Idaho (1866 ship)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Idaho docked in Juneau, Alaska in 1887 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Idaho |
| Builder | George F. and John Patten, shipbuilders |
| Cost | $250,000 |
| Launched | August 11, 1866 |
| Homeport | San Francisco, California |
| Identification | Signal letters H.K.G.Q. |
| Fate | Wrecked near Race Rocks, British Columbia, November 29, 1889 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Steamship |
| Tonnage | 800 net tons |
| Tons burthen | 1077 tons |
| Length | 198 ft (60 m) |
| Beam | 31 ft (9.4 m) |
| Depth | 17 ft (5.2 m) |
| Installed power | 350 horsepower |
| Propulsion | Propeller |
| Sail plan | Brigantine |
| Capacity | 117 cabin passengers and 130 steerage passengers plus 900 tons of freight |
| Crew | 42 |
| Notes | Official number 12045 |
Idaho was a wooden steamship built for Pacific Coast passenger and freight service. She was launched in 1866 and wrecked in 1889. She was one of the first ocean-going steamships to provide regular service to the northwest coast of North America.
Idaho was built in Bath, Maine and launched on August 11, 1866.[1] She was a wooden ship, built of oak, yellow pine, and hackmatack. She was 198 feet (60 meters) long, with a beam of 31 feet (9.4 meters) and a draft of 17 feet (5.2 meters). She displaced 1,077 gross tons.[2] Her primary propulsion was provided by a coal-fired steam engine which had a single 44" cylinder and a 3' stroke. The engine turned a fifty-six foot-long shaft to drive a single propeller 12 1/2' in diameter. She also had two masts and could sail. One report said she cost $250,000 to build.[3] She was built in the shipyard of George F. and John Patten, a partnership between two brothers.[4][5]
As originally constructed, her interior spaces included forty three-berth staterooms, a dining salon which could seat 100, a ladies' cabin, and a gentlemen's smoking room.[3] An 1880 refit gave slightly more space for cargo, reducing cabin capacity to 100 and steerage capacity to 125 people.[6]
Anchor Line (1867)
By 1865 a cosy duopoly existed between the California Steam Navigation Company and the California, Oregon, and Mexico Steamship Company for sailings from San Francisco to points north. The duopolists charged $45 for a cabin and $25 for a steerage berth on the San Francisco - Portland route. Captain Jarvis Patton founded a competing steamship company, the Anchor Line, to challenge the duopoly. He began service with his new ship, Montana, and cut rates to $15 for a cabin and $5 for steerage.[7] The two existing competitors dropped their prices in response, hurting profitability for all.
The Anchor Line's second vessel, Idaho, sailed from Maine for the West Coast on October 5, 1866, under the command of Captain Patton.[8] She stopped in Montevideo and sailed from there on November 22, 1866,[9] reaching San Francisco on February 8, 1867.[10] She made one run to Portland for the Anchor Line. Her arrival on the West Coast and the greater competition the new ship heralded, triggered industry consolidation.[11] The ocean-going fleet of the California Steam Navigation Company was merged into the California, Oregon, and Mexico Steamship Company in June 1867.[12] The Anchor Line was absorbed as well, eliminating competition on the San Francisco - Portland route.[13] Rates were immediately raised to $35 for a cabin and $20 for a steerage berth.[14]
California, Oregon, and Mexico Steamship Company (1867 - 1870)
Despite the change in ownership and rates, Idaho continued to sail between San Francisco and Portland in the immediate aftermath of the merger agreement. She was switched to the San Francisco - Honolulu route in mid-1867 and continued to sail to Hawaii until mid-1870.[15] During this period, in March 1869, the California, Oregon and Mexico Steamship Company was reorganized as the North Pacific Transportation Company. The company changed from a New York corporation with headquarters in New York City to a California corporation with headquarters in San Francisco.[16]
Pacific Mail Steamship Company (1870 - 1875)
In October 1870 Idaho was chartered by the Pacific Mail Steamship Company to replace its ship Continental, which sank off Cabo San Lucas.[17] She sailed from San Francisco to Mazatlan[18] to replace Continental, and later to a number of other destinations including Panama, Portland and San Diego.[19][20][21] There was over-capacity and vigorous competition on these routes, driving down profitability for all shipping companies. Idaho was idled in August 1874 to reduce costs.[22] The steamship industry consolidated again in 1875 when five of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company ships were sold to Goodall, Nelson, and Perkins Steamship Company which focused solely on coastal trade in North America, leaving the longer international voyages to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company.[11][23] It is unclear when Idaho became part of the Goodall, Nelson, and Perkins fleet, but one source relates that it was part of the larger 1875 deal.[11] In any case, the next time California newspapers report her as assigned to a regular route was late 1877 under the flag of the Pacific Coast Steamship company.
