The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-01-19
ENTERPRISE TIED
UP FOR WINTER
LITTLE WENATCHEE STEAMER
HAS GOOD SEASONS RUNS
NOW IN DOCK AT HUNTERS.

per Columbia river
The Kettle Falls Tribune gives an
interesting account of the operations
of the plucky Wenatchee steamer on
the waters of the extreme upper Col
umbia the past season. The Enter
prise was sent to the upper section
of the river last spring to be put in
service between Kettle Falls and the
mouth of the Spokane river. Captain
Fred McDermott, the well-known pio-
neer among upper Columbia steam
boat men, was in charge. The navi-
CATION of the river was considered an
experiment, and as it meant the open
ing of a large and rich region Of new
country to transportation facilities,
it has been watched with great inter
est.
The Tribune article follows in
part:
Last Thursday Captain Fred Nc
Dermott pulled out from the Kettle
Falls landing with the steamer En-
terprise for Hunters landing, forty
miles down the Columbia, where it
had been decided to lay the now fa-
nous craft which has so successfully
buffetted the turbulent waters of the
upper Columbia this season into win
ter quarters With the turning of
her prov down stream. the Enter
prise was about to close one of the
most history-making seasons known
to western steamboat annals for many
years. When the Enterprise came
onto the river from Wenatchee, $50
miles below here, last spring her ad-
vent was looked upon with much mis-
giving by many people. The long
stretch of river between her and the
Spokane had never been looked to
with much hope as means of trans
portation by the settlers. If the
steamboat proved successful in sur
mounting the rivers difficulties, very
good; it would be hailed with pleas
ure as a means of salvation. But
there were doubts of it, Now, all
summer and all fall notwithstanding
that in many places the mighty and
lordly river of July is thinned into
a rock-studded. white capped stream,
the steamer has coursed dautnlessly
up and down, proving that We have
a mighty river whose upper courses
may be adapted to use as a CONNER
cial highway, and has thereby opened
possibilities so great that the most
optimistic have scarcely grasped
them. We say this, because the peo-
pie of the world are only beginning
to realize the greatness of the coun-
try which we have here, embracing
valley region having length of about
one hundred miles. and are only
commencing to understand what the
successful navigation of the Columbia
must mean to it.
The amount of freight carried by
the Enterprise on this her first sea-
son has not been announced by Cap
tain McDermott, who, by the way, is
receiving the congratulations of the
people for his marked and successful
handling of the steamer on the new
Understanding a record of no acct
dent or damage to her hull throug-
out the whole season. Many places,
strewn with lodges and rocks, became
so shallow that a horse might have
forded the broad stream among the
boulders were ii not for the ire
mendous force of the current, but the
intricacies of these dangers were skill
fully explored and evaded. In his
turn. Captain McDermott is stout in
his praise of Mr.. Bruce Griggs, who,
as manager of the steamboat COM
pany at Wenatchee, undertook the
bold step of having the Enterprise
brought to these waters.
Captain McDermott is now work
ing on a report which includes fig
ures of the crops, acreage of land
cultivated and in timber, orchards,
population. schools, roads and other
facts pertinent to the conditions exist
ing in the entire country tributary to
the upper river. including the miners
and Indian lands of the reservation.
This report promises TO be one of the
most important relative to the condi-
tions in the country ever compiled.
Now that the practical navigation
of the river has been accomplished an
effort will be made to secure a state
appropriation for the immediate i'm
provement of the river in order that
the greatly increased products of the
country may be handled.
''The steamer will be put into