Kuskanook
Kuskanook was a wooden, stern-wheel driven steamboat that operated on Kootenay Lake, in British Columbia from 1906 to 1931. After being taken out of service, Kuskanook was sold for use as a floating hotel, finally sinking in 1936. The vessel name is also seen spelled Kooskanook.[1]
![]() Kuskanook underway, 1928. | |
History | |
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Name: | Kuskanook |
Owner: | Canadian Pacific Railway |
Operator: | CPR River and Lake Service |
Route: | Kootenay Lake |
Builder: | James M. Bulger |
Cost: | $104,145..37 |
Launched: | May 5, 1906 |
Maiden voyage: | July 19, 1906 |
Out of service: | December 1931 |
Identification: | Canada #121758 |
Fate: | Converted to floating hotel in 1932 and sank in 1936. |
General characteristics | |
Type: | inland all-purpose. |
Tonnage: | 1008 GT; 548 RT |
Length: | 193.5 ft (58.98 m) |
Beam: | 30.9 ft (9.42 m) |
Depth: | 7 ft (2.13 m) depth of hold |
Installed power: | twin steam engines, horizontally mounted: cylinder bore 22 in (559 mm); stroke 8 ft 0 in (2.438 m); 32.3 nominal horsepower; 560 indicated horsepower; boiler generated steam pressure 180 p.s.i. |
Propulsion: | stern-wheel |
Capacity: | Licensed for 450 passengers; 37 staterooms. |
Crew: | Twenty-eight (including seven officers). |
Route
Kootenay Lake was a long glacially-carved lake running north to south in the Kootenay region in British Columbia.[2] About half-way along the lake's length, an extension called the Western Arm curved in to Nelson, BC.[2] Near the junction of the Western Arm with the main lake were, on the north of the arm, Balfour, and on the south, Proctor.[2]
North of Balfour, about halfway between the Western Arm and Lardeau, was the town of Kaslo, British Columbia.[2] Just to the east across the lake from the Western Arm there were landings at Kootenay Bay, Crawford Bay, and Pilot Bay.[2] At the southern end of the lake was Kootenay Landing, which was the furthest point reached by railroad when Kuskanook was built.[2]
Construction
Kuskanook was built by James M. Bulger (c1859-1925)[3] at Nelson, British Columbia in 1906 for the Canadian Pacific Railway.[4] No sternwheeler had been built in Nelson since Moyie was launched in 1898.[5] Kuskanook was one of a pair of nearly identical vessels ordered by CPR, the other being Okanagan, which was placed into service in 1907 on Okanagan Lake.[5] Both Kuskanook and Okanagan were based on the design of an earlier vessel, the Arrow Lakes sternwheeler Rossland.
The vessel cost $104,145.37.[4] The parts had been manufactured in eastern Canada and brought to Nelson to be assembled.[6] The launch on May 5, 1906 was reportedly attended by 3,500 people.[6]
Dimensions
Kuskanook was 193.5 ft (58.98 m), long, measured over the hull, exclusive of the fantail on which the stern-wheel was mounted.[4] The steamer had a beam of 30.9 ft (9.42 m) with a depth of hold of 7 ft (2.13 m) .[4] The Canadian merchant vessel registry number was Canada #121758.[4]
According to one source, Kuskanook had 37 staterooms and was licensed to carry 450 passengers.[4] Another, more detailed source, states that Kuskanook had four dining room tables, with total seating for 32 persons, with 39 staterooms, and a total passenger capacity of 400..[7] By the mid-1920s Kuskanook could carry eight motor vehicles, mostly on the route between Nelson and the settlement of Kuskonook, just north of Kootenay Landing.[7]
Kuskanook had three decks, the freight and machinery deck, above which were the passenger deck and the texas deck.[5] The wheelhouse was placed just forward of the funnel and stepped back from forward edge of the texas deck cabins.[5] The passenger accommodations were the finest yet seen on the Canadian Pacific's sternwheelers.[5]
Kuskanook required a crew of twenty-eight, including seven officers.[7]
Engineering
Kuskanook was driven by twin steam engines turning a stern-wheel. Each steam engine was horizontally mounted, with a cylinder bore of 22 in (559 mm), and a piston stroke of 8 ft 0 in (2.438 m).[4] The steam plant generated 32.3 nominal horsepower; 560 indicated horsepower.[4] The boiler generated steam pressure ad 180 p.s.i.[4]
Career
Kuskanook and other lake steamers were often the only connections the communities along Kootenay Lake had with the outside world.[6] Kuskanook made its initial trip on July 19, 1906, running from Nelson BC to Kootenay Landing.[4] Kootenay Landing was the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which reached the landing from points east through Crowsnest Pass.[5] Increasing demand for lake transport on this run was the main reason for placing Kuskanook into service.[5]
Because of the connection to the Crowsnest railway, the Nelson-Kootenay Landing run was called the “Crow Boat” route.[5] Increasing demand for lake transport on this run was the main reason for placing Kuskanook into service.[5]
Kuskanook was extensively refitted in 1911, and in 1913 was replaced on the Nelson-Kootenay Landing run by the new steel-hulled steamer Naskookin.[4] Kuskanook was refitted in 1914 and placed on the Nelson-Kaslo run.[4] From 1914 to December 31, 1930 Kuskanook was also operated as a relief steamer for Nasookin, and for excursions departing from Nelson.[4] Kuskanook also called at Balfour, where before the First World War, to encourage tourism, the Canadian Pacific had built a 50-room hotel.[8]
Steam pipe explosion
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In 1925 there was a steam pipe explosion on Kuskanook.[9] A water trap failed in the main steam pipe leading aft to the boiler, and high pressure steam burst out all through the engine room.[9] Three crew members were scalded to death.[9] This was probably the worst fatal accident in the history of the Canadian Pacific's Lake and River Service.[9]
Last years
The completion of the B.C. Southern rail link between Kootenay Landing and Proctor eliminated the need for steamboat service between the two points.[6] Road construction had already reduced the demand for steamer transport.[6] In 1931, Kuskanook was worked on the Proctor-Crawford Bay-Lardeau run, and on excursions..[4]
Disposition
In December 1931, Canadian Pacific sold Kuskanook to Arthur D. Pochin (1885-1950).[10] Canadian Pacific decided to keep Moyie in service, even though older, because Kuskanook’s wooden hull made the boat surplus.[11] Pochin tied Kuskanook up to a wharf at Nelson for use as a floating hotel.[4] The boat was later towed to Kootenay Landing, where it sank in 1936.[4]
Wreck status
The wreck of Kuskanook lies Kokanee Landing, on Highway 3A, about 30 km east of Nelson.[12] The wreck lies perpendicular to the shore, and can be readily seen during low water.[12]
Notes
- Mills, Randall V. (1947). "Ch. 7: To the Farthest Reach". Sternwheelers up Columbia -- A Century of Steamboating in the Oregon Country. Lincoln NE: University of Nebraska. 89. ISBN 0-8032-5874-7. LCCN 77007161.
- Turner, Robert D. (1984). "Ch. 1: Early Steamboating in the Kootenays and the Okanagan". Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service. Victoria, BC: Sono Nis Press. 14-15. ISBN 0919203159.
- "James M. Bulger". Find a Grave. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- Affleck, Edward L. (2000). "Part One: Ch. 2: Columbia River Waterways — List of Vessels". A Century of Paddlewheelers in the Pacific Northwest, the Yukon, and Alaska. Vancouver, BC: Alexander Nicholls Press. 54. ISBN 0-920034-08-X.
- Turner, Robert D. (1984). "Ch. 4: Years of Growth and Years of Change". Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service. Victoria, BC: Sono Nis Press. 129-133. ISBN 0919203159.
- Downs, Art (1972). "Ch. 9: Arrow and Kootenay Lakes". Paddlewheels on the Frontier -- The Story of British Columbia and Yukon Sternwheel Steamers. Seattle, WA: Superior Pub. Co. 126-130. ISBN 978-0875642116.
- Turner, Robert D. (1984). "Appdx III: Lake and River Service Steamer Crews and Accommodations". Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service. Victoria, BC: Sono Nis Press. 263. ISBN 0919203159.
- Turner, Robert D. (1984). "Ch. 5: From Heyday to Decline". Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service. Victoria, BC: Sono Nis Press. 158-159. ISBN 0919203159.
- Turner, Robert D. (1984). "Ch. 4: Years of Growth and Years of Change". Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service. Victoria, BC: Sono Nis Press. 119. ISBN 0919203159.
- "Arthur Davenport Pochin". Find a Grave. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- Turner, Robert D. (1984). "Ch. 5: From Heyday to Decline". Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service. Victoria, BC: Sono Nis Press. 198. ISBN 0919203159.
- Royal BC Museum Living Landscapes
References
- Affleck, Edward L. (2000). A Century of Paddlewheelers in the Pacific Northwest, the Yukon, and Alaska. Vancouver, BC: Alexander Nicholls Press. ISBN 0-920034-08-X.
- Downs, Art (1972). Paddlewheels on the Frontier -- The Story of British Columbia and Yukon Sternwheel Steamers. Seattle, WA: Superior Pub. Co. 126-130. ISBN 978-0875642116.
- Mills, Randall V. (1947). Sternwheelers up Columbia -- A Century of Steamboating in the Oregon Country. Lincoln NE: University of Nebraska. ISBN 0-8032-5874-7. LCCN 77007161.
- Newell, Gordon R., ed. (1966). H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA: Superior Pub. Co. LCCN 66025424.
- Turner, Robert D. (1984). Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service (1st ed.). Victoria, BC: Sono Nis Press. ISBN 0919203159.