Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-12-02
A HISTORIC VESSEL

San Francl,co Rul!etln.

is'et1 AC.A4NA>Nt A'AA-tAAl.
Some time since the older officer.
of the United States Coas: Survey We're
conptrInC Notes concerning the Beaver.
the tlrst steam vessel on the Pacific or.
~ least. on that part OF the Pacific
washl the nOrteweS CO Isl of America.
To set the question Of dates ~ rest they
naturally determined 20 So K .he.. from
the old Hnison Bay Company officers
at Victoria, and from the genial eX-
chief factor .: the company. William
( Fraser TolmIe. the following facts are
gathered:
Oar good friend. Martin. has asked
ne II reply for nIm TO yoar inquiries
regarding the steamer Beaver. til plo-
n+er Vessel ~ this coast. now nearly
fifty years old. L. lS;!G, while an Indian
trader ana surgeon * Fort Vancouver,
on the Columbia river. witnessed she
arrival OF the Beaver, risced as 4 sail
lnG vessel, ana bringing. of course. cargo
for the Hudson Bay Company. On ,h.
trip out she had been accompanied .4y a
consori, which carried amongst other
cargo. the boiler and engines intended
for the Beaver. Early in the summer of
1886. the trial trip of the Beaver around
SaUvie's Island. AT the delta of the
willamette river. was the OCCASION of a
holiday for several of the CoEpany's
officers. DR.. MacLaughlin. with the
ladies and school children. were on the
Beaver. With other Juniors had more
enjoyment in galloping around the then
open plains OF Skuppoos, on the
Willamette slough, above ST. Helens:
but | we'll remember our giving
the Beaver three rousing cheers as she
sped along the Willamette. since rip
Piled by many A noble steamer. Soou
after this the Beaver proceeded to tue
northwest coast to engage in the fur
trade. In 1887. or about that time. in
consequence of an arrangement be-
tween the British and Russian Fur
companies. the Beavers range extend
ed from Nisqually, in Puget Sound. to
Lynn canal at the head of Chatham
strait. In the autumn of 1886. having
had to visit one of the steamers pas
sengers from the north. l saw the
Beaver in full working order at MIS-
qually. In 1916 the Beaver came to Ms
Gually for the renewal of her boilers.
had been in charge of that post since
June, 1888. Tie breaking up of the old
boilers furnished oppOrtune employ
ment to an American named McAllister.
WHO, Will u lew otutlS, uhu stttkcu near
OLYMPIA in 1S45.
In the sixties the Beaver was leased
for some years to the British Govern
ment, and under command of Lieut..
Pender. of the Royal Navy. was en-
ployed in completing the Surveys of the
northern interior passages. so we'll begun
by Vancouver ninety years ago. Some
time in the seventies. after my retire
ment. the Hudson Bay Company sold
the Beaver, and she is now owned in
Victoria. and employed As a tug about
the harbor and along the coast. She
has had many a hard knock. bu. after
some repairs last summer she was re-
ported as sound as ever. "Out of the
old boiler plate of the Beaver | had
made. iE 1876. large griddle. still in
use in my dwelling. and should {! Pro-
fessOr Davidson ever visit me again, |
l hope to serve him with toOthsome
. oatmeal bannOek, baked on this relic of |
the first steamer on the Pacific coast of |
the United States"