Misplaced Pages

#556443

76-499: The company was formed on July 1, 1894, by Capt. James Morgan, L. B. Hastings, W.S. Mann, and A.L. Horn. The company operated the steamships Willapa and Garland on the route from Seattle to Neah Bay , and the Evangel on the route Seattle – Port Townsend – Port Angeles – Dungeness – Victoria . In the first decade of the 1900s the company provided service to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island . The company also owned

152-523: A Chicklisaht Nuu-chah-nulth village in Esperanza Inlet or Nasparti Inlet north of Nootka Sound, killing seven and seizing the natives' sea otter furs. The Chicklisaht took their wounded to the Spanish post at Nootka Sound and asked the commandant, Bodega y Quadra, to punish Gray. This attack came after a breakdown in trading negotiations. The price of sea otter furs had increased dramatically since

228-535: A duty of 25% of the vessel's value would be imposed if Bellingham were to be returned to Canadian service. In 1909 Bellingham' s principal owner was listed as the Straits Steamship Company . By 1918, the boilers on Bellingham were considered too worn out for the vessel to be of any further service as a powered ship. The fittings and machinery were therefore removed and scrapped by the firm of Neider & Marcus. In March 1919 Bellingham

304-490: A large river was at that latitude. So Gray continued south, leaving the Strait of Juan de Fuca on April 30, 1792, trading for more pelts as the ship sailed. On May 7, he took Columbia Rediviva into the estuarine bay of Grays Harbor , Washington. (Gray himself actually named this Bullfinch Harbor, but Vancouver's after-the-fact choice was the name that stuck.) Afterward, Gray carried on south to what was, he rightly suspected,

380-474: A number of ships, including Princess Royal . The two American ships were left alone, although Martínez captured a third American ship, Fair American , when it arrived at Nootka Sound in the fall of 1789. Robert Gray witnessed much of the Nootka Incident. During their trading along the coastlines of what are now British Columbia , Canada, and Washington , Oregon , and California, United States,

456-614: A reception in honor of Gray and his circumnavigation achievement. Also on this voyage, Kendrick and Gray were instructed to purchase as much land as they could from native Indians in the Northwest region. Kendrick made at least five such purchases over the summer of 1791, from Maquinna , Wickaninnish , and other chiefs of the Nuu-chah-nulth people. Collectively, these purchases gave Kendrick title to over 1,000 square miles (2,600 km ) of Vancouver Island , including almost

532-502: A sailing vessel from 1879 to 1882, a steamship from 1882 to 1918, a sailing barge from 1919 to 1922, and a motor vessel (diesel-powered) from 1922 to 1950. General Miles was built in 1882 for the Ilwaco Steam Navigation Company . The vessel was a rebuilt sailing schooner which had been originally built in 1879. The ISN had been organized in 1875 by Lewis A. Loomis , Jacob Kamm and two others, for

608-513: A tug. Capt. Herbert F. Beecher (b. 1853) purchased General Miles . Beecher, doing business as the Island Transportation Company , renamed the vessel Willapa , and ran it on Puget Sound Beecher left the business however after his steamer J.H. Libby burned on November 10, 1889. It is reported that Willapa took the place of J.H. Libby for a time, carrying passengers and freight between Port Townsend and

684-652: A voyage. In 1788, Gray had attempted to enter a large river, but was unable due to the tides. Later he named this waterway as the Columbia River. At the outset of the voyage, Gray captained Lady Washington and Kendrick captained Columbia Rediviva , but the captains swapped vessels during the voyage, putting Gray in command of Columbia Rediviva . After the switch, Kendrick stayed on the North American coast, trading for pelts and furs, while Gray sailed their existing cargo of pelts to China, stopping off at

760-539: Is now known as Grays Bay, and the river that flows into it Grays River . These names were not given by Gray, but by William Broughton , George Vancouver's lieutenant, who explored the Columbia in October 1792. Robert Gray had made a chart of the bay and the mouth of the river and a copy was acquired by Vancouver. Gray's success in entering the river would eventually form part of the basis for U.S. territorial claims to

836-641: The Alice Gertrude when that vessel sank after striking a rock in Clallam Bay on January 11, 1907. At this time Capt. Charles E Kastrom (d.1917) took over command of Bellingham and remained her principal captain until his unexpected death in 1917 following a heart attack while at the helm of the steamer Waialeale When, in 1903, the Puget Sound Navigation Company purchased Thompson Steamship Co., Bellingham became

SECTION 10

#1732772243557

912-877: The Alaska Steamship Company was organized by a group of Seattle business and steamboatmen. At that time, the Alaska trade was dominated by the Pacific Coast Steamship Company . The first vessel purchased by Alaska Steam was the Willapa , which, following an extensive overhaul and refitting, departed on her first Alaska trip from the Schwabacher Brothers wharf on March 3, 1895, returning two weeks later on March 17. Willapa carried 79 passengers, 23 horses, and several hundred tons of cargo. A rate war then ensued with

988-653: The Alaskan Panhandle . This company used Willapa as a relief boat on various routes, including the service to including Clayoquot on the west coast of Vancouver Island . In November 1902, Capt. C.E. Curtis in association with the Bellingham Bay Transportation Company , acquired Willapa from the Canadian-Pacific Navigation Company, and renamed the ship Bellingham . During 1903,

1064-595: The Canadian Pacific 's steamships that were operating on the profitable Vancouver – Victoria route. For a long time, it had been the law in Canada that a former Canadian vessel could be returned to Canadian service without having to pay a customs duty , and as a former Canadian vessel, Bellingham would qualify. However, nothing came of this plan when it was determined that the Canadian law had changed, and

1140-768: The Clatsop Spit . Queen of the Pacific was stranded while trying to cross the Columbia Bar on September 5, 1883. Five tugs were called out, including General Miles , Pioneer , Brenham , Astoria , and Columbia , and with great effort they were able to save the ship. ISN kept the General Miles on the Astoria-Ilwaco route until 1889, when the vessel was sold to Portland Coast and Steamship Company and transferred to Coos Bay to operate as

1216-860: The Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War . After his two famous voyages, he carried on his career as a sea captain, mainly of merchantmen in the Atlantic. He intended a third voyage to the Northwest Coast, but his ship was captured by French privateers , during the Franco-American Quasi-War . Later in that conflict, Gray commanded an American privateer . He died at sea in 1806, near Charleston, South Carolina , possibly of yellow fever . In his honor, many geographic features along

1292-509: The General Miles . Capt. John Henry D. Gray (b. 1839), who was the grandson of explorer Robert Gray , was one of the masters of General Miller at this time, as well as being a part owner. Gray used General Miles in the development of the Grays Harbor area. Gray was in command of General Miles at the salvage of the then almost new steamer Queen of the Pacific (330 ft (100.58 m)) in 1883 when that vessel grounded on

1368-535: The Napoleonic Wars . On September 10, 1798, Gray set sail from Salem in command of the bark Alert, on another trading voyage bound for the Northwest Coast, where he was meant to spend a season or two fur-trading, and thence for Canton and home again, as before. This voyage was cut short while yet outbound, though, by the capture of Gray's ship in the South Atlantic by a French privateer . Alert

1444-833: The Oregon and Washington coasts were named for Gray, as were numerous public schools established later in the region. Robert Gray was born in Tiverton, Rhode Island, on May 10, 1755, to William Gray and his wife. Little is known of his early life. On September 30, 1787, Robert Gray and Captain John Kendrick left Boston , to trade along the north Pacific coast . Captain Gray commanded Lady Washington and Captain Kendrick commanded Columbia Rediviva . They were sent by Boston merchants including Charles Bulfinch . Bulfinch and

1520-561: The San Juan Islands . Willapa was returned to Portland in 1890, where, in work completed in 1891, the vessel underwent a substantial reconstruction. The hull was cut in two, and an additional section 36 ft (10.97 m) was inserted in the middle, with the resulting hull being 136 ft (41.45 m) long. In 1894, Willapa was leased by the Hastings Steamboat Company . On January 21, 1895,

1596-633: The Sandwich Islands , now known as Hawaii, en route. Gray arrived in Canton in early 1790 and traded his cargo for large amounts of tea. Gray continued to the west, sailing through the Indian Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope , and across the Atlantic, reaching Boston on August 9, 1790. As such, Columbia Rediviva became the first American vessel to circumnavigate the globe. Although

SECTION 20

#1732772243557

1672-525: The "Great River of the West". While waiting for favorable weather, on April 29, Gray spotted a ship and exchanged greetings with her. This ship was HMS  Discovery , commanded by British naval officer Captain George Vancouver . The two captains met and discussed the geography of the coastlines: Gray told Vancouver about the large river he had attempted to enter in 1788, but Vancouver doubted

1748-608: The American maritime fur trade in that region. In the course of those voyages, Gray explored portions of that coast and in the year 1790 he completed the first American circumnavigation of the world. He was also noted for coming upon and naming the Columbia River , in 1792, while on his second voyage. Gray's earlier and later life are both comparatively obscure. He was born in Tiverton, Rhode Island , and may have served in

1824-584: The Americans by Don Estevan, we have ever testified to it in terms due to such hospitality, and we are again happy to have it in our power to do what we deem justice to his conduct." The Americans were not a neutral party; the United States had only gained its independence from Britain through war a few years before. Also, the Americans were in direct competition with the British, but not the Spanish, for

1900-665: The Atlantic Coast of the United States. Gray returned to Boston in July 1793, after again circumnavigating the globe. On February 3, 1794, he took a wife named Martha Atkins, in a marriage performed in Boston by the Reverend John Eliott. The couple had five children together. Later in his career, Gray was involved in the Franco-American Quasi-War of 1798–1800, an undeclared and purely maritime conflict related to

1976-674: The Chinese would trade. Bulfinch's learning of Cook's pelt-trading solved this problem, so New England sea merchants expected to trade with China profitably. It is uncertain whether Gray was the first American to visit the Northwest Coast, as Simon Metcalfe of Eleanora may have arrived earlier, perhaps as much as a year earlier. On the voyage of Kendrick and Gray, the ships' cargo included blankets, knives, iron bars, and other trade goods. Both captains carried official letters from Congress and passports from Massachusetts for their trading voyage. Kendrick and Gray sailed around Cape Horn at

2052-522: The Columbia River, nor those elsewhere along the Pacific coast. Captain Vancouver did publish Gray's discoveries in England, along with his own explorations, and gave Gray credit. At the time, these discoveries by Gray did not gain him any renown nor were thought important. However, the trading opportunities Gray pioneered (in regard to Americans) were soon followed up by other New England merchants, with

2128-535: The Columbia River, on the south side of the peninsula. By the early 1880s, demand on the Columbia river route, which ran from Astoria, Oregon to Ilwaco, Washington , was increasing beyond the General Canby' s legal passenger capacity, which was 75 in summer and 40 in winter. For this reason, ISN had a new steamer, the General Miles , constructed in Portland, Oregon . Completed in 1882, General Miles

2204-471: The Columbia, they were met by many natives in their canoes , while the crew prepared to take on fresh water. The ship and crew traveled about 13 mi (21 km) upriver and traded items such as nails for pelts, salmon , and animal meat over a nine-day period. In addition to naming the river, Gray also named other landmarks such as Adams Point and Cape Hancock. However, many of these places have since been renamed. The farthest point Gray explored upriver

2280-481: The Long Beach Peninsula as a destination resort area for Portland, Oregon , which was then growing rapidly in population. ISN also employed the General Miles on occasional trips to Tillamook and Coos Bay, Oregon . The first commander of General Miles was W.P. Whitcomb (b. 1848), who had previously been in charge of the General Canby . His brother, George H. Whitcomb (b. 1854), also served on

2356-552: The Oregon Country. On May 20, Gray and crew sailed from the Columbia, heading north to rendezvous with their sloop Adventure before setting sail for China. On July 22, 1792 Gray sailed Columbia Rediviva into the Nootka Sound accompanied by Hope under Ingraham. Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra was present as the commandant of the Spanish settlement there. Bodega was awaiting the arrival of George Vancouver so

Straits Steamship Company - Misplaced Pages Continue

2432-622: The Pacific Coast company, forcing Pacific Coast to cut its rates by more than 50%. On March 19, 1897, at 2:30 a.m., bound for Mary Island, Alaska , Willapa was proceeding in a heavy snow storm in Seaforth Channel , a part of the Inside Passage , when the vessel struck ground on Regatta Reef. The passengers were removed without casualty by a schooner and local canoes manned by First Nations people. Much freight

2508-500: The Pacific. Gray returned to the United States and went on with his sailing career. In 1799, Gray commanded the privateer Lucy in the continuing issue with the French. Lucy was a 12-gun ship with a crew of 25. On November 21, 1800, Gray left Boston in command of the schooner James , with a cargo of iron and stone ballast, bound for Rio de Janeiro, where he arrived on April 18, 1801. He also made subsequent voyages to England and

2584-539: The Thompson brothers, including John Rex Thompson . John Rex Thompson was a business ally of C.E. Curtis. A news report from late 1902 stated that Willapa was to be purchased by a syndicate headed by John Rex Thompson. In May 1904, allegations were made in court of financial malfeasance and breach of trust by C.E. Curtis, causing Bellingham Bay Transportation Co., a company owned by local farmers, to become financially insolvent. On return to Puget Sound, Bellingham

2660-478: The Work of Ages", according to Gray's officer John Boit , which was "in a short time totally destroy'd". Fortunately, it was deserted at the time. John Boit, the keeper of his own ship's log, wrote that Gray had let his passions go too far. In 2005, descendants of Gray formally apologized for the destruction of Opitsaht. Gray ordered several other attacks during the 1792 voyage. In May 1792, Gray ordered an attack on

2736-415: The arrest of James Colnett by Esteban José Martínez , Ingraham and Gray wrote that Colnett had insulted and threatened Martínez, and that Colnett had drawn his sword on Martínez, justifying Colnett's arrest. The letter closed with a statement of friendship: "We sincerely hope, sir, when things are represented with truth, it will rescue our friend Don Estevan J. Martínez from censure... As to the treatment of

2812-523: The coming years, they would be used in support of American claims to the Oregon Country , and would contribute to the limiting to California and to Alaska , respectively, of the Spanish and Russian claims. Gray set sail for the northwest coast again in the Columbia on September 28, 1790, reaching his destination in 1792. Gray and Kendrick rejoined each other for a time, after Gray's return to

2888-443: The commercial venture was financially disappointing to investors, Gray was paraded through Boston for the circumnavigation accomplishment. Accompanying Gray were Hawaiian natives named Atu (Attoo) and Opai (Opie), who had taken passage on Columbia Rediviva and were the first Hawaiians to visit New England. Gray had Atu paraded through the streets of Boston, dressed in traditional Hawaiian war dress. Governor John Hancock held

2964-513: The dispatch of the brigantine Hope in September 1790, under the command of Joseph Ingraham , Gray's first mate on his first voyage. Within a few years, many Yankee merchants were involved in the continuous trade of pelts to China, and by 1801, 16 American vessels were engaged in this triangular route. These mercantile activities encroached upon territorial claims by other nations to this disputed region, notably those of Spain and Russia, and in

3040-403: The entire Spanish establishment at Nootka over to the British. Instead, Bodega offered only to turn over the small cove where Meares had built his hut in 1789. Vancouver could not accept this. In the end, the two agreed to let their governments work it out. As a result, the settlement at Nootka remained Spanish for several years, until under the third Nootka Convention both nations agreed to abandon

3116-462: The entirety of Nootka Sound and Clayoquot Sound . These purchases occurred while Gray had completed his voyage and since returned. The success in profits realized by this voyage had the most immediate effect of Gray's setting out for the north Pacific coast again, only six weeks after returning thence. The further effect was that other New England sea merchants began to send vessels of their own to take part in this new trade opportunity, including

Straits Steamship Company - Misplaced Pages Continue

3192-631: The events of 1789. The Portuguese ships, Ingraham said, were definitely British ships flying Portuguese flags. The "house" that Meares said he built at Nootka Sound, and which was explicitly mentioned in the Nootka Convention, was only a "rough hut", built and torn down in 1788. By 1789, when the Spanish arrived, "there was no vestige of any house remaining". The Nootka Convention said that Spain had seized buildings and that these must be restored to Britain. Further, Ingraham wrote that Meares had not purchased any land from Maquinna , as claimed. About

3268-440: The fireboat Duwamish filled up the vessel with water at high-pressure did the hull finally go under the water during night, off Alki Point . Robert Gray (sea-captain) Robert Gray (May 10, 1755 – c.  July 1806 ) was an American merchant sea captain who is known for his achievements in connection with two trading voyages to the northern Pacific coast of North America, between 1790 and 1793, which pioneered

3344-458: The flagship of the PSN fleet. This ship, when rebuilt and in service as Bellingham in the early 1900s, was reported to have a "ghost whistle" which was described as a low moaning sound heard when the vessel was working through a heavy sea. In 1908, Joshua Green , president of the Puget Sound Navigation Company , explored the possibility of returning Bellingham to Canadian service to run against

3420-442: The fur trade of the Northwest coast. It was in their interest to support the Spanish case. Bodega was pleased to receive Ingraham and Gray's account. Once Vancouver arrived, Bodega used the report, along with other tactics, to force Vancouver into a diplomatic deadlock once negotiations had begun. Were it not for Ingraham and Gray's letter, along with Vancouver's late arrival, and several other factors, Bodega likely would have turned

3496-470: The garrison. There, Columbia Rediviva was repaired before sailing for the northwest coast. Gray reached the northwest coast in August 1788. He entered Tillamook Bay and came ashore for supplies, making his crew the first recorded European Americans to visit the bay. Fighting erupted with the local Tillamook people , and Marcus Lopez , Gray's black cabin boy and cook from West Africa's Cape Verde Islands,

3572-661: The last week of September, Bodega purchased Adventure from Gray. After this, Gray took the Columbia across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Port San Juan (today the site of Port Renfrew, British Columbia ), where the final preparations were made for the long voyage across the Pacific. Gray left North America on October 3, 1792, arriving in the Hawaiian Islands on October 29, and in Macau on December 8. In Canton, Gray again traded his cargo for tea, and then sailed west towards

3648-605: The late 1780s. Gray was one of a number of captains who decided to use force to acquire furs. Later in 1792, in Grays Harbor , Captain Gray fired on a group of Chinooks , killing 20. Still later, in Clayoquot Sound again, Gray killed or wounded at least 25 natives who were approaching his ship in a war canoe during the night. He battled a group of Kwakiutls in late 1792. During his 1792 journey aboard Columbia Rediviva , Gray noticed muddy waters flowing from shore and decided to investigate whether he might have encountered

3724-505: The mouth of a great river, and looked further for a way into this river. On May 11, his men discovered what he sought, and he ordered a small sailboat launched to attempt to find a safe passage across the sand bars in the process known as sounding. Finally, on the evening of May 11, 1792, Gray's men found a safe channel , so ship and crew sailed into the estuary of the Columbia River. Once there, they sailed upriver and Gray named this large river Columbia after his ship. After entering

3800-582: The other financial backers came up with the idea of trading pelts from the northwest coast of North America and taking them directly to China after Bulfinch had read about Captain Cook's success in doing the same. Bulfinch had read Cook's "Journals", published in 1784, that in part discussed his success selling sea otter pelts in Canton . Prior to this, other America traders, such as Robert Morris , had also sent ships to trade with China, notably Empress of China in 1784, but had had trouble finding goods for which

3876-490: The part of the world we were in, I thought this a very handsome present. Not a day passed during our stay in this port, but every ship—without respect to nation or person—received marks of Don Juan's hospitality." In September, most of the ships that had visited Nootka Sound left, including Columbia Rediviva , under Gray, along with the sloop Adventure . Bodega also left, on Activa . Bodega and Gray met shortly after leaving and agreed to sail to Neah Bay where, in

SECTION 50

#1732772243557

3952-586: The port. While Gray was at Nootka Sound, Bodega provided a small house near his own. Gray stayed there until he left Nootka Sound. In addition, Bodega had Columbia Rediviva repaired by the Spanish caulkers, blacksmiths, and carpenters. Bodega also provided fresh food, such as vegetables and hot bread, every day. When Gray and Ingraham left, they were given large amounts of food, such as salmon, pork, eggs, butter, fresh bread, wine, brandy, and large amounts of cabbage and salad. Bodega refused any payment for any of his services. Ingraham wrote in his journal, "Considering

4028-532: The purpose of developing transportation to, from, and on the Long Beach Peninsula , located on the north side of the mouth of the Columbia River . The company's first vessel was the General Canby , a 110 ft (33.53 m) steam tug built in 1875 at South Bend, Washington . ISN organized steamboat routes both on Willapa Bay , on the east side of the Long Beach Peninsula, and also on

4104-486: The rapidly growing Puget Sound Navigation Co. acquired Bellingham Transportation Company, but Dode and Willapa did not go to PSN operational control until the spring of 1904. It is also reported that Canadian-Pacific sold Willapa to the Thompson Steamship Company before the vessel came into the ownership of Puget Sound Navigation Co. Thompson Steamship was a Port Angeles concern run by

4180-687: The region. On this voyage, Gray, though he was still a private merchant, was sailing under papers of the United States of America signed by President George Washington . Gray put in at Nootka Sound on June 5, 1791, and wintered at a stockade they built and named Fort Defiance . Over this winter, the crew built a 45-ton sloop named Adventure , which was launched in the spring with Gray’s first mate, Robert Haswell , in charge. He sailed as far north as Haida Gwaii during his voyage. Once April came, Gray and Columbia Rediviva sailed south while Adventure sailed north. After wintering on Vancouver Island , Gray set sail again on April 2, 1792, when he left

4256-591: The result that the Indians of the Northwest Coast came to call Americans "Boston men". Moreover, Gray's priority in entering of the Columbia was later used by the United States in support of its territorial claims to what Americans called the Oregon Country. The rival British claimants called the more southerly portion of this disputed area the Columbia District , which they derived from the river-name chosen by Gray. Columbia District eventually lent itself to

4332-573: The southern United States. Gray died at sea in 1806, near Charleston, South Carolina . The cause of his death is believed to have been yellow fever . He left behind his wife and four daughters, who later petitioned the U.S. Congress for a government pension, based on his voyages and a claim that he was a naval officer for the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War. Gray did not publish his geographic discoveries on

4408-620: The southern tip of South America, first stopping at the Cape Verde Islands and the Falkland Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. In January after passing Cape Horn, the ships encountered a storm that separated the two vessels and damaged Columbia Rediviva . The damage forced Kendrick to sail for the nearest port, Juan Fernandez . Juan Fernandez was a Spanish port under the control of Don Blas Gonzalez commandant of

4484-408: The steamship, SS Hong Chuen , which was sunk at the beginning of World War II. This article related to a United States ship transport company is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Willapa (steamship) General Miles was a steamship constructed in 1882 which served in various coastal areas of the states of Oregon and Washington , as well as British Columbia and

4560-420: The territory of Alaska . It was apparently named after US General Nelson A. Miles . Originally a sailing schooner built in 1879, the General Miles was extensively reconstructed in 1890 and renamed Willapa . In 1903 the name was changed again to Bellingham . After a conversion to diesel power in 1922, the vessel was renamed Norco . The vessel is notable for, among other things, for having been first

4636-513: The trading post of Clayoquot. As he departed, Gray ordered the destruction of the Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) village of Opitsitah ( Opitsaht ). The attack was a retaliation for insults he thought he had endured and in response to rumors of a plot against his men conceived by some local natives and a Sandwich Islander of his own crew. The plot may have been real, but might have been a misunderstanding. The village of Opitsaht, which consisted of about 200 houses with much carved work—a "fine village,

SECTION 60

#1732772243557

4712-535: The two Americans explored many bays and inland waters. In 1788, Gray encountered Captain John Meares of England. Meares subsequently published reports and maps of the Pacific Northwest that included a voyage by Robert Gray through a large, imaginary inland sea between the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Dixon Entrance . When George Vancouver asked Gray about this in 1792, Gray said he never made such

4788-493: The two could implement the first Nootka Convention . Bodega had intended to turn over the entire establishment to Vancouver, but while waiting for Vancouver, he began to change his mind. Over the summer, Bodega had begun to realize that John Meares had not only greatly exaggerated his losses during the Nootka Crisis, but also had operated British trading ships under the flag of Portugal in violation of East India Company regulations. When Gray and Ingraham arrived at Nootka, Vancouver

4864-412: The two ships wintered at Nootka Sound , near what is now known as Vancouver Island . They were still in the vicinity when Esteban José Martínez arrived in early May 1789, to assert Spanish sovereignty. A number of British merchant ships soon arrived, as well, and conflict between the Spanish and British resulted in the Nootka Crisis , which almost resulted in war between the two nations. Martínez seized

4940-399: The vessel could be put to better uses. The vessel was taken to the Lake Union Drydock and Machine Works in Seattle where a 200 horsepower (150 kW) Fairbanks-Morse semi-diesel engine was installed. The upper works were also extensively reconfigured and the vessel was again equipped to run from Seattle to Ketchikan and other ports of the Inside Passage. In this service the vessel

5016-442: The vessels still being run by the Bellingham Bay company. The fast steamer Flyer pulled away from the Seattle dock en route to Tacoma and five minutes later Bellingham collided with Flyer . Dode , under tow and unable to manoeuvre, also collided with Flyer . Flyer was badly, but not irreparably damaged. Bellingham sustained only light damage. No one on any vessel was injured. Shortly after this incident Bellingham

5092-456: Was a near sister ship to the General Canby . The General Miles was capable of multiple uses, being equipped with towing bits for tugboat work as well as being designed to accommodate 125 passengers and handle 150 tons of freight. The company placed the General Miles in service right away running with the General Canby , so that two trips a day could be made between Astoria and Illwaco. This improved steamship service helped popularize

5168-423: Was also salvaged, but several head of horses could not be rescued and were therefore shot. Although originally considered a total loss, later Willapa was purchased from the underwriters by Canadian interests, removed from the reef, and repaired. Subsequently, Willapa came into the control of the Canadian-Pacific Navigation Company , one of the dominant shipping companies on the coast of British Columbia and in

5244-403: Was killed. Gray named the bay Murderer’s Harbor. Further north along the coast, Gray ran aground attempting to enter a river near 46°N latitude. Here the ship was attacked by natives, with the ship losing one crew member before freeing itself and proceeding north. On September 17, 1788, Lady Washington with Gray in command reached Nootka Sound . Columbia Rediviva arrived soon after and

5320-426: Was operated under the name Norco by the Northland Transportation Company . In the late 1920s the vessel was briefly owned by a Ketchikan concern known as Citizen's Light and Power Company , which was a part of the public utility empire assembled by businessman Wilbur B. Foshay (1881-1957). From 1941 to 1946 the vessel was owned by Ketchikan Cold Storage, and then was purchased by Otis Shively. The vessel then

5396-400: Was placed on the Seattle – Bellingham route, which included through service by local steamer from Bellingham to Blaine and Point Roberts . Running against Bellingham were the Utopia and the old sidewheeler George E. Starr , both owned by the Puget Sound Navigation Company . On December 6, 1903, in heavy fog, Bellingham was towing the steamer Dode to Whatcom for repairs,

5472-567: Was presented to the Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society to be used in the annual Seafair celebration in Seattle, to be burned in a public ceremony in the summer of 1950 as "Neptune's" barge. The vessel was loaded up with fireworks and other inflammable materials, and towed into Elliott Bay by the tug Goliah and set on fire. Although the vessel burned for hours, it proved difficult to sink. Only when

5548-716: Was sold to H.C. Strong who was doing business as the Sunny Point Packing Company. The powerless vessel was taken to the King and Winge shipyard in West Seattle which converted the ship into an unpowered sailing barge which still retained the name Bellingham . A donkey engine with steam driven by a vertical boiler was installed, which powered two cargo hoists. The vessel was also rigged with auxiliary sails, although these appear to not have been used very much. In 1922 Bellingham' s owners determined that

5624-470: Was still en route. Bodega took the opportunity to ask the Americans if they would give him their account of the events of 1789 that led to the Nootka Crisis. Ingraham answered Bodega's letter at length. He wrote, "as I knew every circumstance, Captain Gray desired I would answer and he would sign it jointly." According to the letter signed by Ingraham and Gray, Meares had made many false claims about

5700-454: Was taken by La Republicaine on November 17, about 500 mi (800 km) east of Rio de Janeiro , then sailed by a prize crew (though under Gray's command) to the Spanish port of Montevideo , on the Río de la Plata , arriving on December 14. There, Alert and its cargo were sold as prizes of the French ship. Alert left port on January 11, with a Spanish crew under the Spanish flag, bound for

5776-635: Was transferred to the control of the Inland Navigation Company , which was owned by businessman Charles E. Peabody and associates. For a short time after this acquisition, Bellingham was placed on the Seattle – Port Townsend route, running under Capt. Howard Penfield, a cousin of Charles Peabody. The vessel was then placed on a route between the Washington ports along the Strait of Juan de Fuca , including Port Angeles . Clallam Bay , and, later, Neah Bay . Bellingham replaced

#556443