BLaKepONTCHARTRAIN New Orleans Know-it-all Questions for Blake: askblake@gambitweekly.com Hey Blake,
Why are all the new streetcars red? I thought the Canal streetcar was going to be blue. I remember a blue streetcar. What happened to it?
Gambit > bestofneworleans.com > JUNE 18 > 2013
Karen Fernandez
16
Dear Karen, You are not imagining things. There was a blue streetcar — just one — but it was on the Riverfront line, and only for a short time in 2006. As you may remember, Hurricane Katrina was not kind to our streetcar system. Most of the Riverfront cars were in the Canal Street station, along with the cars of the newly restored Canal Street line, when the federal floodwalls and levees failed. The floods ruined the motors and electronic controls of 24 of the Canal streetcars and six of the seven Riverfront cars. At the Carrollton station, 35 St. Charles cars escaped damage, as did No. 461 from the Riverfront line, which was in the station for a paint job. When it was completed, No. 461 was transformed into something that was supposed to make us think of the Mississippi River. It was painted yellow and blue. It wasn’t very popular, and a problem with its controls sent it back to the station, where it was painted red like the rest. The Riverfront line opened in 1988 and some called the cars the “ladies in red.” Since the St. Charles line is famous for its green streetcars, it was decided to paint the others red to distinguish them. When the streetcars returned to Canal Street in 2004, they, too, were red, as are all the cars that followed. Nobody asked me, but I might have suggested purple, green and gold. Hey Blake,
I have heard that at one time there was a world-famous boxing arena/ gym in the Marigny or Bywater. Where was it located, and who fought there? Lloyd Dear Lloyd, New Orleans was a major boxing center at one time, and in 1890, the city legalized boxing, stipulating the Marquis of Queensberry rules, which required
Canal Street streetcars are painted red to distinguish them from their famous green brothers that roll on St. Charles Avenue. combatants to wear gloves, limited rounds to three minutes, required 10-second knockouts and prohibited wrestling holds. The famous arena you are asking about was the Olympic Club on Royal Street, between Montegut and Clouet streets. Founded in 1883 as an athletic association for men in the 3rd District, it got into prizefighting as a sideline, but soon it became a major boxing venue. Great matches were held at the Olympic Club, including one in 1891 in which Bob Fitzsimmons knocked out Jack “Nonpareil” Dempsey (not the world heavyweight champion of the same name) with 3,500 fans watching. In 1892, there was a three-day Carnival of Champions. Boxing fans paid a total of $101,557.80 to see Jack McAuliffe defeat Billy Meyers, George Dixon knock out Jack Skelly and “Gentleman Jim” Corbett knock out John Sullivan in the 21st round. The longest bout in history was April 6, 1893, when Andy Bowen, a New Orleanian, was matched against Jack Burke of Galveston, Texas for the lightweight championship of the South. The boxers punched for 110 rounds. After seven hours and 19 minutes, both men refused to continue and the match ended in a draw.