Early 1900's Ferries/Steamers

[Kahloke]

I know I've posted these somewhere before, but now that we have this historic ferries board, this seems like the proper place to place these old photos of early 20th Century ferries/steamships that operated in the San Juans:

Islander and Rosalie at Westsound, Orcas Island, sometime in the 1910s


Buckeye, circa 1910


Rosalie & Yankee Doodle at Friday Harbor, circa 1910


City of Angeles in Wasp Passage, circa 1920


Great old postcard and timetable for City of Anacortes, circa 1925

[Neil]

Dec 16, 2011 11:33:15 GMT -8 EGfleet said:

And my favorite--the first Tacoma of 1913. She was for many years the fastest single-propeller vessel (according to Lloyds of London) easily cruising at 22 knots, and often making 25.

The Tacoma was indeed a fine looking vessel, and I agree with your comment on the Olympic, above; not many boats fared as well having their bows altered for vehicle loading.

I don't find the standardization of today's WSF very interesting, but Puget Sound certainly had a wealth of handsome steamers in the first half of the last century.

A footnote to Kahloke's posting of a couple of Rosalie pictures; that was my maternal grandparents' love boat. The Friday Harbour Journal of October 28, 1909 reports them leaving onboard her the previous Wednesday evening to start their honeymoon, before returning to live on Orcas.

[mrdot]

:)this ferry was condidered the greyhound of Puget Sound in her heyday, as I recall! mrdot.

[Barnacle]

Dec 16, 2011 11:28:18 GMT -8 EGfleet said:

The first Olympic, formerly the Sioux. ...


Captain Peterson on board in September, 1940.

I just realized that Captain Peterson is sporting mate's stripes on the sleeve. Perhaps he's freshly upgraded to Master.

[Low Light Mike]

An EBay for-sale image of the Iroquois

[FNS]

Here's an amazing discovery:



Salvaged wheelhouses from the dismantled ferry ISSAQUAH I.  Would be interesting if these are still standing today.

A good story can be read at:

www.issaquahhistory.org/sites/issaquah-ferry-pilot-houses

[SS San Mateo]

Unidentified ferry under construction at Dockton, sometime around 1920.

content.lib.washington.edu/cdm-desmo/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Fimlsmohai&CISOPTR=7443&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=700&DMHEIGHT=425&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=1&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT&DMTHUMB=0&REC=7&DMROTATE=0&x=137&y=437

[Kahloke]

This is a pretty cool story - click the link below to see the pictures & video:

Step aboard original Puget Sound ferry, now a California home
By Cayle Thompson Published: Feb 12, 2015 at 2:50 PM PST

SAUSALITO, Calif. - There's something about the sway of an old houseboat in a passing California shower.

"Our home is on the oldest wooden ferry boat on the West Coast," says owner Chris Tellis. "It's wonderful when you can feel the boat move. Most of the time it's very calm here."

Tellis has lived most of his life on the brightly colored - and aptly named - Yellow Ferry, floating on Richardson Bay, part of the greater San Francisco Bay system.

The boat is a fascinating throwback to the early days of Seattle. It first set sail in 1888, then called the S.S. City of Seattle, ferrying passengers to and from the downtown docks to nearby West Seattle. The trip cost a nickel, and took only eight minutes.

The City of Seattle made the run several times a day until 1913, when it was sold and moved to a ferry run in California. It would go on to carry shipyard workers during World War II, before being decommissioned and practically forgotten.

"Unlike other ferry boats, this one has just had a charmed life," Tellis recalls. "Periodically throughout its history, just as somebody was about to destroy it, somebody came along and rebuilt it."

That's what happened when Tellis' father found and purchased the ferry for $1,800. By 1960, the family was living on it.

Repairs were extensive. Tellis remembers how wind would blow rain through the slats of the siding. A wood-eating worm in the San Francisco Bay eventually destroyed the original hull, and the boat sat on the shallow bottom for years.

Tellis raised the ferry again with a new concrete base. His family salvaged the original floors, beams, knees, and even saved the cable system to turn the rudders.

"Every now and then we get a timid knock at the door and somebody will say, 'We're from the Seattle Historic Society,'" Tellis says. "Then they'll ask if this is the original City of Seattle."

Tellis has spent years researching the vessel, and even has old photographs framed in his living room.

With approximately 8,000 square feet, the Tellis family divided the boat into several units. One now serves as a short term rental and a way to help Tellis keep up with the repairs the 127-year-old boat frequently demands.
"Owning a ferry is like owning a castle in Europe," Tellis laughs. "It requires a lot of maintenance."

But it's worth it, Tellis says. Someday his son will have the ferry, ensuring the one-of-a-kind piece of Puget Sound history stays afloat for years to come.

"This ferry boat is going to last forever," Tellis says. "There is no way anybody is going to let this ferry disappear."

If you'd like to learn more about the ferry, visit the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, or check out yellowferry.com

www.komonews.com/news/local/Step-aboard-original-Puget-Sound-ferry-now-a-California-home-291756511.html

[EGfleet]

Menu from the Iroquois from 1940.  Looks like they went with the cream of wheat.


I've always had a soft spot of the old Iroquois, clunky thing that she was when she was remodeled as the "night boat" from Seattle.


While on the Anacortes-Sidney run I talked to a fellow who had honeymooned on board in the 1940's.  He said it had been foggy and the bridal suite was in close proximity to the stacks and the whistles blew all night long.  The bridal suite had, for some inexplicable reason, twin beds.

[Starsteward]

Mar 27, 2015 9:58:23 GMT -8 EGfleet said:

Menu from the Iroquois from 1940.  Looks like they went with the cream of wheat.


I've always had a soft spot of the old Iroquois, clunky thing that she was when she was remodeled as the "night boat" from Seattle.


While on the Anacortes-Sidney run I talked to a fellow who had honeymooned on board in the 1940's.  He said it had been foggy and the bridal suite was in close proximity to the stacks and the whistles blew all night long.  The bridal suite had, for some inexplicable reason, twin beds.

    Americans always surprised me as to their love of cream of wheat and rolled oats when we had it on the 'QPR's' breakfast menu. They always had a thing for Canadian bacon too, (which I still don't see what all the fuss is about)

The twin beds in the bridal suite were probably just the vestiges of the 'Victorian Era', bestowed on both her 'Children' by the Brits. Can't one just imagine the couple hastily shoving the twin beds together? Dear Dear

Great old photos of a bygone era for sure. Love them. 

[Barnacle]

Mar 27, 2015 13:18:25 GMT -8 Starsteward said:

Mar 27, 2015 9:58:23 GMT -8 EGfleet said:

While on the Anacortes-Sidney run I talked to a fellow who had honeymooned on board in the 1940's.  He said it had been foggy and the bridal suite was in close proximity to the stacks and the whistles blew all night long.  The bridal suite had, for some inexplicable reason, twin beds.

The twin beds in the bridal suite were probably just the vestiges of the 'Victorian Era', bestowed on both her 'Children' by the Brits. Can't one just imagine the couple hastily shoving the twin beds together? Dear Dear

Typically, on board ships, the beds are firmly attached to the deck or bulkhead, so good luck with that.

[EGfleet]

Here's an odd little one, and what is a fairly rare photo.  Starting life as the Florence K in 1903, the steamer was rebuilt as the steam-ferry Gloria and finally for Captain Crosby as the Beeline.  The Beeline was absorbed by Black Ball and worked on various routes, including the Keystone run.

I'm not sure where this photo was taken, and given the livery and the cars on the dock, it looks like it's before Black Ball took her over and possibly even Captain Crosby.  It could very well be she is still the Gloria here.  Sadly being right at the edge of the photo, it's slightly blurred and even a tight scan didn't reveal what the name board says.

[EGfleet]

Interesting old linen postcard I picked up.  Not too many  featured the Iroquois front and center. (Actually, I think this might be the first postcard of her in Victoria as the 'night boat' that I have.)  Given how long she operated on that route, I'm kind of surprised there aren't more postcards of her in Victoria, but compared to the CP ships, she was  rather clunky looking.

[smiley]

Nov 21, 2009 9:31:55 GMT -8 Kahloke said:

I know I've posted these somewhere before, but now that we have this historic ferries board, this seems like the proper place to place these old photos of early 20th Century ferries/steamships that operated in the San Juans:

Islander and Rosalie at Westsound, Orcas Island, sometime in the 1910s


Buckeye, circa 1910


Rosalie & Yankee Doodle at Friday Harbor, circa 1910


City of Angeles in Wasp Passage, circa 1920


Great old postcard and timetable for City of Anacortes, circa 1925

I have been doing a little research on my Great grandfather William H Kasch and i am so excited to see these photos of his ships. The Yankee Doodle is the one I knew of from stories i heard growing up. I am now learning that the City of Anacortes is also one of his. If anyone else has knowledge of more pictures or articles i would be so grateful to see them. I am wanting to put this together for my family so that the history stays alive.

Read more: ferriesbc.proboards.com/thread/7798/early-1900s-ferries-steamers#ixzz4DQCzUI00

[northwesterner]

Nice Paul Dorpat Now and Then in the Seattle Times.

City of Kingston pictured in the "Then."

www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/a-northern-pacific-railroad-photographer-captured-seattles-waterfront-about-125-years-ago/