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Greyhound (sternwheeler 1890)
Encyclopedia
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The Greyhound was an express passenger steamer
which operated in 1890s to about 1915 on Puget Sound
in Washington, United States
. This vessel, commonly known as the Hound, the Pup or the Dog, was of unusual design, having small upper works, but an enormous sternwheel. Unlike many sternwheelers, she was not intended for a dual role as passenger and freighter, but was purpose-built to carry mostly passengers on express runs.
by Capt. Claud Troup (1865-1896) in association with Frank W. Goodhue and others. Greyhound was designed by Claude Troup's brother, James W. Troup, one of the most famous of the steamboat captains. She was long and narrow, and considered by some to be too flimsily built, which turned out to be quite wrong, as the Hound as she was called, proved to be a money-making fast moving boat. The Greyhound was 139.3 feet (42.5 m) long, 18.5 feet (5.6 m) on the beam 6.3 feet (1.9 m) depth. Twin steam engines of 14.5" bore and 72" stroke drove her enormous sternwheel. Mechanical data included: indicated horsepower 400; single boiler, steel firebox built by Willamette Iron Works
, Portland, Oregon. Total grate surface 12 square feet (1.1 m²), total heating surface 3200 square feet (297.3 m²): fuel consumption: 3/4 of one cord of fir wood
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Shortly after completion Greyhound was taken round to the Sound in September by Captain Lewis. She was built almost exclusively for passenger traffic and showed remarkable speed. Once on Puget Sound Greyhound raced against and beat all the crack boats on the Tacoma
and Seattle
route. Greyhound started express passenger service between Seattle and Tacoma on September 7, 1990, with Capt. Howard Bullene in command and Claude Troup acting as chief engineer. On the very first trip, Greyhound raced and beat the Fleetwood
.
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Shortly after Greyhound reached Puget Sound, Captain U.B. Scott brought the fast propeller steamer Flyer up from Portland where she too had been built, and put her on the same Tacoma-Seattle run in competition with Greyhound. In a typical anti-competitive transaction of the time, Capt. Scott offered the owners of Greyhound a subsidy if they would take her off the route. Troup agreed, and in November, 1891 he sold her to the Seattle & Tacoma Navigation Company, of which he was president. From then until 1903 she was operated on the Everett
and Seattle route, making three round trips a day. Captain Troup handled the boat himself most of the time.
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Greyhound, "all wheel and whistle" mounted both a greyhound statue on the roof of her pilot house and a broom on her masthead, showing that she'd swept the sea of her competition. One day she raced against the magnificent Bailey Gatzert
, which thereafter mounted both the dog and the broom.
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In 1903, Greyhound was replaced on the Everett route by Telegraph, then a new sternwheeler, and sold to a firm which placed her on the route between Olympia
and Tacoma, where she ran against the old Willamette River
sternwheeler Multnomah
and also Capital City
, another sternwheeler Following a rate war, Greyhounds new owners bought out both Multnomah and Capital City, forming the Olympia-Tacoma Navigation Company.
and acquired by the Olympia Tacoma Navigation Co. to replace Greyhound, which was then relegated to relief boat service. By 1924, Greyhound had been out of service for many years, and all that remained was her hull. She was still in good enough shape to warrant hauling her out in Tacoma in 1924, for repair, caulking and painting. Just what happened to her hull is not clear, probably it was just left to rot on a beach or a mud bank like so many others had been.
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The Greyhound was an express passenger steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
which operated in 1890s to about 1915 on Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
in Washington, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This vessel, commonly known as the Hound, the Pup or the Dog, was of unusual design, having small upper works, but an enormous sternwheel. Unlike many sternwheelers, she was not intended for a dual role as passenger and freighter, but was purpose-built to carry mostly passengers on express runs.
Construction
Greyhound 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...
by Capt. Claud Troup (1865-1896) in association with Frank W. Goodhue and others. Greyhound was designed by Claude Troup's brother, James W. Troup, one of the most famous of the steamboat captains. She was long and narrow, and considered by some to be too flimsily built, which turned out to be quite wrong, as the Hound as she was called, proved to be a money-making fast moving boat. The Greyhound was 139.3 feet (42.5 m) long, 18.5 feet (5.6 m) on the beam 6.3 feet (1.9 m) depth. Twin steam engines of 14.5" bore and 72" stroke drove her enormous sternwheel. Mechanical data included: indicated horsepower 400; single boiler, steel firebox built by Willamette Iron Works
Willamette Iron and Steel Works
Willamette Iron Works was a general foundry and machine business established in 1865 in Portland, Oregon, originally specializing in the manufacture of steamboat boilers and engines...
, Portland, Oregon. Total grate surface 12 square feet (1.1 m²), total heating surface 3200 square feet (297.3 m²): fuel consumption: 3/4 of one cord of fir wood
Operation
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
and Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
route. Greyhound started express passenger service between Seattle and Tacoma on September 7, 1990, with Capt. Howard Bullene in command and Claude Troup acting as chief engineer. On the very first trip, Greyhound raced and beat the Fleetwood
Fleetwood (steamboat)
The steamboat Fleetwood operated in the 1880s and 1890s on the Columbia River and later as part of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet.-Construction:...
.
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
and Seattle route, making three round trips a day. Captain Troup handled the boat himself most of the time.
Speed
Bailey Gatzert (sternwheeler)
The Bailey Gatzert was a famous sternwheel steamboat that ran on the Columbia River and Puget Sound from the 1890s to the 1920s. She was named after Bailey Gatzert, an early businessman and mayor of Seattle...
, which thereafter mounted both the dog and the broom.
Later career
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
and Tacoma, where she ran against the old 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...
sternwheeler Multnomah
Multnomah (sternwheeler)
The sternwheeler Multnomah was built at East Portland, Oregon in 1885 and operated on the Willamette and Columbia Rivers until 1889 in the United States...
and also Capital City
Capital City (sternwheeler)
Capital City was a sternwheel steamboat of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet. The vessel was originally named Dalton.-Career:Capital City was built in 1898 at Port Blakely at the Hall Brothers shipyard. This vessel was originally owned by Canadian Pacific Ry. and was acquired by White Pass in 1901,...
, another sternwheeler Following a rate war, Greyhounds new owners bought out both Multnomah and Capital City, forming the Olympia-Tacoma Navigation Company.
Out of service
In 1911 the new propeller steamer Nisqually was built at 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...
and acquired by the Olympia Tacoma Navigation Co. to replace Greyhound, which was then relegated to relief boat service. By 1924, Greyhound had been out of service for many years, and all that remained was her hull. She was still in good enough shape to warrant hauling her out in Tacoma in 1924, for repair, caulking and painting. Just what happened to her hull is not clear, probably it was just left to rot on a beach or a mud bank like so many others had been.
Further reading
- Carey, Roland, The Steamboat Landing on Elliott Bay, Alderbrook Publishing, Seattle, WA 1962
- Carey, Roland, The Sound of Steamers, Alderbrook Publishing, Seattle, WA 1965
- Faber, Jim, Steamer's Wake, Enetai Press, Seattle, WA 1985 ISBN 0-9615811-0-7
- Gibbs, Jim, and Williamson, Joe, Maritime Memories of Puget Sound, Schiffer Publishing, West Chester, PA 1987, ISBN 0-88740-044-2
- Kline, Mary S. and Bayless, George A., Ferryboats - A Legend on Puget Sound, Bayless Books, Seattle, WA 1983 ISBN 0-914515-00-4
- Newell, Gordon, and Williamson, Joe, Pacific Steamboats, Bonanza Books, New York, NY (1963)
University of Washington image collection
- Greyhound, 1891, on Puget Sound This is a good clear image of the vessel, showing her unusual design and the small but crowded passenger deck.
- Greyhound, 1909 This image is taken from the stern of the vessel, which appears to be running at high speed based on the large amount of spray from the sternwheel, the size of the wake, and the amount of smoke coming from the funnel. The wheel appears quite large in this photograph compared to the rest of the boat.