 SS City of Medicine Hat in 1907 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | City of Medicine Hat |
| Launched | June 04, 1907 |
| In service | 1907-1908 |
| Fate | Wrecked 7 June 1908 |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 130 ft (39.6 m) |
| Beam | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
| Speed | 12 knots |
City of Medicine Hat was a paddle steamer sternwheeler that worked on the Saskatchewan River in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, Canada, from 1907 until its wreck and sinking on June 7, 1908.
Designed by her captain, Horatio Hamilton Ross, City of Medicine Hat was built, in Medicine Hat, over the winter of 1906–07. [1] Ross and his investors raised $28,000 to construct the ship, which was outfitted with oak and brass, an ornate music box, and a number of amenities. [2] The ship was christened and launched in spring 1907 and embarked on pleasure cruises and shipping ventures throughout the season. The ship was the third sternwheeler built by Ross, a Scottish nobleman who came to Canada in the late 19th century and established a steam-shipping empire across the prairies. [3]
In the spring of 1908, Ross decided to sail City of Medicine Hat from Medicine Hat, Alberta, to Winnipeg, Manitoba, with a number of friends and crew on board. Having reached Saskatoon on June 7, Ross attempted to navigate the ship safely through the rail bridges that spanned a South Saskatchewan River in full spring flood. He let the passengers off just before reaching the Grand Trunk Bridge and lowered the ship's smokestack. The high water concealed telegraph wires just beneath the surface, which became entangled in the ship's rudder, rendering the steering of the vessel impossible. The ship foundered and struck the south-most pier of the newly constructed Traffic Bridge. The crew were able to escape the sinking ship and no casualties were reported. However, City of Medicine Hat was ruled a total loss. A sandbar eventually developed around the wreck and engulfed it. It was further buried when Rotary Park was created with landfill built up along the east bank near the Traffic Bridge. [4]
In 2006, Saskatoon Fire and Protective Services divers discovered a large kedge anchor during a routine training dive. The anchor, presumed to be from City of Medicine Hat due to its exact likeness to the ship's anchors seen in photographs, was conserved and is now on display at the Meewasin Valley Centre in Saskatoon. This discovery led to a full-scale, five-day underwater excavation, which was conducted September 8–12, 2008. A number of artifacts were uncovered from the water. A second collection of artifacts was unearthed in 2012 by archaeologists, after work crews demolishing the Traffic Bridge had uncovered objects after drilling holes in the riverbed. [4] [5] [6] It included fragments of the ship's hull, leading the archeologists to believe they had located the remains of the wreck itself. [2] In 2013, an archaeologist researching the recovered artifacts suggested that Captain Ross might have deliberately wrecked the ship, citing the lack of personal items found and the fact that the ship had been losing money. [7]
A film crew consisting of director Leanne Schinkel, producer Nils Sorensen, and editor Corby Evenson recorded the entire excavation for a feature-length documentary entitled The Last Steamship: The Search for the SS City of Medicine Hat. The film was released on September 3, 2010.
A steamboat is a boat that is propelled primarily by steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S or PS ; however, these designations are most often used for steamships.
The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The river begins at the confluence of the Bow and Oldman Rivers in southern Alberta and ends at the Saskatchewan River Forks in central Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan River Forks is the confluence of the South and North Saskatchewan Rivers and is the beginning of the Saskatchewan River.
The Traffic Bridge is the name given to two truss bridges constructed across the South Saskatchewan River, connecting Victoria Avenue to 3rd Avenue South and Spadina Crescent in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The original bridge opened on October 10, 1907, and was the first bridge to carry motor vehicle traffic in Saskatoon, replacing an unreliable ferry service. The promised construction of the bridge was considered a prime factor in the amalgamation of the towns of Saskatoon, Nutana and Riversdale into one city named Saskatoon. The Traffic Bridge was the only road bridge in Saskatoon until 1916, when the University Bridge was completed. In 2010, the bridge was permanently closed due to severe corrosion and was demolished by 2016.
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1908 | |
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| Other incidents |
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