In this whole discussion, the topic should be; "How safe is the Delta Queen, and is she safe enough to allow her to carry overnight passengers?" Well, I would say that not even this should be the question because free people in a free country can decide for themselves. But for the sake of discussion, let’s assume it’s necessary to protect the people from such risks by law.

How big is the risk to your life when taking a cruise on the Delta Queen? Not just the risk of a fire – well, yes, the Safety at Sea Act affects the Delta Queen only in terms of fire safety, but is it right to say: "We do care about people potentially burning to death, but we don’t care about the same people drowning?" Even worse, is it right to say: "We don’t care about people potentially burning to death only if it’s 50 or more people"? That’s actually what the Safety at Sea Act states.

Aren’t there other risks than fire, too? Does anyone care about these? Just for example – what about a collision with other boats–namely the numerous towboats that are running up and down the rivers – this has happened to the Mississippi Queen before; and it happens between towboats from time to time.

Is anyone seriously thinking of outlawing the running of a boat because it can possibly hit another boat and sink? No, of course not, because that’s part of the nature of boats. That is why we have and believe in navigational rules, in good technology, and in well-trained pilots. These three safety factors make collisions relatively unlikely.

Why is the risk of a fire being treated so differently? Because we’re still feeling like Neanderthal people, being afraid of fire? Because we’re not willing to accept that just because wood makes a great campfire doesn’t automatically mean a boat with a wooden superstructure will burst into flames like a dry fir in a hot summer? Is it because we don’t trust in fire detection systems? The Delta Queen has one of the most modern fire monitoring and powerful sprinkler system onboard ANY boat that is always being observed by two trained crew members in the pilot house, plus a watchman checking the whole boat every 15 minutes, day and night. Why do we trust in technology when it comes to navigational risks, but do not trust in technology for fire prevention and protection? I think you know the answer yourself – it doesn’t make any sense at all.

Let’s check some more facts: What makes a fire so dangerous? It’s not the flames or the heat that makes a fire so dangerous–especially in the beginning; it’s the toxic fumes. If you don’t believe me, please ask at your local fire department. Therefore, in case of a fire it’s extremely important to reach open space, leaving inside rooms as quickly as possible. Now, from this perspective, the Delta Queen is one of the safest boats you can be on. Why? Because almost every stateroom has a direct door to open decks. The few remaining cabins do have a big window to open decks (just smash them and climb out) and there are always at least two exit routes in totally different directions you can take from these cabins. Again, very important, these escape routes are extremely short. It takes you less than approximately 20 to 30 feet to the next door to open decks.

Let’s compare this to one of the mid-sized, ocean-going 3,000-passengers cruise ships. They’re made from steel. But again, ask your local fire department: What burns first? It’s furniture, bed linen, curtains and all the synthetic cloths and other plastic stuff you bring with you. This stuff causes toxic fumes and thick, dark smoke. You want to escape from this as quickly as possible. No difference than if you were on the Delta Queen. But the big difference is the length of the escape routes. They can be 10 times as long as ones on the Delta Queen can. In addition, they’re usually really narrow (not broad salons like on the Delta Queen) and thousands of passengers are using them at the same time. In many cases you’ll have to use a staircase to reach an outside deck, often several floors up. On the Delta Queen the cabins with no direct door to open decks are on the main deck, no staircases involved at all. All other staircases you may need to use are outside staircases.

What I want to say is; You’ll long have left not only your cabin, but have left the entire boat on the Delta Queen before the "wood or steel" question is even a relevant factor in case of a fire on this boat.

This alone should stop all discussions about the safety of the Delta Queen. There are many more factors that separate the Delta Queen in a most positive way from modern cruise ships in terms of safety. But I don’t want to bore you, as this has all been written before.

Just think about it: This is not a safety issue. It can’t be. The safety of the Delta Queen can only be questioned by someone who has no information. One who has never been on the boat, who hasn’t even spent just a couple of minutes on research to find out how safe the Delta Queen really is.