under steam power sailing up and down the shoreline. The fact that White Rock continues to peg the needle of unique places to visit in Dallas moved the needle farther to the right today.
 |
| Dean Smith is standing. |
 |
| The Sights and Sounds of Mark Twain's River Adventures Have Arrived at White Rock Lake. |
