Torian Topel woke to popping and crackling noises just before 2 a.m. Oct. 25. Through the crack in her room-darkening curtains in the bedroom of her houseboat, docked on the Mississippi River in St.

Former 1960s Belgian Spitz cargo barge was converted into a family home over 20 difficult months, but earned the moniker of one of "the most beautiful" ever ...