The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-04-22
GOODRICH LINE STEAMERS.
Season Arrangements for 1S69---The
Boats and their Officers...ImpOrtant
additions to the Fleet.
From the Milwaukee Sentinel.

season announcement. This labor Of pre-
pairing q feet of passenger steamers for
service is an arduous one, but has been
reformed in most thorough manner by
Capt. Butlin, the able superintendent of
the line. During the past winter and
spring several important changes and i'm
proyements have been made in the steam
ers Alpena and Manitowoc The state
room accommodations of the former have
been almost trebled by additions the
easing of her engine has been reduced in
size, thus afording wider passages be-
tween the forward and after cabins: the
oil cloth has been removed from these
passages and floor of oak and ash sub
stitnted, etc. The Manitowoc has receiy-
edfalse sides which will greatly improve
Her seagoing qualities Every boat in
the line has been thoroughly overhauled
renovated, repainted, and in a measure
refurnished, and nothing left undone chat
will increase their already widely estab-
Hshed reputation In fact it is to such
careful attention to the comfort of the
travelling community that the success of
Captain Goodrich is largely due. In this
connection a brief resume of our Western
Vanderbilt steamboat experience will
not be out of place.
Capt. Goodrich began his career as
steamboat owner in 1855, with the Huron
small side wheeler, which is still in ex-
istence, plying, we believe, between De
uoit and Saginaw. He next purchased
the propeller Ogontz, and ran her between
Chicago and Green Bay for two years,
when he removed he machinery and sold
the hull to parties in Racine, who fitted
it out with vessel rig for the lumber
trade. She was afterwards wrecked on
the bar at Chicago After disposing Of
the Ogontz he purchased the propeller
Wabash Valley for the Chicago and Green
Bay route, in which trade she continued
one season, when the d. & M. Railway
Company chartered her to run between
Milwaukee and Grand Haven as winter
boat. Her career on this route was brief
as she was driven ashore at Muskegon
during the first trip and became a total
wreck. The next steamer owned by Capt.
Goodrich was the Comet, built for him
by E. B. Ward. Esq, at Newport, Mich.
She is still in his possession, and has
proved profitable investment. His next
accession was the propeller Lady Frank
lin. After plying season or two between
Chicago and Green Bay she was sold to
Capt. j. f. Kirkland. and is still in exis-
tenee. He then built the steamer Sun
beam and propeller Union at Manitowoc.
The former was first supplied with Capt.
Whittaker's side-wheel propelling appa-.
ratus, which was abandoned as failure
after single trial. and side-wheels SUBJ
stituted. She piled in the West Shore
trade, in connection with the Comet, one
season, when she was transferred to Lake
Superior. where she foundered. The
Union received the engine of the propel-
Ter Ogontz, and was placed in the Green
Bay trade. Capt. j. Z. Kirkland after
wards purchased her, to run between
Lakes Michigan and Superior, in which
trade she is still engaged, though owned
BY other parties. The place of the i'll
fated Sunbeam on Lake Superior was
supplied by the steamer Sea Bird, bought
of e. B. Ward. She was afterwards
placed upon the west shore route of this
lake, in which she continued with varying
fortune until last season, when she was
burned of Waukegan. The next boats
added were the steamers Planet and May
Queen, also bought of E. B. Ward. The
former, after plying for several years in
; the Lake Superior trade, was dismantled
and fitted out as lumber barge, IN which
capacity she is still rendering good SER
vice 70. the Peshtigo Company. The May
Queen ran in the west shore line with the
Sea Bird for several years, when she met
with an accident while making landing
At Sheboygan which caused her to sink
She was raised and towed to Milwaukee,
where, during the following winter, she
was destroyed by an incediary fire. About
this time Capt. Goodrich bought the old
steamer Michigan, but soon dismantled
her, transferring the machinery to the
new steamer Orion. built for him at Man
itowoc, and converting the hull into a
lumber barge He then purchased the
propellers G. S. Truesdell and Ottawa,
placing the former in the East Shore and
the latter in the Green Bay trade. The
Ottawa was sold to Detroit parties few
weeks ago. During the fall of 1866, the
magnificent steamer Northwest was
built at Manitowoc for the Planets engine
and upper works. She was not fully
cor5 leted until the spring of 1867, when
she was placed in the Cleveland and Lake
Superior trade, where she continued until
the loss of the steamer Morning Star,
last season, when she was purchased for
the Detroit and Cleveland route. In the
fall, of 1867 the Nlanltowoc was built at
Manitowoc for the May Queens engine,
and took her place in the West Shore line
last spring. About the same time the
Alpena was bought of Detroit parties and
became the consort OF the Manltowoc.
Later in the season the hull of the new
steamer Sheboygan was built at Manito-
voc and towed to Detroit to receive the
engine of the dismantled steamer City OF
Cleveland, and new upper works. She
will be ready for business In few weeks.
This year another new steamer, about
the same size as the Orion, will be added.
She is now on the stocks at Manitowoc.
From the above 1t will be seen that the
boats now owned by Capt. Goodrich are
the steamers Sheboygan, Manitowoc,
Orion, Alpena and Comet, and propeller
G. j. Truesdell. The two first named are
magnificent floating palaces, unsurpassed
in speed or elegance by anything now
ahoat. The Alpena and Orion are also !
frst-class steamers, luxuriously furnished
and possessing great speed. The steamer
Comet and propeller G. j. Truesdell,
though inferior to the others in size, new
ertheless are very comfortable comfort
able boats to travel upon, as they possess
excellent accommodations for passengers
Here follows list of the boats and the
route to which they have been assigned