Inca (schooner)
Encyclopedia
The Inca was "the first true five-masted schooner built on the West Coast."
Inca, "the second of her rig built on the Pacific, was launched at Port Blakely
by Hall Bros. in 1896."
, from Honolulu to the new sugar refinery
at Port Costa, California
. The barkentine Planter followed with a second sugar cargo from Honolulu shortly thereafter.
, bound for the gold fields.
. In 1907, she arrived in San Francisco with over a million board feet of lumber on board-- 1,100,000 board feet, according to a local report. Two examples of her lumber voyages follow:
Inca arrived in Astoria, Oregon
from Honolulu on July 19, 1910, after discharging ballast at Linnton
. She was scheduled to load lumber at the Inman Paulsen mills for New Zealand.
According to Gordon R. Newell, Inca "left Eureka, California
October 10, 1920, with a cargo of redwood lumber for Sydney, Australia and was dismasted in the South Pacific. She was abandoned on December 7 by all hands except two men who volunteered to remain on board. The captain, his wife and the other 10 men of the crew set out in the boats and were sighted by the steamship Cosmos
, which towed the Inca to Sydney
, where she arrived December 18, discharged her cargo and was subsequently hulked
."
Inca, "the second of her rig built on the Pacific, was launched at Port Blakely
Port Blakely, Bainbridge Island, Washington
Port Blakely is a community of Bainbridge Island, Washington. It is located on the east side of the island, slightly to the south. The centre of Port Blakely is generally defined as the intersection of Blakely Hill Road and Blakely Avenue NE, although the wider area is generally also known as...
by Hall Bros. in 1896."
Launching
"The Inca, because of its size and rig, had attracted considerable attention during the progress of its construction and when the time set for launching arrived a large crowd of people was present in the shipyards. The Port Blakeley schools were closed so that the pupils might attend the exercises incident to launching. Little Miss Melusina Thornton, the nine-year-old daughter of Chief Engineer Thornton of the steamer Sarah Renton, christened the new boat as it slipped into the water a few minutes before 11 o'clock on the morning of November 11, 1896."First cargo of sugar to Port Costa refinery
On April 3, 1898, the Inca brougnt the first cargo, 31,763 bags of sugarSugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, from Honolulu to the new sugar refinery
Sugar refinery
A sugar refinery is a factory which refines raw sugar.Many cane sugar mills produce raw sugar, i.e. sugar with more colour and therefore more impurities than the white sugar which is normally consumed in households and used as an ingredient in soft drinks, cookies and so forth...
at Port Costa, California
Port Costa, California
Port Costa is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 190 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
. The barkentine Planter followed with a second sugar cargo from Honolulu shortly thereafter.
Voyage to Alaska gold fields, 1902
On May 13, 1902, Inca was the first vessel to leave Newcastle, Australia for Nome, AlaskaNome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
, bound for the gold fields.
Lumber schooner
Inca was active in the West Coast lumber tradeWest coast lumber trade
The West Coast lumber trade was a maritime trade route on the West Coast of the United States. It carried lumber from the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and Northern and Central California mainly to the port of San Francisco.-Lumber schooners:...
. In 1907, she arrived in San Francisco with over a million board feet of lumber on board-- 1,100,000 board feet, according to a local report. Two examples of her lumber voyages follow:
Inca arrived in Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
from Honolulu on July 19, 1910, after discharging ballast at Linnton
Linnton, Portland, Oregon
Linnton is a Portland, Oregon neighborhood located between Forest Park and the Willamette River along U.S. Route 30 , close to the agricultural community of Sauvie Island. It borders the neighborhoods of Northwest Industrial on the south, St. Johns and Cathedral Park via the St...
. She was scheduled to load lumber at the Inman Paulsen mills for New Zealand.
According to Gordon R. Newell, Inca "left Eureka, California
Eureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
October 10, 1920, with a cargo of redwood lumber for Sydney, Australia and was dismasted in the South Pacific. She was abandoned on December 7 by all hands except two men who volunteered to remain on board. The captain, his wife and the other 10 men of the crew set out in the boats and were sighted by the steamship Cosmos
USC&GS Cosmos
USC&GS Cosmos was a survey launch in service in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1887 to 1927.Cosmos was built in 1887 by the Mare Island Navy Yard at Vallejo, California. She entered service with the Coast and Geodetic Survey that year...
, which towed the Inca to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, where she arrived December 18, discharged her cargo and was subsequently hulked
Hulk (ship)
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Although sometimes used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, the term most often refers to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed, retaining only its flotational qualities...
."
Schooner Inca in popular culture
"Inca Lane" in San Francisco is supposedly named after the 5-masted schooner.See also
- West coast lumber tradeWest coast lumber tradeThe West Coast lumber trade was a maritime trade route on the West Coast of the United States. It carried lumber from the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and Northern and Central California mainly to the port of San Francisco.-Lumber schooners:...
- Port Blakely, WAPort Blakely, Bainbridge Island, WashingtonPort Blakely is a community of Bainbridge Island, Washington. It is located on the east side of the island, slightly to the south. The centre of Port Blakely is generally defined as the intersection of Blakely Hill Road and Blakely Avenue NE, although the wider area is generally also known as...
- Eureka, CaliforniaEureka, CaliforniaEureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
, section Lumber and developing economy
External links
- Governor Ames and the Inca, the only five-masted topsail schooners in the world, San Francisco Call, Volume 83, Number 126, 5 April 1898