Alverene (motor launch)
Encyclopedia
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Alverene was a gasoline launch built in 1912 which operated on northern Puget Sound
and in the San Juan Islands
.
by A.J. Goulette. The vessel was 39 gross tons, 26 registered tons in size, 71.2 ft (21.7 m) long, with a 15 ft (4.57 m) beam and powered by a 75 hp Buffalo gasoline engine. Another source gives 60 ihp for the engine in 1915. Different dimensions (60 feet long, 14 feet (4.3 m) beam) in another source.
Alverene was capable of and, at least in 1914, licensed to transport 128 persons, and could easily carry 6 to 8 tons of freight. Alverene was built to replace the launch Ruby Marie on the shipping route from Everett to Oak Harbor, Washington
.
cooperative community of Freeland, Washington
. Shortly after Alverene was completed, the vessel was seriously damaged in a docking accident that occurred on August 16, 1912 at Everett. The accident caused by the much larger steel-hulled steamship Sioux
. In 1914 Alverene was providing regular service to the community of Greenbank, Washington
.
After World War I (1914-1918), Alverene was operated by Capt. William H. Kasch (1872-1926), president of Kasch Transportation Company out of Anacortes, Washington
, on routes to points I the San Juan Islands
. In 1920, the vessel was repowered with a 60 hp Fairbanks-Morse
oil engine. Another source describes Alverene as being powered with a semi-diesel engine.
In the mid-1920s, ferries began to be operated on the San Juan routes
. These ferries, backed first by Crosby Marine Corporation, and later by the powerful Puget Sound Navigation Company
presented a serious challenge to the companies operating small passenger and freight vessels, such as Kasch Transportation, that had been servicing the islands since the early 1900s. Eventually the small companies were driven out of business.
Alverene is reported to have been owned (but not operated) by the Puget Sound Navigation Company
from 1931 to 1932.
celebration.
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Alverene was a gasoline launch built in 1912 which operated on northern 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...
and in the San Juan Islands
San Juan Islands
The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the northwest corner of the contiguous United States between the US mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of the U.S...
.
Design and construction
Alverene was built in 1912 in Everett, WashingtonEverett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
by A.J. Goulette. The vessel was 39 gross tons, 26 registered tons in size, 71.2 ft (21.7 m) long, with a 15 ft (4.57 m) beam and powered by a 75 hp Buffalo gasoline engine. Another source gives 60 ihp for the engine in 1915. Different dimensions (60 feet long, 14 feet (4.3 m) beam) in another source.
Alverene was capable of and, at least in 1914, licensed to transport 128 persons, and could easily carry 6 to 8 tons of freight. Alverene was built to replace the launch Ruby Marie on the shipping route from Everett to Oak Harbor, Washington
Oak Harbor, Washington
Oak Harbor is a city located on Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington. The population was 22,075 at the 2010 census.Oak Harbor was incorporated on May 14, 1915.-History:Oak Harbor is Whidbey Island's largest incorporated city...
.
Operations
Alverene was first operated under the command of Capt. John H. Prather (b. 1868), a prominent businessman of the Whidbey IslandWhidbey Island
Whidbey Island is one of nine islands located in Island County, Washington, in the United States. Whidbey is located about north of Seattle, and lies between the Olympic Peninsula and the I-5 corridor of western Washington...
cooperative community of Freeland, Washington
Freeland, Washington
Freeland is a town and census-designated place in Island County, Washington, United States. At the time of the 2010 census the population was 2,035. The town received its name based on its origins as a socialist commune in the early 1900s—. Literally, in the eyes of its founders, the land of...
. Shortly after Alverene was completed, the vessel was seriously damaged in a docking accident that occurred on August 16, 1912 at Everett. The accident caused by the much larger steel-hulled steamship Sioux
Sioux (steamship)
Sioux was a steamship which was operated on Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca from 1912 to 1941. From 1924 to 1941, following reconstruction, the vessel operated as an auto ferry under the name Olympic. During the Second World War this vessel was taken under the control of the U.S. Army...
. In 1914 Alverene was providing regular service to the community of Greenbank, Washington
Greenbank, Washington
Greenbank is an unincorporated community on Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington, USA.Greenbank, which was named by Calvin Philips after his homestead in Delaware, has a population around 250...
.
After World War I (1914-1918), Alverene was operated by Capt. William H. Kasch (1872-1926), president of Kasch Transportation Company out of Anacortes, Washington
Anacortes, Washington
Anacortes is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is a consolidation of the name Anna Curtis, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Anacortes' population was 15,778 at the time of the 2010 census...
, on routes to points I the San Juan Islands
San Juan Islands
The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the northwest corner of the contiguous United States between the US mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of the U.S...
. In 1920, the vessel was repowered with a 60 hp Fairbanks-Morse
Fairbanks-Morse
Fairbanks Morse and Company was a manufacturing company in the late 19th and early 20th century. Originally a weighing scale manufacturer, it later diversified into pumps, engines, windmills, locomotives and industrial supplies until it was merged in 1958...
oil engine. Another source describes Alverene as being powered with a semi-diesel engine.
In the mid-1920s, ferries began to be operated on the San Juan routes
San Juan Islands
The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the northwest corner of the contiguous United States between the US mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of the U.S...
. These ferries, backed first by Crosby Marine Corporation, and later by the powerful 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...
presented a serious challenge to the companies operating small passenger and freight vessels, such as Kasch Transportation, that had been servicing the islands since the early 1900s. Eventually the small companies were driven out of business.
Alverene is reported to have been owned (but not operated) by 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...
from 1931 to 1932.
Disposition
In 1952 Alverene was deliberately burned as part of the Seattle SeafairSeafair
Seafair is a summer festival in Seattle, Washington, USA that encompasses a wide variety of small neighborhood events leading up to several major city-wide celebrations...
celebration.