The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1879-07-09
DAILY INTELLICENCER.
rHE wEEKIY INTELLIGENCE
Wednesday, July 8, 1879.


Steam Navigation Company TO the new
ownership, and looking, as We do, (says
the Portland !standard,) to Capt. }. c.
Ainsworth as the one who has been the
life and brains Of that company through
its whole history. we have induced an
old Orcgonian to give rs some items in
regard to the Captain which will inter-
est our readers In 1850 certain resi-
dents Of Oregon built steamboat called
the Lot Whitcomb at Milwaukee. six
miles above Portland, which boat was
On homer to her builders, and promi-
nent feature in the early navigation Of
the Columbia and Willamette rivers
between Oregon City, Astoria and the
Cascades. At that time Capt. Ainsworth
WAS living in San Francisco. employed
in the Clerk office in that city. Prom
inent among tho owners of the Lot
Whitcomb were Messrs Bergman Jen-
nings, s. S. White and d. b. Hannah.
These gentlemen employed Capt. Aims
worth to come up and take charge OF
the Lot Whitcomb, but when the boat
commenced to run. the managing owner,
after whom she was named. Mr.. Lot
Wbitcomb. proprietor Of the then -four
ishing town of Milwaukee. for reasons
of his own. placed the master carpenter,
Mr.. IIanscom. in charge Of tbs boat.
and abe ran under Capt. Hanscom for
several months. During these months.
Capt. Ainsworth was YEARLY waiting,
residing with Judge White. back OF
Oregon City; and his friends were
closly watching their chsncas to secure
him the promised position. To man
Of his temperament the Visiting was
peculiarly irksome. and moreover he
was yorktown to the "bedrock'-
living on the kindness Of his friends.
and we have no doubt that the remem-
brance Of these days has helped to give
him that open hand and heart for the
poor which hes characterised him to
the present hour
Captain Hanscom was found to be
failure as a steamboat captain. and
Capt. A,nsworth's friends succeeded in
securing him tho command of the Lot
Whitcomb; and from that day his
course has been steadily upward and
onward After few years OF fair sue
cess with the Whitco,nb. she was run
down to San Francisco and sold TO tho
California Steam Navigation Company
at good price. Mr.. Jacob Kamm had
been Capt. Ainsworth's engineer on the
Lot Whitcomb. and after the sale OF
that boat Ainsworth, Kamm. Aberncthy
h Go. built the Jennie Clark to run
between Portland and Oregon City.
She was the first sternwhecl steamboat
in Oregon. and the venture was con-
sidered a very doubtful ono. A one
sixth interest in tho boat was bought
by 10. Myrick. for three thousand dol.
lars. strongly against the advice Of his
friends, who told him he was throwing
his money away. This little Jennie
Clark paid for herself, over and over. in
the course of five or six years. The
owners of the Jennie Clark afterwards
built the Carrie Ladd. Capt. Myrick
taking command of the Jennie Clark
and Capt. Ainsworth taking the Carrie
Ladd. at that time considered q very
hne boat. Capt. Ainsworth commenced
running the Carrie Ladd tri. weekly to
Cascades about 1850. and this was the
initiatory step toward the formation of
tho Oregon Steam Navigation Com
pany. . corporation valued today at
five million dollars. As we said the
Carrie Lsdd ran tri-weckly to the Cas-
cades in 1859. doing scarcely business
enough to pay her wood bills. During
year or two following the Carrie
Ladd. Senorits, Belle. Multnomsh,
Fashion and other craft were skirmish.
ing on the Cascades route. none OF
them making any money. and finally all
merged into the o. 8. N. Co. The
early years OF the o. =. N. Co. were
years OF toll. caro- and anxiety. such AZ
few are aware Of. At one tune the CON-
pany owed the Bank of California
enough money to have swamped il b.
youd recovery had business failed o.
any serious accident occurred to them.
But luck and pluck carried then,
through, and the men Who have man.
aged it throughout are now to retire
and rest upon the wealth they Justly
deserve.
Some one wants TO know Why Other