Oregona (sternwheeler)
Encyclopedia
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The steamboat Oregona operated on the Willamette River
, the Columbia River
and the Yamhill River
from 1904 to 1936. From 1924 to 1936 this vessel was known as the Interstate.
1904 for the Oregon City Transportation Company. The vessel's dimensions were 132 feet (40.2 m) long, with a 27 feet (8.2 m) beam, 5 feet (1.5 m) depth of hold, 370 gross tons and 281 registered tons. The vessel was propelled by a sternwheel which was turned by two twin horizontally-mounted high pressure steam engines
. The pistol diameter on each engine was 9 inches (228.6 mm), with a bore stroke of 48 inches (1,219.2 mm), generating 5.4 nominal horsepower
. The official steamboat registry number was 200949.
Oregona was a typical all-purpose working steamboat of the Willamette River.
, Leona
, and Ramona.
Until 1919, the Yellow Stack Line ran Oregona on the Willamette River
as far south as Corvallis
.
In 1919, rising competition from trucks and automobiles operating on newly-built highways forced the company to suspend operations. In 1920, Captain Graham organized a new company, Inland Empire Boat and Truck Co., with a plan for moving freight by steamboat to the boat landings along the Willamette river, then further distributing it overland by trucks based at the landings. This business plan did not work out, and the company was forced to move Oregona off the Willamette as its regular route.
In 1924 Oregona was reconstructed at Vancouver, Washington
and renamed Interstate. The overall length and beam of the vessel were unchanged, but it was slightly smaller but had a greater carrying capacity, at 336 gross tons and 308 registered tons. The engines at this time were rated at 350 indicated horsepower. The reconstructed vessel waa operated by Greyhound Transportation Company. The official steamboat number for Interstate was 223545.
As Interstate, the vessel was run on routes down the Columbia to Longview
and Kelso, Washington
, although on occasion a run was made up the Yamhill River to Dayton, Oregon
.
and the Clackamas Rapids. Since 1873 locks
at Oregon
allowed navigation around Willamette Falls, but as late as 1907, lining was still required to pass the Clackamas Rapids, which were located north of Oregon City, near the mouth of the Clackamas River
.
Lining was dangerous, as it was only the single cable that prevented the vessel from being washed downstream and likely wrecked. Any use of a cable onboard a vessel was also hazardous to the crew. On October 15, 1907, at 8:30 am, while Oregona was lining through Clackamas Rapids, the lining cable became tangled in the sternwheel of a nearby steamer, the Ruth
. A deckhand on Oregona, Virgil K. Pollard, was caught in a loop of the cable, which tightened around his legs, severing both legs six inches (152 mm) above the ankles. The injured deckhand brought a legal action against the Ruth. When the case was presented to U.S. District Court Judge Robert S. Bean
, he ruled that accident was held to be the fault of the Ruth, for ignoring the warning signals of the Oregona to stand away while the deckhand was engaged in coiling the cable which was still paid out from the Oregona following an unsuccessful lining attempt. Judge Bean awarded the deckhand, who was 19 years of age at the time of the accident, $12,000 in damages.
.
On December 26, 1913 Oregona was making the vessel's last run of the season, coming downriver from Corvallis loaded with cargo and carrying passengers. With Captain Bluhm in command, Oregona encountered the U.S. Corps of Engineers dredge Champoeg at Magoon Bar at the foot of the Clackamas Rapids. The dredge was in an unexpected location anchored in the middle of the channel. While the officers of Oregona attempted to avoid the dredge, this proved not possible, and the Oregona struck the corner of the dredge, suffering severe enough damage to cause the Oregona to sink after drifting down the river below the rapids.
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The steamboat Oregona operated on the Willamette River
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...
, the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
and 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...
from 1904 to 1936. From 1924 to 1936 this vessel was known as the Interstate.
Design and construction
Oregona was built at Portland, OregonPortland, 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...
1904 for the Oregon City Transportation Company. The vessel's dimensions were 132 feet (40.2 m) long, with a 27 feet (8.2 m) beam, 5 feet (1.5 m) depth of hold, 370 gross tons and 281 registered tons. The vessel was propelled by a sternwheel which was turned by two twin horizontally-mounted high pressure steam engines
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
. The pistol diameter on each engine was 9 inches (228.6 mm), with a bore stroke of 48 inches (1,219.2 mm), generating 5.4 nominal horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
. The official steamboat registry number was 200949.
Oregona was a typical all-purpose working steamboat of the Willamette River.
Operations
The Oregon City Transportation Company had been organized by the Graham family in 1889. It was popularly known as the Yellow Stack Line. The names of all of its steamboats ended in -ona, for example, AltonaAltona (sternwheeler)
The steamship Altona operated from 1890 to 1907 on the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 1907, she was transferred to Alaska.-Construction:...
, Leona
Leona (sternwheeler)
The steamship Leona operated from 1899 to 1912 on the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. This vessel was original launched under the name McMinnville in 1899, and should not be confused with an earlier vessel named McMinnville, which ran on the Willamette River from 1877 to...
, and Ramona.
Until 1919, the Yellow Stack Line ran Oregona on the Willamette River
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...
as far south as Corvallis
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
.
In 1919, rising competition from trucks and automobiles operating on newly-built highways forced the company to suspend operations. In 1920, Captain Graham organized a new company, Inland Empire Boat and Truck Co., with a plan for moving freight by steamboat to the boat landings along the Willamette river, then further distributing it overland by trucks based at the landings. This business plan did not work out, and the company was forced to move Oregona off the Willamette as its regular route.
In 1924 Oregona was reconstructed at Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
and renamed Interstate. The overall length and beam of the vessel were unchanged, but it was slightly smaller but had a greater carrying capacity, at 336 gross tons and 308 registered tons. The engines at this time were rated at 350 indicated horsepower. The reconstructed vessel waa operated by Greyhound Transportation Company. The official steamboat number for Interstate was 223545.
As Interstate, the vessel was run on routes down the Columbia to Longview
Longview, Washington
Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the "Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area", which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 36,648 at the time of the 2010 census and is the largest city in Cowlitz County...
and Kelso, Washington
Kelso, Washington
Kelso is a city in southwest Washington State, United States, and is the county seat of Cowlitz County. At the 2010 census, the population was 11,925. Kelso is part of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 102,410. Kelso shares its long western border...
, although on occasion a run was made up the Yamhill River to Dayton, Oregon
Dayton, Oregon
Dayton is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,119 at the 2000 census. As of July 2007 its estimated population was 2,495.-History:...
.
1907 lining accident
To move through rapids, steamboats used a practice called lining, which involved running a rope or a steel cable to a secure point on shore, typically a large tree or a bolt specially set in a rock, and then wrapping the cable around a steam-powered winch on the boat. The winch would then crank in the cable, if the vessel was going upstream, or gradually let out the cable, if the vessel was headed downstream. Along the Willamette River, in the first decades of the 1900s, the most dangerous obstacles to navigation were Willamette FallsWillamette Falls
The Willamette Falls is a natural waterfall on the Willamette River between Oregon City and West Linn, Oregon, in the United States. It is the largest waterfall in the Pacific Northwest and the eighteenth largest in the world by water volume. Horseshoe in shape, it is wide and high with a flow...
and the Clackamas Rapids. Since 1873 locks
Willamette Falls Locks
The Willamette Falls Locks are a lock system on the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 1873 and currently closed, they allow boat traffic on the Willamette to navigate beyond Willamette Falls...
at Oregon
Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
allowed navigation around Willamette Falls, but as late as 1907, lining was still required to pass the Clackamas Rapids, which were located north of Oregon City, near the mouth of the Clackamas River
Clackamas River
The Clackamas River is an approximately tributary of the Willamette River in northwestern Oregon, in the United States. As it drains an area of about , the Clackamas passes through mostly forested and rugged mountainous terrain in its upper reaches, and passes through agricultural and urban areas...
.
Lining was dangerous, as it was only the single cable that prevented the vessel from being washed downstream and likely wrecked. Any use of a cable onboard a vessel was also hazardous to the crew. On October 15, 1907, at 8:30 am, while Oregona was lining through Clackamas Rapids, the lining cable became tangled in the sternwheel of a nearby steamer, the Ruth
Ruth (sternwheeler 1895)
The steamboat Ruth operated from 1895 to 1920 on the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Ruth played an important role in the transport of goods and agricultural products in Oregon, and was one of the fastest steamboats ever to operate on the upper Willamette...
. A deckhand on Oregona, Virgil K. Pollard, was caught in a loop of the cable, which tightened around his legs, severing both legs six inches (152 mm) above the ankles. The injured deckhand brought a legal action against the Ruth. When the case was presented to U.S. District Court Judge Robert S. Bean
Robert S. Bean
Robert Sharp Bean was an American attorney and judge in the state of Oregon. He was the 16th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, serving as chief justice three different times. Bean was on the state’ highest court from 1890 to 1909 when he was appointed as a judge for the United States...
, he ruled that accident was held to be the fault of the Ruth, for ignoring the warning signals of the Oregona to stand away while the deckhand was engaged in coiling the cable which was still paid out from the Oregona following an unsuccessful lining attempt. Judge Bean awarded the deckhand, who was 19 years of age at the time of the accident, $12,000 in damages.
1909 and 1913 sinkings
On December 10, 1909, Oregona hit a snag in the Willamette river, and was forced to beach three miles (5 km) upriver from Weston Landing. Weston's Landing in turn was located about 5 miles (8 km) upriver from Mission Landing, which is the present city of St. Paul, OregonSt. Paul, Oregon
St. Paul is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. It is named after the Saint Paul Mission founded by Archbishop François Norbert Blanchet, who arrived in the Oregon Territory in 1838 to minister to the Catholic inhabitants of French Prairie. The population was 354 at the 2000 census...
.
On December 26, 1913 Oregona was making the vessel's last run of the season, coming downriver from Corvallis loaded with cargo and carrying passengers. With Captain Bluhm in command, Oregona encountered the U.S. Corps of Engineers dredge Champoeg at Magoon Bar at the foot of the Clackamas Rapids. The dredge was in an unexpected location anchored in the middle of the channel. While the officers of Oregona attempted to avoid the dredge, this proved not possible, and the Oregona struck the corner of the dredge, suffering severe enough damage to cause the Oregona to sink after drifting down the river below the rapids.