The Island Transportation Company was a shipping company that was briefly operational in 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 1889 to 1900.

Formation and operations

The company was organized in April 1889, by Herbert F. Beecher, who had recently left the employment of the customs office, and others. The company purchased three smaller steamers, of the coastal or inland variety, the J.B. Libby, Point Arena, and General Miles

General Miles

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 the territory of Alaska. Originally a sailing schooner built in 1879, the General Miles was extensively reconstructed in 1890 and renamed...

. These vessels were employed in northern Puget Sound and 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...

.

The company suffered a major reverse when J.B. Libby got fire on November 10, 1889, while transporting a cargo of lime from Roche Harbor. The vessel was a total loss, and while operations were resumed for a time with General Miles taking the place of the Libby, the company ceased operations some time in 1890, when Beecher took a job as a pilot for the U.S. revenue cutter service.