1948 Press Photo Rusty steel & rotted timber ferry ramps at Napoleon Avenue

Rusty steel & rotted timber ferry ramps at Napoleon Avenue. Almost as bad as the ferry are the ramps used by autos to board the battered, ancient craft. This approach, from the Napoleon Avenue side, is pieced together with rusty steel and rotted timbers. The Bisso family has consistently defied city orders to make repairs. Two passengers this past week were riding the ferry from Napoleon Avenue to Marrero. Said one of the passengers to the other, "It wouldn't surprise me to pick up the paper someday and read that this thing has split wide open and dumped everybody in the river." Such observations are nothing new aboard the good ship H.O. Penick whose tired old paddle wheels have been shoving her across the Mississippi since 1917. Since 1922, the ferry has been operated by the family of Captain William Ajax "Billy" Bisso. In answer to complaints that "The Napoleon Avenue ferry is falling apart," The Item set out to get photographic evidence. The results are printed in this picture story.

Photo is dated 1948.

Photo measures 10 x 8.25 inches.