Kuskanook

Last updated
Kuskanook in 1928.jpg
Kuskanook underway, 1928.
History
NameKuskanook
Owner Canadian Pacific Railway
OperatorCPR River and Lake Service
Route Kootenay Lake
BuilderJames M. Bulger
Cost$104,145..37
LaunchedMay 5, 1906
Maiden voyageJuly 19, 1906
Out of serviceDecember 1931
IdentificationCanada #121758
FateConverted to floating hotel in 1932 and sank in 1936.
General characteristics
Typeinland all-purpose.
Tonnage1008 GRT; 548 NRT
Length193.5 ft (58.98 m)
Beam30.9 ft (9.42 m)
Depth7 ft (2.13 m) depth of hold
Installed powertwin steam engines, horizontally mounted: cylinder bore 22 in (56 cm); stroke 8 ft 3 in (251 cm); 32.3 nominal horsepower; 560 indicated horsepower; boiler generated steam pressure 180 p.s.i.
Propulsionstern-wheel
CapacityLicensed for 450 passengers; 37 staterooms.
CrewTwenty-eight (including seven officers).

Kuskanook was a wooden, stern-wheel driven steamboat that operated on Kootenay Lake, in British Columbia from 1906 to 1931. After being taken out of service, Kuskanook was sold for use as a floating hotel, finally sinking in 1936. The vessel name is also seen spelled Kooskanook. [1]

Contents

Route

Kootenay Lake was a long, glacially carved lake running north to south in the Kootenay region in British Columbia. [2] About halfway along the lake's length, an extension called the Western Arm curved in to Nelson, British Columbia. [2] Near the junction of the Western Arm with the main lake were, on the north of the arm, Balfour, and on the south, Proctor. [2]

North of Balfour, about halfway between the Western Arm and Lardeau, was the town of Kaslo, British Columbia. [2] Just to the east across the lake from the Western Arm there were landings at Kootenay Bay, Crawford Bay, and Pilot Bay. [2] At the southern end of the lake was Kootenay Landing, which was the furthest point reached by railroad when Kuskanook was built. [2]

Construction

Kuskanook was built by James M. Bulger at Nelson, British Columbia, in 1906 for the Canadian Pacific Railway. [3] No sternwheeler had been built in Nelson since Moyie was launched in 1898. [4] Kuskanook was one of a pair of nearly identical vessels ordered by CPR, the other being Okanagan, which was placed into service in 1907 on Okanagan Lake. [4] Both Kuskanook and Okanagan were based on the design of an earlier vessel, the Arrow Lakes sternwheeler Rossland.

The vessel cost $104,145.37. [3] The parts had been manufactured in eastern Canada and brought to Nelson to be assembled. [5] The launch on May 5, 1906, was reportedly attended by 3,500 people. [5]

Dimensions

Kuskanook was 193.5 ft (58.98 m), long, measured over the hull, exclusive of the fantail on which the stern-wheel was mounted. [3] The steamer had a beam of 30.9 ft (9.42 m) with a depth of hold of 7 ft (2.13 m) . [3] The Canadian merchant vessel registry number was Canada #121758. [3]

According to one source, Kuskanook had 37 staterooms and was licensed to carry 450 passengers. [3] Another, more detailed source, states that Kuskanook had four dining room tables, with total seating for 32 persons, with 39 staterooms, and a total passenger capacity of 400. [6] By the mid-1920s Kuskanook could carry eight motor vehicles, mostly on the route between Nelson and the settlement of Kuskonook, just north of Kootenay Landing. [6]

Kuskanook had three decks, the freight and machinery deck, above which were the passenger deck and the texas deck. [4] The wheelhouse was placed just forward of the funnel and stepped back from forward edge of the texas deck cabins. [4] The passenger accommodations were the finest yet seen on the Canadian Pacific's sternwheelers. [4]

Kuskanook required a crew of twenty-eight, including seven officers. [6]

Engineering

Kuskanook was driven by twin steam engines turning a stern-wheel. Each steam engine was horizontally mounted, with a cylinder bore of 22 in (56 cm), and a piston stroke of 8 ft 3 in (251 cm). [3] The steam plant generated 32.3 nominal horsepower; 560 indicated horsepower. [3] The boiler generated steam pressure ad 180 p.s.i. [3]

Career

Kuskanook and other lake steamers were often the only connections the communities along Kootenay Lake had with the outside world. [5] Kuskanook made its initial trip on July 19, 1906, running from Nelson BC to Kootenay Landing. [3] Kootenay Landing was the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which reached the landing from points east through Crowsnest Pass. [4] Increasing demand for lake transport on this run was the main reason for placing Kuskanook into service. [4]

Because of the connection to the Crowsnest railway, the Nelson-Kootenay Landing run was called the “Crow Boat” route. [4] Increasing demand for lake transport on this run was the main reason for placing Kuskanook into service. [4]

Kuskanook was extensively refitted in 1911, and in 1913 was replaced on the Nelson-Kootenay Landing run by the new steel-hulled steamer Naskookin . [3] Kuskanook was refitted in 1914 and placed on the Nelson-Kaslo run. [3] From 1914 to December 31, 1930 Kuskanook was also operated as a relief steamer for Nasookin, and for excursions departing from Nelson. [3] Kuskanook also called at Balfour, where before the First World War, to encourage tourism, the Canadian Pacific had built a 50-room hotel. [7]

Steam pipe explosion

Kuskanook (left) and other lake steamers tied up at Proctor BC in May 1931, after completion of the rail link between Kootenay Landing and Proctor. Lake steamers tied up May 1931.jpg
Kuskanook (left) and other lake steamers tied up at Proctor BC in May 1931, after completion of the rail link between Kootenay Landing and Proctor.

In 1925 there was a steam pipe explosion on Kuskanook. [8] A water trap failed in the main steam pipe leading aft to the boiler, and high pressure steam burst out all through the engine room. [8] Three crew members were scalded to death. [8] This was probably the worst fatal accident in the history of the Canadian Pacific's Lake and River Service. [8]

Last years

The completion of the B.C. Southern rail link between Kootenay Landing and Proctor eliminated the need for steamboat service between the two points. [5] Road construction had already reduced the demand for steamer transport. [5] In 1931, Kuskanook was worked on the Proctor-Crawford Bay-Lardeau run, and on excursions. [3]

Disposition

In December 1931, Canadian Pacific sold Kuskanook to Arthur D. Pochin. Canadian Pacific decided to keep Moyie in service, even though older, because Kuskanook’s wooden hull made the boat surplus. [9] Pochin tied Kuskanook up to a wharf at Nelson for use as a floating hotel. [3] The boat was later towed to Kootenay Landing, where it sank in 1936. [3]

Wreck status

The wreck of Kuskanook lies at Kokanee Landing, on Highway 3A, about 30 km east of Nelson. [10] The wreck lies perpendicular to the shore, and can be readily seen during low water. [10]

Notes

  1. Mills, Randall V. (1947). "Ch. 7: To the Farthest Reach". Sternwheelers up Columbia -- A Century of Steamboating in the Oregon Country. Lincoln NE: University of Nebraska. 89. ISBN   0-8032-5874-7. LCCN   77007161.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Turner, Robert D. (1984). "Ch. 1: Early Steamboating in the Kootenays and the Okanagan". Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service. Victoria, BC: Sono Nis Press. 14-15. ISBN   0919203159.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Affleck, Edward L. (2000). "Part One: Ch. 2: Columbia River Waterways — List of Vessels". A Century of Paddlewheelers in the Pacific Northwest, the Yukon, and Alaska. Vancouver, BC: Alexander Nicholls Press. 54. ISBN   0-920034-08-X.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Turner, Robert D. (1984). "Ch. 4: Years of Growth and Years of Change". Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service. Victoria, BC: Sono Nis Press. 129-133. ISBN   0919203159.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Downs, Art (1972). "Ch. 9: Arrow and Kootenay Lakes". Paddlewheels on the Frontier -- The Story of British Columbia and Yukon Sternwheel Steamers. Seattle, WA: Superior Pub. Co. 126-130. ISBN   978-0875642116.
  6. 1 2 3 Turner, Robert D. (1984). "Appdx III: Lake and River Service Steamer Crews and Accommodations". Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service. Victoria, BC: Sono Nis Press. 263. ISBN   0919203159.
  7. Turner, Robert D. (1984). "Ch. 5: From Heyday to Decline". Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service. Victoria, BC: Sono Nis Press. 158-159. ISBN   0919203159.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Turner, Robert D. (1984). "Ch. 4: Years of Growth and Years of Change". Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service. Victoria, BC: Sono Nis Press. 119. ISBN   0919203159.
  9. Turner, Robert D. (1984). "Ch. 5: From Heyday to Decline". Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service. Victoria, BC: Sono Nis Press. 198. ISBN   0919203159.
  10. 1 2 Royal BC Museum Living Landscapes

Related Research Articles

<i>Moyie</i> (sternwheeler) Canadian paddle steamship

The Moyie is a paddle steamer sternwheeler that worked on Kootenay Lake in British Columbia, Canada from 1898 until 1957.

<i>Bonnington</i> (sternwheeler)

Bonnington was a sternwheel steamboat that ran on the Arrow Lakes in British Columbia from 1911 to 1931. Bonnington and two sisterships were the largest sternwheelers ever built in British Columbia. Bonnington was partially dismantled in the 1950s, and later sank, making the vessel the largest freshwater wreck site in British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steamboats of the Arrow Lakes</span>

The era of steamboats on the Arrow Lakes and adjoining reaches of the Columbia River is long-gone but was an important part of the history of the West Kootenay and Columbia Country regions of British Columbia Canada. The Arrow Lakes are formed by the Columbia River in southeastern British Columbia. Steamboats were employed on both sides of the border in the upper reaches of the Columbia, linking port towns on either side of the border, and sometimes boats would be built in one country and operated in the other. Tributaries of the Columbia include the Kootenay River which rises in Canada, then flows south into the United States, then bends north again back into Canada, where it widens into Kootenay Lake. As with the Arrow Lakes, steamboats once operated on the Kootenay River and Kootenay Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James William Troup</span>

James William Troup was an American steamship captain, Canadian Pacific Railway administrator and shipping pioneer.

<i>Minto</i> (sternwheeler)

Minto was a sternwheel steamboat that ran on the Arrow Lakes in British Columbia from 1898 to 1954. In those years of service, Minto had steamed over 3.2 million kilometers serving the small communities on Arrow Lakes. Minto and her sister Moyie were the last sternwheelers to run in regularly scheduled passenger service in the Pacific Northwest. The "Minto" class of sailing dinghies is named after this vessel.

<i>Kootenai</i> (sternwheeler) Sternwheel steamboat

Kootenai was a sternwheel steamboat that ran on the Arrow Lakes in British Columbia from 1885 to 1895. Kootenai was the second sternwheeler to run on the Arrow Lakes. This vessel should not be confused with the similarly named Kootenay, an 1897 sternwheeler that also ran on the Arrow Lakes.

<i>Lytton</i> (sternwheeler) Canadian sternwheel steamboat

Lytton was a sternwheel steamboat that ran on the Arrow Lakes and the Columbia River in southeastern British Columbia and northeastern Washington from 1890 to 1904.

<i>Columbia</i> (Arrow Lakes sternwheeler)

Columbia was a sternwheel steamboat that ran on the Arrow Lakes in British Columbia from 1891 to 1894. Columbia should be distinguished from the many other vessels with the same or similar names, including in particular the propeller-driven steamboat Columbia that ran on the Arrow Lakes for many years.

<i>Nakusp</i> (sternwheeler)

The Nakusp was a sternwheel steamboat that operated from 1895 to 1897 on the Arrow Lakes of British Columbia.

<i>Klahowya</i> (sternwheeler)

Klahowya was a sternwheel steamer that operated in British Columbia on the Columbia River from 1910 to 1915. The name "Klahowya" is the standard greeting in the Chinook Jargon.

<i>Marion</i> (sternwheeler)

Marion was a small sternwheel steamboat that operated in several waterways in inland British Columbia from 1888 to 1901.

Okanagan Landing was an unincorporated settlement and steamboat port at the north end of Okanagan Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. Located southwest of the city of Vernon, it was the terminus station for the Shuswap and Okanagan Railway and served as the port and shipyard for steamboats operating to the south, as well as a transfer barge slip.

SS <i>Okanagan</i>

SS Okanagan was a steamship owned and operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway Lake and River Service. The vessel was constructed in 1906 at Okanagan Landing and launched in 1907, becoming Okanagan Lake's second steamship. She linked the transportation hubs at both the north and south ends of Okanagan Lake (Vernon and Penticton, respectively, aiding the development of interior British Columbia with other steamships of the 1900s. The ship was retired in 1934 and sold for scrap and spare parts. Only the Stern Saloon, a room in the back of the upper deck, remains. It was moved to the SS Sicamous Heritage Park in Penticton in 2002, to undergo restoration work.

SS <i>York</i>

SS York was a small steamer that was used to haul freight on Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake. York was built in 1902 by Bertram Iron Works of Toronto and assembled at Okanagan Landing. She was pre-fabricated with a steel hull and was twin-screw-driven. She was a small vessel in comparison to the many other ships on the lake; York was only 88 by 16 feet. York was capable of moving 134 tons in freight and could carry up to 90 passengers.

SS <i>Aberdeen</i>

SS Aberdeen was a steamship commissioned by Canadian Pacific Railway company. It was the first CPR steamship on Okanagan Lake and carried passengers and cargo from Okanagan Landing to Penticton from 1893 to 1919. Aberdeen connected communities along Okanagan Lake for the first time, creating a new era in the Okanagan Valley and greatly aiding the economy and settlement of the interior of British Columbia.

<i>Canadian National Tug no. 6</i>

Canadian National Tug no. 6 was a diesel-powered tugboat owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway (CNR) company on Okanagan Lake, British Columbia. It was launched in 1948 and transferred railway barges between Penticton and Kelowna. It was retired in 1973, becoming the last of many tugboats to operate on Okanagan Lake. Tug 6 was moved to Penticton in 2007 to rest alongside the SS Naramata and SS Sicamous, two Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) steamboats, as part of the S.S. Sicamous Inland Marine Museum. The ships are currently being restored by the S.S. Sicamous Restoration Society.

SS <i>Kootenay</i>

SS Kootenay was a Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) wooden-hulled sternwheeler that serviced the Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada from 1897 to 1919. She was a large freight and passenger steamship and the first in a series of CPR riverboats built for the Arrow Lakes.

SS Columbia was a large screw-driven tugboat that operated on the Arrow Lakes and Columbia River in British Columbia, Canada.

<i>International</i> (sternwheeler)

International was a stern-wheel driven steam boat that operated on Kootenay Lake in British Columbia from 1896 to 1908. International was owned by a Canadian subsidiary of the Great Northern Railway and was involved in sharp competition, including steamboat racing, with similar vessels owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway.

<i>Nasookin</i> Canadian steamboat

Nasookin was a sternwheel-driven steamboat that operated on Kootenay Lake in British Columbia from 1913 to 1947. Nasookin was one of the largest inland steam vessels ever to operate in British Columbia and the Columbia River and its tributaries. Nasookin became surplus to its original owner, the Canadian Pacific Railway, and was transferred to the British Columbia Provincial government which used it as an auto ferry until 1947. Negligent mooring of the steamer in 1948 led to irreparable damage to its hull, and it was later scrapped. Portions of the upper works were salvaged and used as a house.

References