Inland Flyer
Encyclopedia
Inland Flyer was a passenger steamboat that ran on Puget Sound
from 1898 to 1916. From 1910 to 1916 this vessel was known as the Mohawk. The vessel is notable as the first steamer on Puget Sound to use oil fuel. Inland Flyer was one of the most famous vessels of the time on Puget Sound.
, and was originally intended to run between Portland, Astoria
, and The Dalles
. Capt. John Anderson, who later became closely linked with steamboat operations on Lake Washington
, discovered Inland Flyer engineless and still under construction at the shipyard of Joseph Supple in Portland, and recommended her purchase to Joshua Green
.
Anderson bought the hull, and sold it to Green and his associates who were doing business as La Conner Trading and Transportation Company
. Anderson then installed the engines and the upper works himself in Portland, and brought the ship himself down the Columbia River and around the Olympic peninsula.
Route. In 1902 Inland Flyer was on the Seattle – Port Orchard route, running with the Athlon
, which was owned by H.B. Kennedy. There was a brief period of competition on this route in 1902 when the Manette, a boat owned by Tacoma interests, with businessman Fred H. Marvin acting as agent, was placed on the route. Manette was soon transferred to the Seattle – Alki run, and the competition ended.
In 1903 Inland Flyer came under the control of the Puget Sound Navigation Company
when that company merged with La Conner Trading. Capt. Peter Falk (d.1924) one of the major shareholders of Puget Sound Navigation Co. served as one of masters of the Inland Flyer. Another captain was the veteran steamboat man William Mitchell (b.1879). On May 23, 1903, Inland Flyer was among the steamboats that greeted President Theodore Roosevelt
when he toured the Seattle and the Bremerton naval yard. In 1907 Inland Flyer was placed on the run from Seattle to Bremerton.
By 1904, La Conner Trading, by then a subsidiary of PSN, was operating jointly with H.B. Kennedy as the Navy Yard Route on the Seattle – Bremerton run. Disposing of three vessels, including Inland Flyer, Athlon, and the sternwheeler Port Orchard, the Navy Yard route ran six sailings a day from Seattle's Pier 2
to and from Bremerton.
route. There were only two steamers at that time that ran on Hood Canal, one was the Perdita, operated by Capt. W.W. McKenzie, and the other was PSN's Garland. PSN arranged to have McKenzie and Perdita bought off with an anti-competitive subsidy agreement, but this did not last, and McKenzie and Perdita were soon back on Hood Canal, driving down rates on Garland from $2.00 to 50 cents ton, with passengers carried from Seattle to any landing on the canal for 25 cents. In addition, PSN was forced to put the Inland Flyer on the Hood Canal route. Considered a speedy vessel, Inland Flyer, together with Garland brought the best steamboat service ever effected on Hood Canal. However, by the end of 1905, PSN resolved the problem of competition from Perdita by purchasing the rival vessel.
The first decade of the 1900s was probably the high point of steamboat operations in Puget Sound. The vessels would never been as profitable as they were then. During 1907, when the Puget Sound Navigation Company was involved in a rate war with the Kitsap County Transportation Company
, Inland Flyer was shifted to the Seattle – Poulsbo
route as part of the business maneuvers in the competition. Greene, who was by then a millionaire, and owned more steamboats than any other person on Puget Sound, was criticized in at least one newspaper for his supposed ruthlessness in dealing with Warren L. Gazzam, the chief of the Kitsap County Transportation Co.
In 1908, the Port Blakely Mill Company decided to run its steamer Monticello 2
in competition with the Navy Yard Route's steamers, including Inland Flyer. On July 9, 1909, at the wreck of the Yosemite, Inland Flyer stood by with other vessels to assist, helping make sure there was no loss of life when the big excursion sidewheeler went on the rocks near Bremerton. In 1910 the Navy Yard Route sold Inland Flyer to Capt. F.G. Reeve, who was doing business as the Port Washington Route. He renamed the vessel Mohawk.
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...
from 1898 to 1916. From 1910 to 1916 this vessel was known as the Mohawk. The vessel is notable as the first steamer on Puget Sound to use oil fuel. Inland Flyer was one of the most famous vessels of the time on Puget Sound.
Design and construction
Inland Flyer was built in 1898 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...
, and was originally intended to run between Portland, Astoria
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...
, and The Dalles
The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is...
. Capt. John Anderson, who later became closely linked with steamboat operations on Lake Washington
Steamboats of Lake Washington
Lake Washington steamboats and ferries operated from about 1875 to 1951, transporting passengers and vehicles, and moving freight and towing barges and log rafts across Lake Washington, is a large lake immediately to the east of Seattle, Washington...
, discovered Inland Flyer engineless and still under construction at the shipyard of Joseph Supple in Portland, and recommended her purchase to Joshua Green
Joshua Green (seaman and banker)
Joshua Green was an American sternwheeler captain, businessman, and banker. He rose from being a seaman to being the dominant figure of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet, then sold out his interests and became a banker...
.
Anderson bought the hull, and sold it to Green and his associates who were doing business as La Conner Trading and Transportation Company
La Conner Trading and Transportation Company
The La Conner Trading and Transportation Company was founded in the early 1900s by Joshua Green and others, to engage in the shipping business on Puget Sound.-Formation:...
. Anderson then installed the engines and the upper works himself in Portland, and brought the ship himself down the Columbia River and around the Olympic peninsula.
Conversion to oil burner
On May 21, 1904 plans were announced in the press to convert Inland Flyer and Athlon from coal to oil fuel. The decision was reached after officials of the Puget Sound Navigation Company, including its president, Charles Peabody, had taken a test trip on the Northern Commercial Company's sidewheeler Sadie, which was intended for use in Alaska and had been fitted with oil fuel tanks and burned oil rather than wood or coal. Oil was thought to be both cleaner and as cheap or cheaper than coal. The conversion was planned to be complete in thirty days. Inland Flyer thus became the first steam vessel on Puget Sound to use oil fuel, rather than wood or coal, and was the first steamer operating on Puget Sound to use oil fuel.Operations
In 1901, La Conner Trading reached a joint operating agreement with H.B. Kennedy to run their steamers in alliance on the profitable Seattle-Bremerton route, which they called the Port OrchardPort Orchard
Port Orchard, part of Washington state's Puget Sound, is the strait that separates Bainbridge Island on the east from the Kitsap Peninsula on the west. It extends from Liberty Bay and Agate Pass in the north to Sinclair Inlet and Rich Passage in the south...
Route. In 1902 Inland Flyer was on the Seattle – Port Orchard route, running with the Athlon
Athlon (steamboat)
-Construction:Athlon was built in Portland, Oregon by the J.H. Johnston yard. Her first owners were a consortium of Jacob Kamm , Shaver Transportation Company and the Kellogg Transportation Company. The consortium built her at a cost of $4,950...
, which was owned by H.B. Kennedy. There was a brief period of competition on this route in 1902 when the Manette, a boat owned by Tacoma interests, with businessman Fred H. Marvin acting as agent, was placed on the route. Manette was soon transferred to the Seattle – Alki run, and the competition ended.
In 1903 Inland Flyer came under the control of the Puget Sound Navigation Company
Puget Sound Navigation Company
The Puget Sound Navigation Company was founded by Joshua Green in 1913. It operated a fleet of steamboats and ferries on Puget Sound in Washington and the Georgia Strait in British Columbia...
when that company merged with La Conner Trading. Capt. Peter Falk (d.1924) one of the major shareholders of Puget Sound Navigation Co. served as one of masters of the Inland Flyer. Another captain was the veteran steamboat man William Mitchell (b.1879). On May 23, 1903, Inland Flyer was among the steamboats that greeted President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
when he toured the Seattle and the Bremerton naval yard. In 1907 Inland Flyer was placed on the run from Seattle to Bremerton.
By 1904, La Conner Trading, by then a subsidiary of PSN, was operating jointly with H.B. Kennedy as the Navy Yard Route on the Seattle – Bremerton run. Disposing of three vessels, including Inland Flyer, Athlon, and the sternwheeler Port Orchard, the Navy Yard route ran six sailings a day from Seattle's Pier 2
Pier 2, Seattle
-Location:Pier 2 was located at the foot of Yesler Way. Pier 2 was immediately to the north of Pier 1 and immediately to the south of Colman Dock.-History:...
to and from Bremerton.
Rate wars
In 1905, the Puget Sound Navigation Company was engaged in a rate war on the Hood CanalHood Canal
Hood Canal is a fjord forming the western lobe, and one of the four main basins, of Puget Sound in the state of Washington. Hood Canal is not a canal in the sense of being a man-made waterway—it is a natural waterway.-Geography:...
route. There were only two steamers at that time that ran on Hood Canal, one was the Perdita, operated by Capt. W.W. McKenzie, and the other was PSN's Garland. PSN arranged to have McKenzie and Perdita bought off with an anti-competitive subsidy agreement, but this did not last, and McKenzie and Perdita were soon back on Hood Canal, driving down rates on Garland from $2.00 to 50 cents ton, with passengers carried from Seattle to any landing on the canal for 25 cents. In addition, PSN was forced to put the Inland Flyer on the Hood Canal route. Considered a speedy vessel, Inland Flyer, together with Garland brought the best steamboat service ever effected on Hood Canal. However, by the end of 1905, PSN resolved the problem of competition from Perdita by purchasing the rival vessel.
The first decade of the 1900s was probably the high point of steamboat operations in Puget Sound. The vessels would never been as profitable as they were then. During 1907, when the Puget Sound Navigation Company was involved in a rate war with the Kitsap County Transportation Company
Kitsap County Transportation Company
The Kitsap County Transportation Company was an important steamboat and ferry company that operated on Puget Sound. The company was originally founded in 1898 as the Hansen Transportation Company.-Hansen Transportation:...
, Inland Flyer was shifted to the Seattle – Poulsbo
Poulsbo, Washington
Poulsbo is a city on Liberty Bay in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is the fourth largest city in Kitsap County and one of the main suburbs of Seattle in the Kitsap area. The population was 9,200 at the 2010 census....
route as part of the business maneuvers in the competition. Greene, who was by then a millionaire, and owned more steamboats than any other person on Puget Sound, was criticized in at least one newspaper for his supposed ruthlessness in dealing with Warren L. Gazzam, the chief of the Kitsap County Transportation Co.
In 1908, the Port Blakely Mill Company decided to run its steamer Monticello 2
Monticello 2 (steamboat)
The steamboat Monticello operated in the early 1900s as part of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet. The vessel went through several reconstructions and remained in service until 1962, when she was lost in Alaska waters. Her later names were Penaco and Sea Venture...
in competition with the Navy Yard Route's steamers, including Inland Flyer. On July 9, 1909, at the wreck of the Yosemite, Inland Flyer stood by with other vessels to assist, helping make sure there was no loss of life when the big excursion sidewheeler went on the rocks near Bremerton. In 1910 the Navy Yard Route sold Inland Flyer to Capt. F.G. Reeve, who was doing business as the Port Washington Route. He renamed the vessel Mohawk.