Alice Gertrude
Encyclopedia
Alice Gertrude was a wooden steamship which operated on the Strait of Juan de Fuca
and Puget Sound
from 1898 to January 1907, when the vessel was wrecked at Clallam Bay.
according to one source, or at Port Angeles, Washington
according to another source.. The ship was built either by or for the brothers John Rex Thompson (1855-1926) and Fred Thompson, who were prominent citizens of early Port Angeles doing business as the Thompson Steamboat Company. The Thompsons ran steamboats to Neah Bay from Port Angeles, and Alice Gertrude was built for this route. The vessel was named for two cousins, Alice Thompson, the daughter of Fred Thompson, and Gertrude Thompson, the daughter of John Rex Thompson.
On January 8, 1902, Capt J. Rex Thompson sold his interest in the Thompson Steamboat Company, which included the Alice Gertrude and five other steam vessels, to the La Conner Trading and Transportation Company
. In 1903 La Conner Trading and Transportation Co. effectively merged with the Puget Sound Navigation Company
, and Alice Gertrude became part of the PSN fleet.
In 1904 Alice Gertrude and another PSN ship, Rosalie
ran on alternate days, six days a week, from Pier 1 in Seattle, which was at the foot of Yesler Street, for Port Townsend and the ports on the Strait of Juan de Fuca
. Rosalies route ended at Clallam, with Alice Gertrude proceeding further to Neah Bay.
and Wyadda, they were all taken off. The steamer Rosalie took the passengers back to Port Angeles. The financial loss was valued at $40,000.
Alice Gertrude fell apart quickly and the only salvageable parts were the boiler and the engine, which were removed from the wreck by the steam freighter Rapid Transit. These components belonged to the insurance underwriter, but they were repurchasd by PSN and were later installed in the steam fishing vessel Independent.
Strait of Juan de Fuca
The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long that is the Salish Sea outlet to the Pacific Ocean...
and Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
from 1898 to January 1907, when the vessel was wrecked at Clallam Bay.
Career
Alice Gertrude was a freight and passenger steamship built in 1898, either at Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
according to one source, or at Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,038 at the 2010 census. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-19th century the name had...
according to another source.. The ship was built either by or for the brothers John Rex Thompson (1855-1926) and Fred Thompson, who were prominent citizens of early Port Angeles doing business as the Thompson Steamboat Company. The Thompsons ran steamboats to Neah Bay from Port Angeles, and Alice Gertrude was built for this route. The vessel was named for two cousins, Alice Thompson, the daughter of Fred Thompson, and Gertrude Thompson, the daughter of John Rex Thompson.
On January 8, 1902, Capt J. Rex Thompson sold his interest in the Thompson Steamboat Company, which included the Alice Gertrude and five other steam vessels, to the La Conner Trading and Transportation Company
La Conner Trading and Transportation Company
The La Conner Trading and Transportation Company was founded in the early 1900s by Joshua Green and others, to engage in the shipping business on Puget Sound.-Formation:...
. In 1903 La Conner Trading and Transportation Co. effectively merged with the Puget Sound Navigation Company
Puget Sound Navigation Company
The Puget Sound Navigation Company was founded by Joshua Green in 1913. It operated a fleet of steamboats and ferries on Puget Sound in Washington and the Georgia Strait in British Columbia...
, and Alice Gertrude became part of the PSN fleet.
In 1904 Alice Gertrude and another PSN ship, Rosalie
Rosalie (steamship)
The steamboat Rosalie operated from 1893 to 1918 as part of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet, also operating out of Victoria, B.C. In 1898, Rosalie went north with many other Puget Sound steamboats to join the Klondike Gold Rush.-Construction:...
ran on alternate days, six days a week, from Pier 1 in Seattle, which was at the foot of Yesler Street, for Port Townsend and the ports on the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Strait of Juan de Fuca
The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long that is the Salish Sea outlet to the Pacific Ocean...
. Rosalies route ended at Clallam, with Alice Gertrude proceeding further to Neah Bay.
Wreck
On January 11, 1907, under the command of Capt. Charles Kalstrom (d.1917), a well-known and popular captain,Alice Gertrude was wrecked while trying to enter Clallam Bay. Kalstrom, who had been on the route for 16 years, encountered a severe snowstorm at about 9:00 pm. With visibility blocked, Kalstrom was putting the ship about, when at 10:15 pm, the vessel struck ground on Clallam Reef. The passengers and crew remained on board until the morning, when, with the assistance of the steam tugs LorneLorne
Lorne is a given name and place name especially popular in Canada, due to the Marquess of Lorne, who was Governor-General of Canada . Lorne may refer to:-Given name:*Lorne Anderson , Canadian hockey player...
and Wyadda, they were all taken off. The steamer Rosalie took the passengers back to Port Angeles. The financial loss was valued at $40,000.
Alice Gertrude fell apart quickly and the only salvageable parts were the boiler and the engine, which were removed from the wreck by the steam freighter Rapid Transit. These components belonged to the insurance underwriter, but they were repurchasd by PSN and were later installed in the steam fishing vessel Independent.