Comet (sternwheeler)
Encyclopedia
Comet was a sternwheel steamboat that ran from 1871 to 1900 on Puget Sound
and rivers flowing into it, including the White
and Nooksack
rivers.
With the posts still affixed in the ground, the vessel looked like a potlatch
house. Randolph then sawed off the posts, and pushed the hull out into the water. He then flipped the hull over using rocks piled on one side as an assist. The resulting hull was right-side up, but full of water. Randolph then beached the hull, pumped out the water with a home-made wooden pump, and the hull was complete. The steam engines Randolph installed were described as "non-descript and mismatching" and the upper works were said to have been tall and barn-like.
route under Capt. Curtis D. Brownfield (b.1850) until 1876 or later, and was the first steamer to be successful on that route, which included service to farmlands on the Black River
. Comet then was shifted to run almost every route out of Seattle. Under Captain Brownfield, Comet was a pioneer vessel on the Nooksack River
. Capt. George A. Cushman (d.1891), who built the steamer Lillie, also for the White River route, was in command of Comet for a long time. (The current course of the White River deviates from its original as a result of flood control projects).
Capt J. C. Brittain (d.1891), who at one point controlled one of the largest merchant fleets on Puget Sound, came to own Comet at some point and used the vessel in connection with the steamers Despatch and Teaser
to carry the mail, for which he had a contract, to Snohomish
, La Conner, Whidbey Island
, Fidalgo
, Bellingham Bay
, Semiahmoo Bay
, and Lopez
, Orcas
and San Juan
islands.
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 rivers flowing into it, including the White
White River (Washington)
The White River is a white, glacial river in the U.S. state of Washington. It flows about 75 miles from its source, the Emmons Glacier on Mount Rainier, to join the Puyallup River at Sumner...
and Nooksack
Nooksack River
The Nooksack River is a river in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Washington. It drains an area of the Cascade Range around Mount Baker, near the Canadian border. The lower river flows through a fertile agricultural area before emptying into Bellingham Bay and, via the Strait of Juan de Fuca...
rivers.
Construction
The steamboat Comet, whose name was said to have been “misleading”, was built in Seattle in 1871 by Capt. Simon F. Randolph (d.1909). Comet was constructed in an unusual fashion. Randolph built the vessel upside down by picking a flat area of ground, marking out the shape of the boat on the ground, and driving in posts at regular intervals to act as ribs. He then connected the ribs with crossbeams, bent planks around the posts and over the crossbeams, and had the hull complete, although upside down.With the posts still affixed in the ground, the vessel looked like a potlatch
Potlatch
A potlatch is a gift-giving festival and primary economic system practiced by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and United States. This includes Heiltsuk Nation, Haida, Nuxalk, Tlingit, Makah, Tsimshian, Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwaka'wakw, and Coast Salish cultures...
house. Randolph then sawed off the posts, and pushed the hull out into the water. He then flipped the hull over using rocks piled on one side as an assist. The resulting hull was right-side up, but full of water. Randolph then beached the hull, pumped out the water with a home-made wooden pump, and the hull was complete. The steam engines Randolph installed were described as "non-descript and mismatching" and the upper works were said to have been tall and barn-like.
Career
Comet was placed on the White RiverWhite River (Washington)
The White River is a white, glacial river in the U.S. state of Washington. It flows about 75 miles from its source, the Emmons Glacier on Mount Rainier, to join the Puyallup River at Sumner...
route under Capt. Curtis D. Brownfield (b.1850) until 1876 or later, and was the first steamer to be successful on that route, which included service to farmlands on the Black River
Black River (Duwamish River)
The Black River, also known as the Duwamish River, was a river in King County in the U.S. state of Washington. It drained Lake Washington until 1916 when the opening of the Lake Washington Ship Canal lowered the lake, causing the Black River to dry up...
. Comet then was shifted to run almost every route out of Seattle. Under Captain Brownfield, Comet was a pioneer vessel on the Nooksack River
Nooksack River
The Nooksack River is a river in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Washington. It drains an area of the Cascade Range around Mount Baker, near the Canadian border. The lower river flows through a fertile agricultural area before emptying into Bellingham Bay and, via the Strait of Juan de Fuca...
. Capt. George A. Cushman (d.1891), who built the steamer Lillie, also for the White River route, was in command of Comet for a long time. (The current course of the White River deviates from its original as a result of flood control projects).
Capt J. C. Brittain (d.1891), who at one point controlled one of the largest merchant fleets on Puget Sound, came to own Comet at some point and used the vessel in connection with the steamers Despatch and Teaser
Teaser (sternwheeler)
Teaser was a steamboat which ran on the Columbia River and Puget Sound from 1874 to 1880.-Columbia River service:Teaser was built in 1874 at The Dalles, Oregon, and was intended to run on the middle Columbia river, which was the stretch of navigable river that ran between the Cascades Rapids and...
to carry the mail, for which he had a contract, to Snohomish
Snohomish, Washington
Snohomish is a city in Snohomish County founded by the british, Washington, United States. The population was 9,098 at the 2010 census. The mayor of Snohomish is Karen Guzak, and the City Manager is Larry Bauman...
, La Conner, Whidbey Island
Whidbey 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...
, Fidalgo
Fidalgo Island
Fidalgo Island is an island in Skagit County, Washington, located about north of Seattle. To the east, it is separated from the mainland by the Swinomish Channel, and from Whidbey Island to the south by Deception Pass...
, Bellingham Bay
Bellingham Bay
Bellingham Bay is a bay located on the northern Pacific coast of Washington state in the United States. It is separated from the Strait of Georgia on the west by the Lummi Peninsula, Portage Island, and Lummi Island. It is bordered on the east by Bellingham, Washington, to the south-east by the...
, Semiahmoo Bay
Semiahmoo Bay
Semiahmoo Bay is the southeastern section of Boundary Bay on the Pacific coast of North America. The name "Semiahmoo" is a Coast Salish word for "half moon".From the north to south, the following communities and places are located on its shore:...
, and Lopez
Lopez Island
Lopez Island is the third largest of the U.S. San Juan Islands. Lopez Island is in land area. The 2000 census population was 2,177.-History:...
, Orcas
Orcas Island
Orcas Island is the largest of the San Juan Islands, which are located in the northwestern corner of Washington state in San Juan County, Washington.-History:...
and San Juan
San Juan Island
San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington, United States. It has a land area of 142.59 km² and a population of 6,822 as of the 2000 census....
islands.