Page:Lewis & Dryden's marine history of the Pacific Northwest.djvu/441

There was a problem when proofreading this page.

of A. E. Cann,^[1] captain ; Henderson, first officer ; Albert Ross, chief engineer. Captain Cann is still in charge, and James Scott succeeded Ross. The lightship was located a few miles west of the whistling buoy, remaining; there until 1894, when it was moved about two miles south, bringing it nearer to the track of vessels approaching the Columbia River. The presence of this sentinel of the deep has practically closed that long list of disasters to vessels caught in the northerly current and swept to destruction on the weather beach while approaching the Columbia in bad weather. The immense strength of the lightship has been thoroughly tested by many violent storms since she went into commission, but she has held her place and come through the fiercest gales uninjured.

The old steamer Isabel, which the Dunsmuirs had been operating on the east coast route out of Victoria, was replaced in 1892 by the Joan, a band.some propeller about one hundred and fifty feet long and thirty feet An image should appear at this position in the text.Steamer "Joan " beam, with engines sixteen and thirty-two by twenty-four inches. The steamer was placed in command of Captain Butler, who remained with her until 1894, when he was appointed regular pilot in the Victoria district and was succeeded by Capt. W. D. Owen.^[2] Another pioneer of even greater age than the Isabel was relegated to the rear in 1892, the Government steamer Sir James Douglas having a successor in the Quadra, which arrived from Scotland, January 4th, in charge of J. A. Walbran, commander ; Gage, first officer; Hodgert, chief engineer. The Quadra is two hundred and twelve feet long, twenty-one feet beam, and thirteen feet six inches hold, with a twelve-foot propeller, and was put in commission with James Gaudin, captain, and W. G. Owen, first officer. A few months later Walbran resumed command, which he has since retained, with Gordon F. Grant, engineer. The Union Steamship Company increased their fleet in 1892 with the Coquillam, a steel propeller one hundred and twenty-seven feet long, twenty-two feet beam, and nine feet six inches hold, net registered tonnage 165, with engines thirteen and one-fourth and twenty-six by eighteen inches. The vessel was shipped from Scotland in sections and put together in Vancouver under the supervision of H. Darling. She is a very economical freighter, having a speed of nine mites per hour on a coal consumption of four tons in twenty-four hours. She was sent north as a tender to the sealing fleet in June and was seized by the United States Government, who confiscated her (see steamer Coquillam, Chapter XXI). The steamer Courser was launched at Westminster in February for Captain Cooper, who intended her for the Chilliwack trade. The Queen, a square-built vessel sixty feet long and twelve feet beam, with machinery from the Lady Dufferin, was built at Kamloops for local service. She was owned by J. E. Saucier, and Capt. James Ritchie was in command. She went skyward in a terrible explosion, July 4, 1894 (see wreck of steamer Queen). The Lower Fraser River Transportation Company was organized at New Westminster by Capt. Richard H. Baker^[3], Joseph B. Oliver,^[4] D. Hennesey and Captain Holman. They constructed the sternwheeler Telephone in February, 1892, and, on finding her too small, a year later completed the steamer Edgar, which Captain Baker has since handled.

While the Canadian Pacific Railway Company's steamships were by far the finest of their class, and had immense carrying capacity, several other large steamships found profitable employment in the trade in which that

↑ Capt. A. E. Cann is a native of Maine, and naturally enough commenced following the sea when quite young He coasted for a short time on the Atlantic and then entered the deep-water .service, where in due season he reached the quarter deck. He came to Astoria about twelve years ago, and, finding employment at the mouth of the Columbia, abandoned deep water, he served for a while on bar tugs, and was afterward master of a number of small steamers running out of Astoria. He was also in charge of the pilot schooner stationed on the mouth of the Columbia River, and, when the lightship Columbia River No. 50 was placed in position, he was given command, which he still holds.
↑ Capt. W. D. Owen of Victoria, D. C, was born in Liverpool in iS66 and has been engaged in marine work in the Northwest since 1886, his first position being on the Leonoare. He was four years with tugboats at Vancouver, and then went to the steamer Joan at Victoria, serving there for over two years as mate, with the exception of a short time when he was master of the steamer Isabel. He afterward commanded the Joan.
↑ Capt. Richard H. Baker of New Westminster, B. C. was born in Dartmouth, England, in 1844, and entered the British Navy at the age of twenty, coming to the Pacific Coast in 1S65 on H. M. S. Frigate. He remained in the naval service until 870, when he purchased his discharge and remained ashore for a year at Victoria. He then began running as engineer and was for five years on the Sea Foam, Chinaman, Lillie and Leonora. He was next second assistant engineer on the Etta White for a few months and then fitted up the machinery for a cannery and the Royal City Mills. He remained with the mill company for eight years, running as engineer on the Stella, Lillie, Gypsy and Bell, and as master of the tug Comet. In February, 1892, he left the employ of that company and organized the Lower Fraser River Transportation Company, composed of Joseph B. Oliver, D. Henessey, Captain Holman and himself. They began with the steamer Telephone, but soon found her too small for the business and a year later built the steamer Edgar, which Captain Baker has since commanded.
↑ Joseph B. Oliver, engineer, was born in England in 1836. He served his apprenticeship at Penn's factory, Greenwich, for seven years, and was then an engineer on Thames River towboats for three years, after which he made a trip to China. He was afterward engineer on an Havana blockade-runner for a year and then came to California, where he joined the steamer Golden City as oiler in 1964, subsequently holding the same position on the Oriflamme. He then went to British Columbia on the steamer Labonchere and worked for about six years in a sawmill. Since then he has run on the steamers Etta White, Maggie and others, and is engaged at present on the Edgar.

[1] Capt. A. E. Cann is a native of Maine, and naturally enough commenced following the sea when quite young He coasted for a short time on the Atlantic and then entered the deep-water .service, where in due season he reached the quarter deck. He came to Astoria about twelve years ago, and, finding employment at the mouth of the Columbia, abandoned deep water, he served for a while on bar tugs, and was afterward master of a number of small steamers running out of Astoria. He was also in charge of the pilot schooner stationed on the mouth of the Columbia River, and, when the lightship Columbia River No. 50 was placed in position, he was given command, which he still holds.

[2] Capt. W. D. Owen of Victoria, D. C, was born in Liverpool in iS66 and has been engaged in marine work in the Northwest since 1886, his first position being on the Leonoare. He was four years with tugboats at Vancouver, and then went to the steamer Joan at Victoria, serving there for over two years as mate, with the exception of a short time when he was master of the steamer Isabel. He afterward commanded the Joan.

[3] Capt. Richard H. Baker of New Westminster, B. C. was born in Dartmouth, England, in 1844, and entered the British Navy at the age of twenty, coming to the Pacific Coast in 1S65 on H. M. S. Frigate. He remained in the naval service until 870, when he purchased his discharge and remained ashore for a year at Victoria. He then began running as engineer and was for five years on the Sea Foam, Chinaman, Lillie and Leonora. He was next second assistant engineer on the Etta White for a few months and then fitted up the machinery for a cannery and the Royal City Mills. He remained with the mill company for eight years, running as engineer on the Stella, Lillie, Gypsy and Bell, and as master of the tug Comet. In February, 1892, he left the employ of that company and organized the Lower Fraser River Transportation Company, composed of Joseph B. Oliver, D. Henessey, Captain Holman and himself. They began with the steamer Telephone, but soon found her too small for the business and a year later built the steamer Edgar, which Captain Baker has since commanded.

[4] Joseph B. Oliver, engineer, was born in England in 1836. He served his apprenticeship at Penn's factory, Greenwich, for seven years, and was then an engineer on Thames River towboats for three years, after which he made a trip to China. He was afterward engineer on an Havana blockade-runner for a year and then came to California, where he joined the steamer Golden City as oiler in 1964, subsequently holding the same position on the Oriflamme. He then went to British Columbia on the steamer Labonchere and worked for about six years in a sawmill. Since then he has run on the steamers Etta White, Maggie and others, and is engaged at present on the Edgar.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]