PS Accommodation
Encyclopedia
The Canadian
paddlewheel
er Accommodation was the first successful steamboat
built entirely in North America
.
Financed by brewer John Molson
, she was constructed by John Jackson
and John Bruce
in Montréal
in 1809, using engines built in Forges Saint-Maurice, Trois-Rivières
(long known for ironmongery). At a cost of ₤2000 she had two open-faced paddle wheels and an optional sail.
Her maiden voyage was a thirty-six hour run from Montréal to Québec City
.
She was not a commercial success; by 1810, Molson had lost ₤4000 on her, and she was broken up for scrap. She nevertheless pioneered steam packet
s on the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes
; by 1819, there were seven in regular service on the river, while the lakes featured Frontenac
on Lake Ontario
, General Stacey Smyth on the St. John River, and Royal William
(famous for making the first transatlantic crossing under steam in 1831) on the Québec City-Halifax
run.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
paddlewheel
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
er Accommodation was the first successful steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
built entirely in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Financed by brewer John Molson
John Molson
John Molson was an English-speaking Quebecer who was a major brewer and entrepreneur in Canada, starting the Molson Brewing Company.-Birth and early life:...
, she was constructed by John Jackson
John Jackson
-Politicians:* John Jackson , mayor of Tampa, Florida* John Jackson , Member of Parliament for Plymouth Devonport, 1910–1918* John Edward Jackson, British diplomat...
and John Bruce
John Bruce
John Bruce may refer to:* John Bruce , U.S. federal judge* John Bruce , first president of the Métis provisional government during the Red River Rebellion...
in Montréal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in 1809, using engines built in Forges Saint-Maurice, Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...
(long known for ironmongery). At a cost of ₤2000 she had two open-faced paddle wheels and an optional sail.
Her maiden voyage was a thirty-six hour run from Montréal to Québec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
.
She was not a commercial success; by 1810, Molson had lost ₤4000 on her, and she was broken up for scrap. She nevertheless pioneered steam packet
Packet ship
A "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. In sea transport, a packet service is a regular, scheduled service, carrying freight and passengers...
s on the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
; by 1819, there were seven in regular service on the river, while the lakes featured Frontenac
PS Frontenac
Frontenac was a steamboat, the first paddle steamer launched on the Great Lakes, in 1817.Built in Ernesttown, Ontario, by American contractors for Kingston businessmen during 1816 at a cost of ₤15,000, she entered service in spring 1817...
on Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
, General Stacey Smyth on the St. John River, and Royal William
SS Royal William
SS Royal William was a Canadian steamship that is sometimes credited with achieving the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean to be made almost entirely under steam power, using sails only during periods of boiler maintenance, though the British-built Dutch-owned Curaçao crossed in 1827.The...
(famous for making the first transatlantic crossing under steam in 1831) on the Québec City-Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
run.
Sources
Further reading
- Barris, Ted. Fire Canoe: Prairie Steamboat Days Revisited. 1977.
- Charlebois, Peter. Sternwheelers & Sidewheelers, The Romance of Steamdriven Paddleboats in Canada. 1978.