 The government transferred $5 million worth of floating equipment to provide the capital stock for the new Inland Waterways Corporation.Compression ignition or diesel engines were first used about 1910 for smaller sternwheel towboats, but did not gain ascendancy until the late 1930s, when diesel-powered propeller boats appeared.The introduction of screw propellers to the rivers came late because of their vulnerability to damage and the greater depth of water required for efficient operation.