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Ptarmigan (sternwheeler)
Encyclopedia
Ptarmigan was a sternwheel steamboat that operated in British Columbia
on the Columbia River
from 1903 to 1909.
_after_fire_ca_1909.jpg)
Ptarmigan was built at Golden, BC
and was the last vessel built for the Upper Columbia Navig. & Tramway Co., of which Capt. Frank P. Armstrong was the principal owner and manager. Ptarmigans engines were over 60 years old, and had been originally built for a ferry crossing the St. Lawrence River. The engines had been previously installed in two other sternwheelers on the upper Columbia River, specifically the first Duchess, and the second Duchess. The blunt-ended bow of Ptarmigan allowed the vessel to be more capable of pushing barges, which increased the vessel's utility and effective cargo capacity.
route that began at Golden and ran south, at least during high water, to Columbia Lake
, the ultimate source of the Columbia River. In 1903, soon after completion, Ptarmigan was sold to the Columbia River Lumber Company, which hired Armstrong to manage its steamboat operations. In 1907 Ptarmigan hit a snag and sank (A snag is a sunken log jammed in the river bottom but sticking up through the water to just below the surface). Captain Armstrong was able to raise Ptarmigan and return her to service. However Ptarmigan caught fire later in 1907, and her upper works were destroyed. Again, Ptarmigan was salvaged, her upper works were rebuilt and she was returned to service.
_on_lake_windermere_bc_sept_22,_1906.jpg)
The gasoline engine was a new development in the early 1900s. Captain Northcote Cantlie, who has gone down in history as "an eccentric Scot" purchased a gasoline-engined launch, Gian, and placed her on the upper Columbia. Unlike Armstrong, Cantlie came from a wealthy background, drank champagne for breakfast, and kept a bagpiper as his personal attendant.
Cantlie, knowing that Gian was at least theoretically faster than Ptarmigan made several challenges to Armstrong to race. There is a story that one day in late August 1906 Cantlie was out in his launch in the river at the same time as Ptarmigan. Cantle seized the moment and sped past Ptarmigan with his bagpiper blasting out airs as Gian sped past. This was too much for Captain Armstrong, a master steamboat man and veteran of the Klondike Gold Rush
. Armstrong ordered full steam ahead, and when Ptarmigan caught up to Gian, two or three roustabouts
reached over to Gian, seized the still-playing piper, and lifted him unharmed over to the foredeck of Ptarmigan while the piper reportedly never missed a note. Ptarmigan passed Gian and thereafter Cantlie steered clear of the big steamer.
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British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
on the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
from 1903 to 1909.
Design and Construction
Golden, British Columbia
Golden is a town in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, located west of Calgary, Alberta and east of Vancouver.-History:Much of the town's history is tied into the Canadian Pacific Railway and the logging industry...
and was the last vessel built for the Upper Columbia Navig. & Tramway Co., of which Capt. Frank P. Armstrong was the principal owner and manager. Ptarmigans engines were over 60 years old, and had been originally built for a ferry crossing the St. Lawrence River. The engines had been previously installed in two other sternwheelers on the upper Columbia River, specifically the first Duchess, and the second Duchess. The blunt-ended bow of Ptarmigan allowed the vessel to be more capable of pushing barges, which increased the vessel's utility and effective cargo capacity.
Operations
Ptarmigan was placed on the Columbia RiverColumbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
route that began at Golden and ran south, at least during high water, to Columbia Lake
Columbia Lake
Columbia Lake is the primary lake at the headwaters of the Columbia River, in British Columbia, Canada. It is fed by several small tributaries. The village of Canal Flats is located at the south end of the lake....
, the ultimate source of the Columbia River. In 1903, soon after completion, Ptarmigan was sold to the Columbia River Lumber Company, which hired Armstrong to manage its steamboat operations. In 1907 Ptarmigan hit a snag and sank (A snag is a sunken log jammed in the river bottom but sticking up through the water to just below the surface). Captain Armstrong was able to raise Ptarmigan and return her to service. However Ptarmigan caught fire later in 1907, and her upper works were destroyed. Again, Ptarmigan was salvaged, her upper works were rebuilt and she was returned to service.
Race with launch
GianCantlie, knowing that Gian was at least theoretically faster than Ptarmigan made several challenges to Armstrong to race. There is a story that one day in late August 1906 Cantlie was out in his launch in the river at the same time as Ptarmigan. Cantle seized the moment and sped past Ptarmigan with his bagpiper blasting out airs as Gian sped past. This was too much for Captain Armstrong, a master steamboat man and veteran of the Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
. Armstrong ordered full steam ahead, and when Ptarmigan caught up to Gian, two or three roustabouts
Roustabout
A roustabout is a labourer typically performing temporary, unskilled work. The term has traditionally been used to refer to traveling-circus workers, natural gas, or oil rig workers....
reached over to Gian, seized the still-playing piper, and lifted him unharmed over to the foredeck of Ptarmigan while the piper reportedly never missed a note. Ptarmigan passed Gian and thereafter Cantlie steered clear of the big steamer.
Dismantled
Ptarmigan was dismantled in 1909. Ptarmigans engines, which had been under water at least twice when the vessels they powered sank (once with Ptarmigan, once with the first Duchess) were installed in another vessel, the NowitkaNowitka (sternwheeler)
Nowitka was a sternwheel steamboat that operated in British Columbia on the Columbia River from 1911 to May 1920. The name is a Chinook Jargon word usually translated as "Indeed!" or "Verily!".-Design and construction:...
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Further reading
- Faber, Jim, Steamer's Wake -- Voyaging down the old marine highways of Puget Sound, British Columbia, and the Columbia River, Enetai Press, Seattle, WA 1985 ISBN 0-9615811-0-7
- Timmen, Fritz, Blow for the Landing, 75-78, 134, Caxton Printers, Caldwell, ID 1972 ISBN 0-87004-221-1