Elk (sternwheeler 1857)
Encyclopedia
Elk was a sternwheel steamboat that ran on the Willamette River
beginning in 1857. The boat 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.
by Capt. Chris Sweitzer (d.1860), François X. Matthieu
, George A. Pease, and John Marshall. The boat was a small vessel intended for the Yamhill River
trade. Theodore Wygant was the Elk 's agent in Portland, Oregon
.
In November of either 1857 or 1861, Elk was navigating on the Willamette River, near Davidson's Landing, which was about one mile (1.6 km) below the mouth of the Yamhill River
when the vessel was destroyed by a boiler explosion
. Officers on board Elk at the time were George Jerome (1823-1886), captain, William Smith, engineer, and Sebastian "Bas" Miller, pilot. The entire upper works of the vessel disintegrated. Although there were some injuries, no one was killed.
that as a result of the explosion, was blown so high into the air, that he could look down the ship's chimney, also flying through the air, and see pilot Bas Miller lying dazed on the river bank where the explosion had left him. Captain Jerome landed in a cottonwood tree. It was said that for twenty years afterwards pilots and crew on steamboats on the river pointed out this particular tree to passengers, but according to Professor Mills, Captain Jerome never did so, in the interest of maintaining his dignity.
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
beginning in 1857. The boat is chiefly remembered for its destruction by a boiler explosion
Boiler explosion
A boiler explosion is a catastrophic failure of a boiler. As seen today, boiler explosions are of two kinds. One kind is over-pressure in the pressure parts of the steam and water sides. The second kind is explosion in the furnace. Boiler explosions of pressure parts are particularly associated...
in which by good fortune no one was seriously hurt. A folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
tale later arose about this disaster.
Construction, owners, and loss
Elk was built in 1857 at Canemah, OregonCanemah, Oregon
Canemah was an early settlement in the U.S. state of Oregon located near Willamette Falls on the Willamette River. It is now a district within Oregon City.-Location:...
by Capt. Chris Sweitzer (d.1860), François X. Matthieu
François X. Matthieu
François X. Matthieu was a French Canadian settler of the Oregon Country who was one of the people involved in forming the provisional government of what would become the U.S. state of Oregon...
, George A. Pease, and John Marshall. The boat was a small vessel intended for the Yamhill River
Yamhill River
The Yamhill River is an tributary of the Willamette River, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formed by the confluence of the South Yamhill River and the North Yamhill River about east of McMinnville, it drains part of the Northern Oregon Coast Range...
trade. Theodore Wygant was the Elk 's agent in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
In November of either 1857 or 1861, Elk was navigating on the Willamette River, near Davidson's Landing, which was about one mile (1.6 km) below the mouth of the Yamhill River
Yamhill River
The Yamhill River is an tributary of the Willamette River, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formed by the confluence of the South Yamhill River and the North Yamhill River about east of McMinnville, it drains part of the Northern Oregon Coast Range...
when the vessel was destroyed by a boiler explosion
Boiler explosion
A boiler explosion is a catastrophic failure of a boiler. As seen today, boiler explosions are of two kinds. One kind is over-pressure in the pressure parts of the steam and water sides. The second kind is explosion in the furnace. Boiler explosions of pressure parts are particularly associated...
. Officers on board Elk at the time were George Jerome (1823-1886), captain, William Smith, engineer, and Sebastian "Bas" Miller, pilot. The entire upper works of the vessel disintegrated. Although there were some injuries, no one was killed.
Folklore
It has been recorded that Captain Jerome told a story, which passed into folkloreFolklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
that as a result of the explosion, was blown so high into the air, that he could look down the ship's chimney, also flying through the air, and see pilot Bas Miller lying dazed on the river bank where the explosion had left him. Captain Jerome landed in a cottonwood tree. It was said that for twenty years afterwards pilots and crew on steamboats on the river pointed out this particular tree to passengers, but according to Professor Mills, Captain Jerome never did so, in the interest of maintaining his dignity.
Further reading
- Faber, Jim, Steamer's Wake—Voyaging down the old marine highways of Puget Sound, British Columbia, and the Columbia River, Enetai Press, Seattle, WA 1985 ISBN 0-9615811-0-7
- Newell, Gordon R., and Williamson, Joe, Pacific Steamboats Bonanza Press, New York, NY 1958