Greyhound (sternwheeler 1890)

The Greyhound was an express passenger steamer which operated in 1890s to about 1915 on Puget Sound in Washington, United States. This vessel, commonly known as the "Hound", the "Pup" or the "Dog", was of unusual design, having small upper works, but an enormous sternwheel. Unlike many sternwheelers, she was not intended for a dual role as passenger and freighter, but was purpose-built to carry mostly passengers on express runs.

Construction

"Greyhound" was built at Portland, Oregon by Capt. Claud Troup (1865-1896) in association with Frank W. Goodhue and others.Newell, Gordon R., ed., "H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest", at 10-11, 88, 188, 214, 396 n.1, 529, Superior Publishing, Seattle, WA 1966 ISBN 0875642209] "Greyhound" was designed by Claude Troup's brother, James W. Troup, one of the most famous of the steamboat captains. She was long and narrow, and considered by some to be too flimsily built, which turned out to be quite wrong, as the "Hound" as she was called, proved to be a money-making fast moving boat.Kline, Mary S. "Steamboat Virginia V", at 20, Documentary Publishers, Bellevue, WA 1985 ISBN 0-935503-00-5] The "Greyhound" was convert|139.3|ft|m long, convert|18.5|ft|m on the beam convert|6.3|ft|m depth. Twin steam engines of 14.5" bore and 72" stroke drove her enormous sternwheel. [http://www.secstate.wa.gov/History/publications_detail.aspx?p=44 Wright, E.W. "Lewis & Dryden Marine History of the Pacific Northwest", at 375-76, Lewis and Dryden Printing Co. Portland, OR 1895] ] Mechanical data included: indicated horsepower 400; single boiler, steel firebox built by Willamette Iron Works, Portland, Oregon. Total grate surface convert|12|sqft|m2, total heating surface convert|3200|sqft|m2: fuel consumption: 3/4 of one cord of fir wood

Operation

Shortly after completion "Greyhound" was taken round to the Sound in September by Captain Lewis. She was built almost exclusively for passenger traffic and showed remarkable speed. Once on Puget Sound "Greyhound" raced against and beat all the crack boats on the Tacoma and Seattle route. "Greyhound" started express passenger service between Seattle and Tacoma on September 7, 1990, with Capt. Howard Bullene in command and Claude Troup acting as chief engineer. On the very first trip, Greyhound raced and beat the "Fleetwood".

Shortly after "Greyhound" reached Puget Sound, Captain U.B. Scott brought the fast propeller steamer "Flyer" up from Portland where she too had been built, and put her on the same Tacoma-Seattle run in competition with "Greyhound". In a typical anti-competitive transaction of the time, Capt. Scott offered the owners of "Greyhound" a subsidy if they would take her off the route. Troup agreed, and in November, 1891 he sold her to the Seattle & Tacoma Navigation Company, of which he was president. From then until 1903 she was operated on the Everett and Seattle route, making three round trips a day. Captain Troup handled the boat himself most of the time.

peed

"Greyhound", "all wheel and whistle" mounted both a greyhound statue on the roof of her pilot house and a broom on her masthead, showing that she'd swept the sea of her her competition. One day she raced against the magnificent "Bailey Gatzert", which thereafter mounted both the dog and the broom.Newell, Gordon R., "Ships of the Inland Sea", at 110, Binford and Mort, Portland, OR (2nd Ed. 1960)]

Later career

In 1903, "Greyhound" was replaced on the Everett route by "Telegraph", then a new sternwheeler, and sold to a firm which placed her on the route between Olympia and Tacoma, where she ran against the old Willamette River sternwheeler "Multnomah" and also "Capital City", another sternwheeler Following a rate war, "Greyhound"'s new owners bought out both "Multnomah" and "Capital City", forming the Olympia-Tacoma Navigation Company.

Out of service

In 1911 the new propeller steamer "Nisqually" was built at Quartermaster Harbor and acquired by the Olympia Tacoma Navigation Co. to replace "Greyhound", which was then relegated to relief boat service. By 1924, "Greyhound" had been out of service for many years, and all that remained was her hull. She was still in good enough shape to warrant hauling her out in Tacoma in 1924, for repair, caulking and painting. Just what happened to her hull is not clear, probably it was just left to rot on a beach or a mud bank like so many others had been.

Notes

Further reading

* Carey, Roland, "The Steamboat Landing on Elliott Bay", Alderbrook Publishing, Seattle, WA 1962
* Carey, Roland, "The Sound of Steamers", Alderbrook Publishing, Seattle, WA 1965
* Faber, Jim, "Steamer's Wake", Enetai Press, Seattle, WA 1985 ISBN 0-9615811-0-7
* Gibbs, Jim, and Williamson, Joe, "Maritime Memories of Puget Sound", Schiffer Publishing, West Chester, PA 1987, ISBN 0-88740-044-2
* Kline, Mary S. and Bayless, George A., "Ferryboats - A Legend on Puget Sound", Bayless Books, Seattle, WA 1983 ISBN 0-914515-00-4
* Newell, Gordon, and Williamson, Joe, "Pacific Steamboats", Bonanza Books, New York, NY (1963)

External links

University of Washington image collection

* [http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/transportation&CISOPTR=521&CISOBOX=1&REC=14 "Greyhound", 1891, on Puget Sound] This is a good clear image of the vessel, showing her unusual design and the small but crowded passenger deck.
* [http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/transportation&CISOPTR=522&CISOBOX=1&REC=2 "Greyhound", 1909] This image is taken from the stern of the vessel, which appears to be running at high speed based on the large amount of spray from the sternwheel, the size of the wake, and the amount of smoke coming from the funnel. The wheel appears quite large in this photograph compared to the rest of the boat.