the.com/towboat
A boat that pushes, not tows, barges down rivers and still kept the lying name.
means A powerful boat built to push (and sometimes pull) barges or other vessels through rivers, canals, and harbors.
from From 'tow,' meaning to pull a vessel through water by rope or line — a practice going back to boats hauled by lines from riverbanks or by other boats. 'Towboat' entered English in the 19th century for vessels built to move barges. The naming trouble started when, especially on rivers like the Mississippi, operators found it far more efficient to push barges lashed together ahead of the boat rather than drag them behind on a line. The job changed; the word, stubbornly, did not.
- misnomer
- pushes barges, never actually tows them
- cargo scale
- one tow can move 1000s of semi-trucks worth
- flat bow
- squared front locks tight against barge fleets
- river economy
- moves grain, coal, oil cheaper than rail