Senator (sternwheeler)
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 News item, May 7, 1875 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Senator |
| Owner | People's Transportation Co.; Oregon Steamship Co. |
| Route | Willamette River |
| In service | 1863 |
| Out of service | 1875 |
| Identification | U.S. 23148 |
| Fate | Destroyed by boiler explosion |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | inland steamship |
| Length | 123 ft (37.5 m) exclusive of fantail. |
| Beam | 21 ft (6.4 m) exclusive of guards |
| Depth | 5 ft (1.5 m) 3.5 ft (1.1 m) or depth of hold |
| Installed power | twin high-pressure steam engines, horizontally mounted, single cylinder, bore 12.25 in (0.31 m), stroke 48 in (1.22 m). |
| Propulsion | stern-wheel |
Senator was a stern-wheel-driven steamboat which operated on the Willamette River in the state of Oregon from 1863 to 1875. Senator is chiefly remembered for its having been destroyed in a fatal boiler explosion in 1875 while making a landing at the Portland, Oregon waterfront in 1875.
Senator was built in 1863 at Milwaukie, Oregon by shipbuilder John T. Thomas (1808–1890) for steamboat captain Joseph Kellogg.[1] The steamer made its trial trip on January 22, 1864.[1] The dimensions of the hull were length 123 feet; beam (width) 21 feet; depth of hold 5.0 feet; draft light (unloaded) 22 inches.[1] Gross tonnage in 1874 for Senator was 297.99.[2]
The official merchant vessel registry number for Senator was 23148.[2]
Engineering
The machinery for Senator came from the steamer Surprise, which had been built at Canemah, Oregon in 1857.[3][4] The boat was powered by two single cylinder steam engines, each with a bore diameter of 12.25 inches and a stroke of 48 inches.[1] The stern-wheel was 17 feet in diameter with planks, called “paddles” 14 inches across.[1]
Ownership
Soon after Senator was completed, Joseph Kellogg, the owner, sold it to People's Transportation Company in exchange for stock in the company.[1]
Operations
Joseph Kellogg continued in command of Senator until 1867, when George A. Pease and E.W. Baughman became captains.[1] Capt. Charles H. Kellogg (1846–1889) took command until the steamer was sold to Ben Hollday in 1871.[1]
Connection with Sucker Lake - Tualatin river route
In October 1866, Senator was part of a transportation route to Washington County, Oregon which sought to avoid the navigation barrier then formed by Willamette Falls.[5]
Senator would run to Oswego, on the Willamette River, where passengers would disembark, and cross over to Sucker Lake, as Oswego Lake was then known.[5] The traveler would then stay overnight at Shade's Hotel in Oswego, and, the next morning, board a small sternwheeler, the Minnehaha.[5][6]
The lake boat then paddled across the water to the lake's western end, where it was reported, they would be taken to Colfax, on the Tualatin River “by cars”.[5] Once at Colfax, the steamer Yamhill, with Captain Kellogg in charge, would “be in readiness.”[5] The Yamhill would then steam up the Tualatin River, with, it was projected, excursionists, as far as Taylor's Bridge.[5]
Portland - Oregon City route
As of October 27, 1866, Senator, running for the People's Transportation Company, departed Portland daily (except Sunday) at 6:00 a.m. for Oregon City, where connections were made with Enterprise, Echo, and Active, running every Monday and Thursday for Salem, Albany and Corvallis.[7] Connections were also made at Oregon City with the Union, which ran on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for Dayton and intermediate points.[7] Returning to Portland, Senator departed Oregon City daily at 1:00 p.m.[7] Captain E.W. Baughman was in charge of Senator at this time.[8]
In November 1867, Senator was under the command of Captain Thomas Berry.[9]
1870 overhaul
In July 1870, Senator was hauled out of the river at the lower end of Oregon City to undergo a major overhaul, including an increase in engine power, and apparently to have a new hull constructed under the vessel.[10][11]
On October 21, 1870, it was reported that Senator should be receiving its machinery, and was expected to be returned to service on the route between Oregon City and Portland in the next week or two.[12]
Return to service
In June 1871, Charles W. Pope was purser of the Senator.[13]
As of November 1871, Senator was being operated by the Willamette Transportation Company, departing Portland at 2:00 p.m. daily for Oregon City, and departing Oregon City the following morning at 7:30 a.m. on the return trip to Portland.[14]
On Wednesday, October 16, 1872, Senator transported several hundred barrels of cement to Oregon City to be used in the construction of the Willamette Falls Locks.[15]
Sunk in Clackamas Rapids
On the morning of November 30, 1871, while on the way downriver from Oregon City to Portland, with a heavy load of cargo (203 tons), Senator became unmanageable in the swift currents of the Clackamas Rapids.[16] As a result, the steamer sank in about seven feet of water.[16] The cargo was taken off by another steamer E.N. Cooke.[16]
Damage to the steamer was initially thought to be considerable but still “easily repaired.”[16] Damage to the cargo could not be ascertained as of the first report of the incident.[16] Reportedly no blame for the accident could rest upon the officers of the boat.[16]
According to another report, Senator was thrown by an eddy against the rocks at Rynearson's Point, but sank not in seven feet of water but only two or three feet, but enough to cover the steamer's lower deck.[17] The steamer was proceeding through the eastern chute of the rapids, considered the safer route at a good stage of water, some of which was considerably.[17]
The cargo was reported to be 140 tons, mostly of flour.[17] While the project of raising and repairing the Senator was underway, the E.N. Cooke would take its place on the route.[17]