NEW ORLEANS, July 13 -- The Delta Queen, an authentic
paddlewheel steamboat which has plied the rivers of America for nearly 75
years and is a designated National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Congress,
hasn't seen this much excitement since the days of Prohibition.

While docked in Nashville yesterday, set to begin a nine-day Civil War
cruise with 174 passengers, the grand old lady was raided by the Tennessee
Alcohol Beverage Commission and a bevy of state troopers and local police as
reporters and camera crews recorded the mission. Authorities carted off 3,000
bottles of what the company's president calls "pretty darn good stuff,"
charging the cruise line with failing to pay Tennessee state taxes on the
spirits.

"This came as a complete surprise," said Roderick K. McLeod, president and
chief operating officer of the 110-year-old Delta Queen Steamboat Co. "When I
found out, it was like hearing that my sweet little great-grandmother just got
busted for bootlegging. There must be a mistake!

"As the largest American cruise line owner and operator, we pay local, state
and federal taxes each year for hundreds of goods and services," he added.
"We thought that we were in full compliance with the law and have never heard
anything to the contrary."

According to McLeod, the company considers Nashville a major travel partner
since 1993 when the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau asked the company
how they could attract more boat visits. The Delta Queen, and its sister
steamboats the Mississippi Queen and the American Queen, bring thousands of
passengers a year into Nashville, Chattanooga, Memphis, Savannah and Dover.
The cruise line has 46 cruises scheduled to originate in Tennessee now through
2001.

"Obviously we want to get this matter with the Commission resolved quickly.
We have cooperated fully and are working toward that end with the appropriate
authorities in Tennessee," said McLeod. "In the meantime, passengers on the
vessel are enjoying an 'open bar' policy -- as long as it's soda, lemonade or
iced tea."