The Boiler Deck: The upper level, or boiler deck, contains two separate houses, with three major areas:
1) The Forward End of the Forward House, called the "Officers Quarters" by Corps personnel, includes the open, central engine room well, surrounded by fourteen staterooms and heads (bathroooms). This area also includes the office area, flanked by the captain and chief engineer's cabins;
2) the Aft End of the Forward house, which includes the galley and a separate ward room and mess;
3) the Aft House, which contains the boiler casing and crew's quarters. Corps personnel referred to this section as the "Crews Quarters."
The term "boiler deck" is also frequently described as a "Texas deck," a slang term that came into wide use on river boats. "Texas deck" usually refers to an upper deck with a small structure containing cabins. On the Captain Meriwether Lewis, the boiler deck does not contain boilers.
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