Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-02-16
MAKES LONG VOYAGE
OWNER RUNS $40 MILES IN FIFTY.
FOOT LAUNCH.
Goes from ketchikan, Alaska, to Ia
coma, Wash.-captain Had Not
Been Over Route for Eight
Years and Carried No Charts.

Tacoma, Wash.-Without charts Of
any kind, over course parts of which
he had not Travelled in years and in
dense Puget Sound fog, E. Forss,
former Tacoman, finished voyage
from Ketchikan Alaska, to Tacoma in
the Teddy, 50foot launch. The dis
lance, $40 miles, was covered in ten
days, winds and thick weather having
caused delay.
The Teddy ran only five hours the
first day out, the sea being too rough
for comfort. Both the Gulf of Georgia
and Dixon's entrance were found
rather tumultuous for 50footer. She
carried. besides Capt. Forss, Peter Os-
lund. the engineer; Mrs. Will Forss.
the owners daughter-in-law, and three
other passengers, Mr.. and Mrs Newell
and child, of Colby.
At Seymour Narrows a 12-mile cur.
rent was encountered. BY taking ad-
vantage of an eddy the Teddy got
through after an all day pull. In lit
tie cove the men went ashore and in Is
minutes killed two large buck deer,
which furnished venison until their ar
rival at Tacoma
Arriving at the Sound, Capt. Forss
he made his way without mishap to
Colby, where he landed the Newell
family, and then ran into the narrow
entrance of Gig Harbor to leave his
daughter-in-law, who had relatives re.
siding there. He had not navigated
these waters in eight years and his
feat is considered remarkable. He
never made mistake of more than
half point in his calculations. He
had charts of no part of the route,
copies not being obtainable in Ketch.
ikan when he left there.
The Teddy is fitted with 20-horse
power four cycle engine. 1t consumed
28O gallons of gasoline on the cruise
Capt. Forss is proud of the perform
ances Of the launch and of her engines
They have seen hard service and at
one time the engine ran three years
without repairs of any kind. There
were no accidents on the cruise except
the striking of timber when running
in the fog one day. This tore loose the
Teddys shoe, but did no serious in
jury.
The reason for Capt Forss' voyage
was to have repairs made to the
launch. She was damaged somewhat
last summer in collision with the
steamer Delhi, which backed onto her
In the night This will necessitate re-
building her cabins She has a large
cook galley and accommodations for
half dozen passengers. She is lying
near the Eleventh street bridge.
For three years Capt Forss used his
launch to carry the United States
mails on one of the most lonely OF
Uncle Sans far flung postal routes
His route extended from KetchikaI
around Prince of Wales island and 9
number of smaller bodies of land tc
Wrangel. distance of 1926 miles The
round trip of $50 miles, with dozen
stops on the way, was made in week
Most Of the stations were canneries
and Indian villages.
Last summer and two previous sum.
mers the Teddy was used by Prof O.
NJ. Leland of Cornell university and a
party of his students on the boundary
survey. This work is not yet finished
. and the distinguished professor will
likely charter the launch for another
season.
Mr.. Forss lived in Tacoma sever
, Or eight years ago. operating launches
J and having other business on the wa
. ter front.