River Thames reign was the completion of the multi-piered London Bridge, which acted as a barricade and barrage on the river, affecting the tidal flow upstream and increasing the likelihood of the river freezing over. In Tudor and Stuart times, various kings and queens built magnificent riverside palaces at Hampton Court, Kew, Richmond on Thames, Whitehall and Greenwich. As early as the 1300s, the Thames was used to dispose of waste matter produced in the city of London, thus turning the river into an open sewer. In 1357, Edward III described the state of the river in a proclamation: "... dung and
Songo River Queen II Songo River Queen II The Songo River Queen II is a diesel-powered stern paddle-wheeler, built as a replica of the steam-powered vessels that traveled the Mississippi River and can hold up to 300 people. The paddlewheeler is known for becoming landlocked in Long Lake (Maine) in September 2011, after a 20-year career on the Songo River, due to the construction of a fixed bridge on Naples Causeway. The "Songo River Queen II", which was christened on Memorial Day weekend of 1982, is the successor to the "Songo River Queen", which burned in a midnight fire on Columbus Day weekend in