Talk:MV George Prince ferry disaster
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[edit] First Article--Finished!
This completes my first new article. Wow, that was a lot of typing!
Given the size and scope of Wikipedia, I was quite surprised that there was not a single mention of this tragedy, given the loss of life and the fact that the ferry captain was (not quite) drunk.
My family moved to the River Parishes area (LaPlace, to be specific) about 4 years after the accident. In my community, the wound was still fresh, and, while I heard some talk about it, it was taboo. And, since I was eleven at the time we moved to LaPlace, I couldn't do a whole lot of research on my own. Even with the Internet, the only substative reference I could find on the accident is the Coast Guard report.
Until the bridge was finished, the only practical means of crossing the river in this area was the ferry. Otherwise, it was a long drive downriver to the Huey P. Long Bridge in Metairie, LA, or an extremely long drive upriver to the Sunshine Bridge in Donaldsonville. Therefore, the thousands of people who needed to cross the river every day (whether for work, school, family, or to conduct business at the parish seat on the other side of the river) had little choice but to use the ferry. Most folks avoided the ferry if at all possible.
I am open to suggestions on reducing some of the content. This is a very long article (especially for a first-timer). However, I felt that nearly everything was pertinent, in some small way.
Sometime in the near future, I hope to:
- get a picture of the view from the West Bank landing across to the East Bank landing
- get a picture of the memorial that I know exists at the St. John Parish courthouse in Edgard, LA, which is still served by a ferry
- learn the current status of the SS Frosta
Macmedic892 02:16, 15 June 2006 (UTC)