Beaver (steamship)
Encyclopedia
Beaver was the first steamship to operate in the Pacific Northwest
of North America
. She made remote parts of the west coast of Canada accessible for maritime fur trading
and was chartered by the Royal Navy
for surveying the coastline of British Columbia.
on 9 May 1835 and left London on 29 August under the command of Captain David Home, and with the company's barque, Columbia
, built at the same time and commanded by Captain Darby. Beaver was outfitted as a brig for the passage out, paddles unshipped, and came out via Cape Horn under sail alone. After calling at Juan Fernandez and Honolulu, she arrived off the Columbia River on 18 March 1836 and anchored off Fort Vancouver
on 10 April. Here the paddles were shipped and boilers and engines connected.
between the Columbia River
and Russian America (Alaska) and played an important role in helping maintain British control in British Columbia
during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
of 1858-59. In 1862 she was chartered by the Royal Navy
to survey and chart the coast of the Colony of British Columbia
.
She also provided assistance to the Royal Navy at Bute Inlet during the Chilcotin War
.
Initially she had a rectangular boiler, generating steam pressure at under 3 psi, and
was fed by seawater. Boulton and Watt engines are not pressure engines, rather they are
vacuum engines. [Salt water feed was common in the early days and could be done
with low pressure and frequent boiler blowdowns to prevent salt scale build up on the plates]. The salt water played havoc with the boilers as the salinity rusted the wall
thickness of the boiler which would rot out. The Beaver had to have a new boiler every seven years or so and went through multiple installations over her career.
Over time the boiler pressure was upped, and the large 42 inch cylinders were replaced
with 36 inch diameter ones.
The Beaver played roles in the establishment of coal mines at Fort Rupert, and later
in 1853, Nanaimo. The Beaver helped the Hudson's Bay Company establish Fort Victoria
as a post in 1843. It would also ferry dignitaries like the Governor back and forth
between the two colonies of New Caledonia.
In her later life the Beaver burned coal and would hire young Natives of the Squamish nation to work the holds as coal passers. She was finally sold by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1874.
in Vancouver
's Stanley Park
. The wreck finally sank in July 1892 from the wake of the passing steamer Yosemite, and only after enterprising locals had stripped much of the wreck for souvenirs. The Vancouver Maritime Museum
houses a collection of Beaver remnants. The site of the sinking has been commemorated with a plaque. Divers surveyed the wreck in the 1960s, but it had mostly disintegrated due to rot and currents.
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. She made remote parts of the west coast of Canada accessible for maritime fur trading
Maritime Fur Trade
The Maritime Fur Trade was a ship-based fur trade system that focused on acquiring furs of sea otters and other animals from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. The furs were mostly sold in China in exchange for tea, silks, porcelain, and other Chinese...
and was chartered by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
for surveying the coastline of British Columbia.
Construction and delivery
Beaver was built in London of British oak, elm, greenheart and teak, and was copper fastened and sheathed. Her length was 101 feet (30.8 m), and the beam over her paddle boxes was 33 feet (10.1 m). She was launched at Blackwall YardBlackwall Yard
Blackwall Yard was a shipyard on the Thames at Blackwall, London, engaged in ship building and later ship repairs for over 350 years. The yard closed in 1987...
on 9 May 1835 and left London on 29 August under the command of Captain David Home, and with the company's barque, Columbia
Columbia (barque)
The Columbia was a 310 ton, 6 gun barque in the service of the Columbia District of the Hudson's Bay Company on the Columbia River and elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest in the 1830s and 1840s. The vessel's complement of crew was 24 men....
, built at the same time and commanded by Captain Darby. Beaver was outfitted as a brig for the passage out, paddles unshipped, and came out via Cape Horn under sail alone. After calling at Juan Fernandez and Honolulu, she arrived off the Columbia River on 18 March 1836 and anchored off Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
on 10 April. Here the paddles were shipped and boilers and engines connected.
Service in Canada
Beaver was used to service trading posts maintained by the Hudson's Bay CompanyHudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
between 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 Russian America (Alaska) and played an important role in helping maintain British control in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River. This was a few miles upstream from the Thompson's confluence with the Fraser River at present-day Lytton...
of 1858-59. In 1862 she was chartered by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
to survey and chart the coast of the Colony of British Columbia
Colony of British Columbia
The Colony of British Columbia was a crown colony in British North America from 1858 until 1866. At its creation, it physically constituted approximately half the present day Canadian province of British Columbia, since it did not include the Colony of Vancouver Island, the vast and still largely...
.
She also provided assistance to the Royal Navy at Bute Inlet during the Chilcotin War
Chilcotin War
The Chilcotin War, Chilcotin Uprising or Bute Inlet Massacre was a confrontation in 1864 between members of the Tsilhqot'in people in British Columbia and white road construction workers...
.
Initially she had a rectangular boiler, generating steam pressure at under 3 psi, and
was fed by seawater. Boulton and Watt engines are not pressure engines, rather they are
vacuum engines. [Salt water feed was common in the early days and could be done
with low pressure and frequent boiler blowdowns to prevent salt scale build up on the plates]. The salt water played havoc with the boilers as the salinity rusted the wall
thickness of the boiler which would rot out. The Beaver had to have a new boiler every seven years or so and went through multiple installations over her career.
Over time the boiler pressure was upped, and the large 42 inch cylinders were replaced
with 36 inch diameter ones.
The Beaver played roles in the establishment of coal mines at Fort Rupert, and later
in 1853, Nanaimo. The Beaver helped the Hudson's Bay Company establish Fort Victoria
as a post in 1843. It would also ferry dignitaries like the Governor back and forth
between the two colonies of New Caledonia.
In her later life the Beaver burned coal and would hire young Natives of the Squamish nation to work the holds as coal passers. She was finally sold by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1874.
Loss
She was purchased by a consortium that became the British Columbia Towing and Transportation Company in 1874 and was used as a towboat until 25 July 1888 when, due to an inebriated crew, she went aground on rocks at Prospect PointProspect Point
Prospect Point is a headland at the west extremity of Velingrad Peninsula on Graham Coast in Graham Land, nearly 2 nautical miles south of Ferin Head and immediately east of the Fish Islands. Roughly charted by the British Graham Land Expedition under Rymill, 1934-37. Photographed by Hunting...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
's Stanley Park
Stanley Park
Stanley Park is a 404.9 hectare urban park bordering downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was opened in 1888 by David Oppenheimer in the name of Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor-General of Canada....
. The wreck finally sank in July 1892 from the wake of the passing steamer Yosemite, and only after enterprising locals had stripped much of the wreck for souvenirs. The Vancouver Maritime Museum
Vancouver Maritime Museum
The Vancouver Maritime Museum is a Maritime museum devoted to presenting the maritime history of Vancouver, British Columbia, and the Canadian Arctic. Opened in 1959 as a Vancouver centennial project, it is located within Vanier Park just west of False Creek on the Vancouver waterfront. The main...
houses a collection of Beaver remnants. The site of the sinking has been commemorated with a plaque. Divers surveyed the wreck in the 1960s, but it had mostly disintegrated due to rot and currents.
See also
- William Henry McNeillWilliam Henry McNeillWilliam Henry McNeill was best known for his 1830 expedition as the captain of the brig Llama, which sailed from Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 12,000 miles around Cape Horn, to the Pacific Northwest on a fur trading expedition.Boston merchants owned the brig whose cargo consisted of...
- Steamboats of the Columbia RiverSteamboats of the Columbia RiverMany steamboats operated on the Columbia River and its tributaries, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, from about 1850 to 1981. Major tributaries of the Columbia that formed steamboat routes included the Willamette and Snake rivers...
- List of steamboats on the Columbia River
- List of ships in British Columbia
- S.S. Beaver - 3D Computerized Model by Andrew Wilkie