A few years ago, The Orange County Register was allowed to spend some time with the crew on board the Mark Twain Riverboat. This story, video and photos details that visit:

Many of the attractions at Disneyland are operated with the push of a button, but the Mark Twain Riverboat is not one of them.

Just like the locomotives of the Disneyland Railroad, the Mark Twain needs steam to power its paddlewheel and a crew that uses signal bells to help operate it.

“Two signal bells indicate that the boat is able to proceed forward,” said Jen Holst, a Disneyland Cast Member who worked the attraction, including in the wheelhouse high on top of the boat.

Editor’s Note: Holst has since transferred to the Corporate Citizenship Department.

Those bells are heard in the engine room, where a steam engineer operates levers and valves. First the engine is put in reverse to put slack in the line that holds the Mark Twain in place at the dock. Once the line is clear, another series of bells tells the engineer that it is clear to go full speed ahead – at a leisurely rate of approximately 2 knots.

Meanwhile, up in the wheelhouse, the captain for the voyage rings the big bell and blows the ship’s steam whistle two times, signaling to the rafts going to and from Tom Sawyer Island that the Mark Twain is leaving the dock on a voyage around the Rivers of America, as the park’s main waterway is known.

The captain also blows the whistle as it nears the canoe docks and as it passes the Indian village to warn the crew of the sailing ship Columbia, if it is at the dock, that the Mark Twain is coming in and the Columbia needs to depart.

The captain also keeps an eye out on the river.

“I grew up on a boat and do know the nautical laws,” Holst said.

The Mark Twain has the priority over the rafts and the human-powered canoes on the canoes, but if there is a potential safety problem, the captain will signal to stop the boat.

“I would do continuous bells to the engine room, which would bring the paddlewheel to a full and complete stop,” she said.

In addition to keeping an eye on the river, the captain also entertains park guests, who can ask to ride up in the wheelhouse.

“This is a not-so-secret hidden gem that we have here at Disneyland,” said Holst.

Parties of four or fewer are allowed in the wheelhouse, where they can help out by ringing the bell or blowing the whistle. Guests also get the chance to sign the ship’s log. Guests are not allowed in the wheelhouse on days with inclement weather.

Contact the writer: meades@ocregister.com