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Fleetwood (steamboat)
Encyclopedia
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 later as part of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet
Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet
The Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet was a large number of private transportation companies running smaller passenger and freight boats on Puget Sound and nearby waterways and rivers. This large group of steamers and sternwheelers plied the waters of Puget Sound, stopping at every waterfront dock...
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Construction
Fleetwood was built in 1881, 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...
, for Captain U.B. Scott and his associates L.B. Seeley and E.W. Creighton. Fleetwood was propeller-driven, 111' long, and rated at 135 tons.
Operations on Columbia River
Capt. Scott successfully ran Fleetwood on the Astoria and Cascade routes on the Columbia RiverColumbia 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...
, in opposition to the would-be monopoly of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, then under the control of Henry Villard
Henry Villard
Henry Villard was an American journalist and financier who was an early president of the Northern Pacific Railway....
. Fleetwood outran the monopoly’s steamers by two hours on the Astoria run, and built up so much business that Captain Scott had to replace her with the crack sternwheeler Telephone. Captain Scott trimmed up Fleetwood ‘s appearance a bit, not entirely to the liking of historian Newell:
Other masters of Fleetwood on the Columbia River included Capt. William H. Whitcomb, a member of a prominent Northwest marine family, and, on Puget Sound, Capt. Henry Carter.
Transfer to Puget Sound
In 1888, Capt. U.B. Scott sold Fleetwood to Capt. Z.J. Hatch, who transferred the vessel to Puget Sound. Fleetwood was brought around to Puget Sound by Captain Messegee for her new owner Capt. Hatch. On the way up, Captain Scott’s fancy trim work on the deckhouse caught fire, fortunately the crew were able to extinguish it and Fleetwood rounded Cape FlatteryCape Flattery
Cape Flattery may refer to:* Cape Flattery * Cape Flattery , between North Direction Island, South Direction Island and Three Islands...
and reached Neah Bay just 24 hours after leaving the Columbia Bar
Columbia Bar
The Columbia Bar is a system of bars and shoals at the mouth of the Columbia River spanning the US states of Oregon and Washington. The bar is about wide and long....
. Once on Puget Sound Fleetwood ran against another boat transferred up from the Columbia River, Emma Haywood. Fleetwood was advertised as a “fast time” steamer, leaving Horr’s Wharf at Olympia at 6:00 a.m., stopping at Puget City, Steilacoom, and the Northern Pacific Railway wharf at Tacoma , and reaching Seattle’s Yesler wharf at noon, then returning on the same route, arriving back in Olympia at 7:00 p.m.
In 1889, Fleetwood made record time on a trip from Olympia to Seattle to carry a steam fire engine to the aid of that city during its great fire. When Captain Scott expanded operations up to Puget Sound, he bought back Fleetwood and put her on the Seattle-Tacoma run with the new and eventually much more famous propeller steamer Flyer. On September 7, 1890, Fleetwood engaged unsuccessfully in an impromptu race between Tacoma and Seattle with the then brand-new and very fast sternwheeler Greyhound.
Abandonment
In 1898 Fleetwood was abandoned on the beach in Quartermaster HarborQuartermaster Harbor
Quartermaster Harbor is a small harbor located in southern Puget Sound, in Vashon Island, Washington State.-Geographic description:Quartermaster Harbor is formed by Vashon Island on the west and Maury Island on the east...
where for many years she was visible as she slowly rotted away.