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VOL. XXXVIII.
PORTLAND, OREGON, SUKDA MOKMXG, DECEMBER 28, 191.
NO. 53.
COLUMBIA IS SETTING FOR TALES OF RIVER ADVENTURE
Red-Blooded Pioneers on Northwest Streams Have Breathless History and Made Startling Fortunes in Early Days.
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BY DE "WITT HARRY.
Copyright by Emma Hyatt Morton.)
AS a prolific source of virile
American adventure the inland
waterways of the United States
have no peer. Countless fascinating
tales have been written with the
mighty Mississippi as a setting, the
Yukon has been another source of ln
spiratlon, the Yellowstone, the Sacra
mento and San Joaquin, the Hudson,
and almost all of the other streams of
varying magnitude, but what of the
writer who will sing the praise of the
Columbia? Who is the man who
will tell the doughty tales of derring
do that have happened on this, the
second stream in size in the entire
country and the scene of so many
fact adventures that fiction fades into
insignificance?
Tell the tale of the Lot Whitcomb
and her many adventures. Narrate
the Inspiring deeds that took place
as the numberless tributary rivers
were explored. How the Portland
was swept over Willamette falls. The
explosions in the boiler rooms of the
Fairy and Washington. The almost
unbelievable story of how the Ad
venture shot the Cascades. Of the
ocean trips that some of the staunch
river craft made at different times
Of the fortunes made in the traffic in
the golden days. How the Tenino
made the enormous sum of $18,000 in
one trip. The development of the
tiny river craft into the palatial ex
cursion boats of the present day. How
Captain Taylor brought the St. Clair
over Oregon City falls. Of the boats
driven by cattle and Indian power
motors. Of the runs at the rapids at
Celilo. The long trips on the lone
some reaches of the upper river for
hundreds of miles. Stirring races on
the river. Fortunes that have been
made. Great men who have started
their careers here. Building of the
locks and consequent opening of the
long stretches of navigable waters.
Battles with the Indians. All these
and many more, ample material of the
highest and most desirable type suit
able for the most exacting of novel
ists, just spoiling for a facile pen.
1 Excursion boat T. J. Potter, which has carried many thousand Oregon people on their ncatlon trips. 2 Captain Jacob Kamm, the pioneer of all the Columbia river ateamboatmen.
3 The Lot Whitcomb, the first steamer built on the Colombia, launched Christmas day 00 years ago. 4 The Multnomah, of a type of the first Oregon boats. 5 Joseph Kellogg, river
captain and leader among transportation financiers. Chester was one of the speedy old-timers. 7 Precarious landings were usual when hosts did most of the freighting- S Gone
but not forgotten are the real river craft of long ago.
Stiver History l-'ruiitul in Adventure.
Closely coupled with the start of
Portland and the rest of '.he cities of
the river is woven the story of the
boats. For years many towns and
cities had no other means of communi
cation than the boats. Right at the
start of this city river transportation
played a prominent part. Ocean ves
sels had early discovered that the
Columbia, was a fruitful source of de
arable cargo and vied in making it a
port of call. Residents of the in
terior speedily realized that the river
offered a wonderful means for de
velopment of their chosen country
and prepared to take advantage o
this. In common with most pioneer
peoples they were short of ready
cash. However, this did not deter
them. They Lad ample faith and
knew that their future could repay.
The first steamer built on the Co
lumbia was the Columbia, a tiny
side wheeler ' that made her trial
trip July 3, 1850. This boat was
built at upper Astoria for Daniel
Frost, General John Adair and the
firm of Leonard & Green. She was 90
feet long and was commanded by
Captain Frost with Thomas V. Smith
as chief engineer and Henry McDer
root as assistant engineer. She reached
Pcrtland at 3 P. M. July 4 and lay
here for three hours and the same
evening visited Oregon City, where1
a great celebration of the event was
held. In some parts the story is to
the effect that the boat was shipped
knock-down and was simply put to
gether at Astoria. If this was the
case the Lot Whitcomb, which was on
the ways at Milwaukie at the time of
the Columbia's epoch-making trip, is
the first real Columbia product.
A parallel to the present high wage
stage for shipbuilders is found in the
construction of the Columbia, for
General Adair reported that he was
forced to pay mechanics $16 daily and
common labor from $5 to $8 per day.
The chances are that these men
worked longer hours than do their
succssors of today, but their money
had much greater purchasing power
and they were paid in gold dust. The
promoters of the Lot Whitcomb at
Milwaukie paid no such tempting
wages, for they were building their
boat on futures, and, having no avail
able cash, were forced to induce their
men to work on promises of distant
pay. which promises were made good,
thanks tc the foresight they displayed.
river steamboat, as he was plenti
fully endowed with foresight and
realized the opportunity that pre
sented itself. Possibly he was act
uated to a certain extent by his Jeal
ousy of Portland by the chance that
thus presented Itself to reap new
laurels for his city. After the pur
chase of the Lausanne he and his
partner. Captain Kellogg, did not have
any too much actual cash, but they
were rich in potentialities and could
make others realize the possibilities
that presented.
Whitcomb Discovers Jacob Kamm.
Rivalry Becomes Kampant.
In 1S50 Portland and Milwaukie
were intense rivals, first one then the
other budding city forging to the
front. If anything Milwaukie had the
edge on the present metropolis, as
Lot Whitcomb and Captain Joseph
Kellogg were located there and the
young city boasted a lumber mill and
was engaged in shipping its product
to San Francisco at "49er gold rush
prices. W hitcomb amassed a con
siderable sum at this game and pur
chased the old bark Lausanne which
had Just landed a cargo of 52 mis
sionaries on these hospitable shores.
Whitcomb was using the Lausanne in
the lumber trade, carrying his boards
from Milwaukie to San Francisco and
bringing back almost their weight in
gold. On one of his investigations
into her hold soon after the purchase
he discovered a set of engines. The
Lord only knows why they were on
board this boat with the mission
aries, and if the missionaries knew
they never told, and what eventual
use they were destined for will likely
ever remain a mystery.
Whitcomb salvaged the engines and
conceived the project of building a
Of course it would be impossible
to run a steamboat without an en
gineer and Whitcomb realized this, i
but he had a further difficulty, he
did not even have a boat, all that he
possessed was a set of engines and
the mental picture of what he thought
he could produce from the plentiful
product of his little lumber mill, al
ways providing he could find the men
that could take the materials and
manufacture the completed product.
He luckily found his dually endowed
man ,in the person of Jacob Kamm,
a young and capable river pilot who
had received a thorough training in
the engine rooms of the fast Missis
sippi river pacaets. K.amm was a
Swiss, and, in addition to his ability
to make a set of engines perform
after they were installed, was a
skilled mechanic and understood con
struction in all its branches as ap
plied to river boats.
Whitcomb realized his good fortune
in finding this man and bringing all
his persuasive logic to bear, convinced
the young engineer that his future
lay on the Columbia and not on the
Sacramento, and the tale of Portland
and the river will prove that Whit
comb had the matter thought out
about right for the career of Jacob
Kamm is a theme fit for any novelist.
and is a splendid demonstration of
the possibilities that confront any
young man when properly taken ad
vantage of.
years and three days ago, the Lot
Whitcomb, a commodious craft of '90
feet In length, gracefully slid from
the ways and kissed the waters of
the Willamette. In our mind's eye we
can picture the simple ceremony, the
small interested crowd of proud resi
dents of Milwaukie and the possibly
few envious visitors from Portland-.
The Lot Whitcomb was a first-class
boat for her time and went right
to work earning dividends for her
owners on the run from Milwaukie
to Astoria, absolutely no stops at
Portland, but making calls at all
other points on the Columbia river.
Imagine the old days when the Lot
Whitcomb was on her famed first
voyages. Starting her trip at Mil
waukie, the thriving little town six
miles above Portland, she would come
gracefully cutting through the water
past Portland, Captain John C. Alns-
worth at the helm and Engineer
Kamm in the hold. Kamm kept a full
head of steam and the throttle wide
open as she dashed .by the tiny set
tlement, and then Ainsworth would
jerk the whistle cord and giving vent
to a series of derisive hoots at the
poor little settlement of Portland as
she dashed past. Stephen Coffin,
Daniel H. Lownsdale and W. W. Chap
man were the proprietors of the town-
site at that time and they likely
stood at the brink of the river and
speculated how long it would be until
they could get back at Whitcomb and
Kellogg as they did not have the
faintest intention of giving up the
task of making Portland the big city
of the river.
not do this as they practically owed
for the entire cost of construction
and W. L. Hanscom was serving as
master until he could get the money
that was due him for the building of
the hull and cabin. Kamm had a
mortgage on the craft for his serv
ices as constructor of the engine room
and as engineer. Kamm had put all
the machinery together, even to rivet
ing the boiler sheets, and this was
his real start on his progress from
a poor engine wiper on the Missis
sippi to wealthy and powerful owner
of river and ocean steamers.
However it took but a short time
for the Lot Whitcomb to return to her
owners sufficient for them to liqui
date their labilities, and they then
went to Astoria, registered their craft
and had her free from trouble for
the future. In the meantime the Pa
cific Mail Steamship company had
been operating a line of boats from
San Francisco to Astoria and they
decided to make St. Helens their
terminus and abandon their Astoria
docks. This worked well for Whit
comb as it made a shorter haul for
his boat and he had to supply most
of the cargo for the ocean craft.
Christmas Launching Made.
Kamm closed with Whitcomb to
come to Milwaukie and superintend
the construction of the Whitcomb at a
salary of $300 per month, jawbone
money. On Christmas day, 1850, 69
Boat Frequents Bark Waters.
The Lot Whitcomb, while apparent
ly carefree In her rambles, did not
have any too easy a time of it at the
start. For on thing she could not
poke her graceful prow into the port
of Astoria for here was located the
United States collector of customs,
General Adair, a rival steamboat
proprietor and he would seize the
craft as she did not, as yet, have
any official existence as she had
not been registered, and this could
not be done until the owners could
come into the court and prove that
they owned their craft and had no
indebtedness. For obvious reasons
Whitcomb and his associates could
Whitcomb Handlcnps Portland.
While all these good times were
working for Milwaukie and her pros
perous citizens, Portland was not
marking time, but she was not forg
ing to the front as rapidly as her
citizens thought she should, and they
realized that they must do something
to overcome the handicap that Whit
comb made for them with his craft,
as by this time he had formulated an
other scheme whereby he made Van
couver and Oregon City ports of call
and gave them service, but refused to
do the same thing for Portland.
Boosters from this city appeared in
San Francisco singing the praises of
their young town, and their siren
song was wafted to the ears of the
owners of the Gold Hunter, an ocean
going side-wheel steamer, and they
determined to take a look at the city
that had such fulsome press-agenting.
Soon the Gold Hunter, and her
name proved correct later, filled her
holds and steamed out of the Golden
Gate on the first journey of any-ocean-going
ship to Portland. She
made the trip safely and came to
anchor at Portland, discharged cargo.
and this gave the loyal citizens of
the town an insp'ration. for they con
celved the scheme pf purchasing the
Gold Hunter, plague her name, as
they afterwards said, and, upon in
vestigatlon, finding that a controlling
interest was for sale for some $60,000
got busy and raised $21,000 in the
first hour and purchased the control.
Now they could afford to sneer at
Milwaukie, for had they not a
steamer of their own, and not a mere
river boat, but an ocean-go'ng craft?
XttO.OOO Takes Wings.
But their pride and roseate dreams
were short-lived for the Pacific Mail
soon tumbled to the fact that this
competition would injure their busi
ness and managed to finesse a con
trolling interest in the Portland-con
trolled-Gold Hunter and had her dis
patched to South America and there
mortgaged, and the embryo capital
ists of Portland fondly kissed their
$60,000 farewell and wrote it off the
books to experience. One excellent
result was had from the sad adven
ture with the Gold Hunter, and that
was that it proved Portland to have
harbor that would accomodate
ocean-going vessels, and right here is
where Whitcomb and crew led the
wrong suit and lost the odd trick,
for they overplayed their hand in
their efforts to keep the Pacific Mail
at St. Helens and could not furnish
sufficient cargo to supply the boats.
Pacific Mall Knters Portland.
They would not call at Portland
where there was plenty of goods wait
ing shipment. The farmers would not
haul their produce to St. Helens as il
was too far and too difficult a task
C.H.n...... .1 f . . . .
amuuvci anu uiegun llly old not
have enough to keep the ocean lin-
busy and the Pacific Mail, taking to
heart the lesson that they learned
wneii me vtuiu rxunter made a safe
trip to Portland, moved their craft to
Portland wharves and here they hav
remained ever since. From this time
on the growth oi Portland was rapid
and the decline of Milwaukie's pow
just as speedy. It must- have been
nara oiow iui me owners of the
Lot Whitcomb to have to be forced to
make Portland a regular stop, as thev
soon did, and from this time on th
development oi uw river traffic oa
the Columbia and Willamette rivera
reads like the most fascinating of ro
mances
It did not take long for others to
realize the possibilities that pre
sented themselves, and the hardy
crew that inhabited the river banks
at this time built boats as fast as
they could get the engines here. in
rapid sequence appeared the Jennie
Clark, Carrie Ladd, Mountain Buck.
Senorita, Hassalo, Mary, Rival, Sur
prise, Elk and many others, until at
times there were as high as three or
four boats tied up at Portland at one
time and the river front presented an
exceedingly busy scene. The profits
were big and the fare from Portland
to Astoria, at the start of river trans
portation, was $20 with meals extra.
and the up-river fare was $22. Freight
rates were also big and all was of
fered that could be carried. Littlo
wonder that as many as poss'ble
stepped into the game.
Impetus Given River Traffic.
Portland residents were enthusiastic
at this time, and every outside boat
brought a fresh bunch of newcomers
who haft heard of the possibilities that
presented themselves here. They all
worked together and opened up roads
to the surrounding country, the first
of which was into the Tualatin val
ley, and thus brought in the produce
of the rich country surrounding the
city, giving plenty of cargoes, lhey
even started a ferry here, the first
attempt being a canoe in 1845 and
later a flat-bottomed skiff at the foot
of Stark street.
From the little . beginning of the
Lot Whitcomb came the Oregon Steam
Navigation company, which was the
inspiration that gave Henry Villard
the idea of forming the now power
ful Oregon-Washington Railroad &
Navigation company. Captain J. C.
! Ainsworth was the executive head of
the original company that was sold
to the N. P. interests. Before the
upper reaches of the Columbia were
opened a pioneer tells of making a
trip to The Dalles from Vancouver
rowboat. It took 17 days of the
most difficult toil, in contrast with
the later river journeys that con
sumed but from 10 to 12 hours. With
the opening of the lucks at the Cas
cades a large stretch of the upper
river was made available for river
ooats, and with the later construction
of the portage railroad at Celllo the
immense reach of the upper Colum
bia and of the Snake was placed in
Uae.
The first inducement that made the
river men go after the trade of the
interior was the establishment of the
L uited States army posts there and of
luc Indian reservations. Tins start
ing of government bases far iniaud
gave much' traffic, and the river uoal
owners went after It with great
profit. Then, closely following, came
the discovery of gold in the interior
and the consequent rush. Here was
.-here the owners of boats reaped a
real harvest and the fabulous sum
that were taken in at this time rival
the most imaginative tales of fiction
On one trip the Tenino took In $18.
000, and on another, on May 3, 1862.
the same boat made $10,945. The other
boats then owned by the Oregon
Steam Navigation company were tak
ing in like huge sums and the coffers
of the corporation were filled to
bursting.
All of this money was taken in from
iCuududed oa Pau U
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