Lucea Mason circa 1885. | |
History | |
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Name: | Lucea Mason |
Route: | Lewis, Columbia, and lower Willamette rivers. |
In service: | 1883 |
Out of service: | 1891 |
Identification: | U.S. #140603 |
Fate: | Sank on the Lewis River |
General characteristics | |
Type: | inland all-purpose |
Tonnage: | 178 GT; 140 RT |
Length: | 109 ft (33.22 m) exclusive of fantail |
Beam: | 20 ft (6.10 m) exclusive of guards |
Depth: | 4 ft 2.5 in (128.3 cm) depth of hold |
Installed power: | twin steam engines, horizontally mounted: cylinder bore 11 in (28 cm); stroke 4 ft 0 in (122 cm), generating 8.3 nominal horsepower |
Propulsion: | stern-wheel |
Lucea Mason was a steamboat that operated from 1883 to 1891 on the Lewis, Columbia, and lower Willamette rivers. This vessel was occasionally referred to as the Lucia Mason. [1] Lucea Mason was reported to have sunk a lot but nevertheless made a great deal of money for its owners. [2] [3]
Lucea Mason was built in 1883 at St. Helens, Oregon by J.H. Peterson for the Farmers’ Transportation Company. [4] Isaac Thomas was one of the principals behind the Farmers’ Transportation Company. [2]
Lucea Mason was 109 ft (33.22 m) long exclusive of the extension of the main deck over stern, called the fantail, on which the stern-wheel was mounted. [4] The steamer had a beam of 20 ft (6.10 m) exclusive of the protective timbers along the upper outside of the hull called guards. [4] The depth of hold was 4 ft 2.5 in (128.3 cm). [4]
The overall size of the steamer was 178 gross tons, a unit of volume and not weight, and 140 registered tons. [4] The official merchant vessel registry number was 140603. [4]
Lucea Mason was capable of carrying 200 passengers on excursions, as it did on Sunday May 6, 1883 on a trip to La Center, W.T.. [5] However, in 1888, by law Lucea Mason was not allowed to carry more than 100 passengers. [6]
Lucea Mason was driven by a stern-wheel turned by twin steam engines, horizontally mounted: cylinder bore 11 in (28 cm); stroke 4 ft 0 in (122 cm), generating 8.3 nominal horsepower. [4]
Isaac Thomas acted as captain most of the time, and other times the role of master of the vessel was taken on by William G. Weir. Lovelace Pearne "L.P." Hosford was one of the officers of Lucea Mason. [7]
In May 1883, the "new and elegant" Lucea Mason was running from Portland, Oregon to La Center, W.T. on the following schedule: Depart Portland from the foot of Alder Street at 9:00 a.m. for La Center every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, touching at St. Helens, Lake River and intermediate points; Returning to Portland, leaving La Center at 6:00 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. [8]
Landings were made at Woodland, Washington on Wednesday and Thursday. [8] Lucea Mason remained a similar schedule until February 1886. [9]
In mid-May 1883, round trip excursion fare on Lucea Mason for a Sunday trip from La Center to Vancouver, W.T. via St. Helens was fifty cents on one occasion, and one dollar on another. [10] [11] At least one excursion was scheduled to run from La Center to Oregon City, Oregon on June 24, 1883, fare 75 cents round trip. [12]
On the afternoon Wednesday, October 8, 1884, Lucea Mason collided with the sternwheeler Dewdrop at the month of the Cowlitz River. [13] Dewdrop, carrying a cargo of hay, sank to its deck level, but was reported to have sustained only slight damage. [13]
In early 1887, the steamer Isabel was competing against Lucea Mason on the Lewis River. [14] Isabel had the same legal limit for passengers, 100, as did Lucea Mason. [6]
In early February, 1887, Isabel was withdrawn from the Lewis River route. [14] A rumor was afoot that the owners of Lucea Mason had paid Isabel $400 to stay off the route. [14]
At 7:00 a.m. on September 7, 1888, with Capt. Isaac Thomas in command, Lucea Mason hit a snag in the Lewis river and sank. [15] The snag tore a hole in the hull about 40 feet long. [15] Captain Thomas was able to beach the steamer in three feet of water, with the deck about 1.5 above the water level. [15] There was no injury to the 8 or 10 passengers on board. [15]
At this time both Lucea Mason and Isabel were owned by the Farmers’ Transportation Company. [15] The total damage to Lucea Mason was about $1,000. [15] While Lucea Mason was being repaired, its place on the Lewis River route would be taken by Isabel. [15]
Lucea Mason was not insured against sinking, but only against fire. [15] The reason for this was that insurance against sinking cost 7.5%.
Captain Thomas planned to have the cargo, which was uninsured, taken off Lucea Mason by Isabel, then to raise Lucea Mason and take it down to the Supple yard in Portland for repairs. [15]
The snag in the river was familiar to Captain Thomas, and he described the reason for the accident as follows:
Well,it is one of those things that will happen with the most careful pilots. I knew the snag was there, and had seen it a hundred times; but it was a case of very close steering, and a mistake which is easy to make. [15]
During its career, in addition to the Farmers’ Transportation Co., Lucea Mason came into the ownership of the Lewis and Lake Rivers Transportation Company, which was formed by farmers living along those rivers. [7]
On February 25, 1889, Lucea Mason brought in from La Center to the Everding & Farrell dock at Portland, more hay than at any other time during the season in a single load. [16] Lucea Mason, along with other steamers in the Cowlitz country, were bringing produce to Portland in large quantities. [16]
In mid-July 1889 the Lewis River had fallen so low that Lucea Mason could not reach La Center. [17]
The Bailey Gatzert was a famous sternwheel steamboat that ran on the Columbia River and Puget Sound from the 1890s to the 1920s. This vessel was considered one of the finest of its time. It was named after Bailey Gatzert, an early businessman and mayor of Seattle, who was one of the closest friends and business associates of John Leary – the person who financed the ship.
Olympian was a large side-wheel inland steamship that operated in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Olympian operated from early 1884 to late 1891 on the Columbia River, Puget Sound, and the Inside Passage of British Columbia and Alaska.
Elk was a stern-wheel driven steamboat built on the Willamette River in 1857 at Canemah, Oregon. This steamboat is chiefly remembered for its destruction by a boiler explosion in which by good fortune no one was seriously hurt. A folklore tale later arose about this disaster.
Sarah Dixon was a wooden sternwheel-driven steamboat operated by the Shaver Transportation Company on the Columbia and lower Willamette rivers from 1892 to 1926. Originally Sarah Dixon was built as a mixed use passenger and freight vessel, and was considered a prestige vessel for the time.
Montesano was a steamboat that was operated from 1882 to about 1903 in the coastal regions of Oregon and southwest Washington, including Astoria, Willapa Bay, Grays Harbor, the Chehalis River, Yaquina Bay and Coos Bay. The Montesano of 1882, built in Astoria, should not be confused with another, larger sternwheeler, also named Montesano, built in Cosmopolis, Washington in 1889.
Elwood was a sternwheel steamboat which was built to operate on the Willamette River, in Oregon, but which later operated on the Lewis River in Washington, the Stikine River in Canada, and on Puget Sound. The name of this vessel is sometimes seen spelled "Ellwood". Elwood is probably best known for an incident in 1893, when it was approaching the Madison Street Bridge over the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. The bridge swung open to allow the steamer to pass. However, a streetcar coming in from the east end of the bridge failed to notice the bridge was open, and ran off into the river in the Madison Street Bridge disaster.
Jennie Clark, also seen spelled Jenny Clark, was the first sternwheel-driven steamboat to operate on the rivers of the Pacific Northwest, including British Columbia. This vessel was commonly known as the Jennie when it was in service. The design of the Jennie Clark set a pattern for all future sternwheel steamboats built in the Pacific Northwest and in British Columbia.
Shoo Fly was a sternwheel-driven steamboat that operated on the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the 1870s. Originally built as primarily as a freight boat, the vessel was used in other roles, including towing and clearing of snags. Shoo Fly inspired the name of another sternwheeler on the Willamette River, Don't Bother Me.
Alice was a stern-wheel driven steamboat that operated on the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the 1870s and 1880s. Alice was the largest vessel built above Willamette Falls and was considered in its day to be the "Queen of the River". This steamer was rebuilt after near-destruction in a fire at Oregon City, Oregon in May 1873. In 1876, it was withdrawn from the upper Willamette River and transferred to the Columbia River, where it was worked as a towboat moving ocean-going ships to and from Portland and Astoria, Oregon, near the mouth of the Columbia River.
Albany was a stern-wheel driven steamboat that operated on the Willamette River from 1868 to 1875. This vessel should not be confused with the later sternwheeler Albany, which ran, also on the Willamette River, from 1896 to 1906, when it was rebuilt and renamed Georgie Burton.
Occident was a steamer that operated on the Willamette River and occasionally its tributary, the Santiam River from 1875 to about 1890. Occident was designed primarily for freight work, and did not have passenger accommodations. This Occident should not be confused with the smaller steam launch Occident, apparently propeller-driven, which operated out of Astoria, Oregon in the 1890s.
No Wonder was a stern-wheel driven steamboat that operated on the Willamette, Columbia and Cowlitz rivers from 1889 to 1930. No Wonder was originally built in 1877 as Wonder, which was dismantled in 1888, with components being shifted over to a new hull, which when launched in late 1889 was called No Wonder.
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Orient was a light-draft sternwheel-driven steamboat built in 1875 for the Willamette River Transportation Company, a concern owned by pioneer businessman Ben Holladay. Shortly after its completion, it was acquired by the Oregon Steam Navigation Company. Orient was a near-twin vessel of a steamer built at the same time, the Occident.
Mascot was a sternwheel-driven steamboat built in 1890 which operated primarily on a route running from Portland, Oregon down the Willamette and Columbia rivers to points on the Lewis and Lake rivers. Points served included the town of Woodland, Washington, on the main branch of the Lewis, and La Center, Washington on the east fork.
Governor Newell was a sternwheel-driven steamboat that operated from 1883 to 1902 in the Pacific Northwest.
Joseph Kellogg was a stern-wheel driven steamboat that operated on the Willamette, Columbia, and Cowlitz rivers for the Kellogg Transportation Company. It was named after the company's founder, Joseph Kellogg (1812-1903). The sternwheeler Joseph Kellogg was built in 1881 at Portland, Oregon.
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