Triton (steamboat)

The steamboat "Triton" was a vessel that operated on Lake Washington in the first part of the 20th Century. "Triton" was built in 1909 at the Anderson shipyard on the eastern shore of Lake Washington at Houghton. She was 78 feet long and rated at 49 tons. [Newell, Gordon R., ed., "H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest", at 159, Superior Publishing Co., Seattle, WA 1966]

"Triton" was built by Captain John Anderson to join his fleet of steamboats on Lake Washington, operating under the name of the Anderson Steamboat Company. “Triton” was the Roman name a god reputed to be the son of Poseidon who was called the “messenger of the deep". Captain Anderson named his vessels after classical gods, starting with "Xanthus" and "Cyrene". "Triton" was similar in appearance to "Aquilo", built about the same time by Anderson.

Publicly-owned ferries (owned by King County on Lake Washington ran Captain Anderson out of the steamboat business by about the time of the First World War, so he sold his interest in the Anderson Steamboat Company. Later, Captain Anderson operated "Triton" and other former vessels of his as a lessee of King County. [Kline, M.S., and Bayless, G.A., "Ferryboats–A Legend on Puget Sound", at 148-153, Bayless Books, Seattle, WA 1983]

In 1938, Captain Anderson returned "Triton" and "Aquilo" to King County. The leading source states that "Aquilo" was sold for scrap but is silent as to "Triton"’s fate; scrapping would be a reasonable assumption. [McCurdy, at 466]

ee also

*Steamboats of Lake Washington
*Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet
*"Aquilo" (steamboat) -- near sistership of "Triton"

Notes

External links

Historic images from on-line collections of the University of Washington

* [http://content.lib.washington.edu/cgi-bin/viewer.exe?CISOROOT=/transportation&CISOPTR=800&CISOMODE=thumb steamer "Triton" loading passengers]
* [http://content.lib.washington.edu/cgi-bin/viewer.exe?CISOROOT=/transportation&CISOPTR=799&CISOMODE=thumb another view of "Triton" at same dock]