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I am thinking that it looks like there is a boiler on the barge with a flexible hose leading toward the docks. I doubt the steam was used to run a donkey engine, as those were usually attached to a winch or a pump, and I see no evidence of either on the boat. However, it could have been used to run a portable engine driving a pump or a winch, providing the flexible hose was strong enough to handle the pressures necessary to power a steam engine.
As for "storage boat," there were many warehouse boats on the rivers of the US, and I suppose they were present in seaports as well.
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