SS Columbia (1880)
Photograph of SS Columbia under way
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | Columbia |
Owner |
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Operator | |
Port of registry | Portland, Oregon, United States of America[1] |
Route | |
Ordered | July 1879 |
Builder | Chester, PA)[8] |
Cost | US $450,000 in 1880[7] |
Yard number | 193[4] |
Laid down | September 1879 |
Launched | 24 February 1880[2] |
Completed | May 1880 |
Maiden voyage | June 1880[6] |
In service | 1880 - 1907 |
Out of service | 21 July 1907[2] |
Fate | Sunk, 21 July 1907, Shelter Cove, California |
Notes | Collided with the lumber schooner San Pedro |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | 2,721 tons |
Length | 332 ft (101 m) (309 ft (94 m) below the waterline) |
Beam | 38.5 ft (12 m) |
Draft | 18 ft (5.5 m) |
Depth | 23 ft (7.0 m) |
Decks | 4 |
Installed power | Six cylindrical 12 ft (3.7 m) diameter 12.5 ft (3.8 m) long boilers, powering two 42.5 in (1,080 mm) and 82 in (2,100 mm) by 54 in (1,400 mm) stroke compound condensing engines |
Propulsion | Single four bladed 16 ft (4.9 m) diameter Hirsch propeller |
Sail plan | Brigantine[9][10] |
Speed | 16 kn (18 mph; 30 km/h) |
Capacity | 382 to 850 first class and steerage passengers |
Notes | The first ship to use electric light bulbs, and the first use besides Edison's lab of electric light. workboat, five life rafts and 537 life preservers .
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SS Columbia (1880–1907) was a cargo and passenger steamship that was owned by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company and later the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company. Columbia was constructed in 1880 by the John Roach & Sons shipyard in Chester, Pennsylvania for the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company.[2]
Columbia was the first ship to carry a dynamo powering electric lights instead of oil lamps and the first commercial use of electric light bulbs outside of Thomas Edison's Menlo Park, New Jersey laboratory.[2][11][12] Due to this, a detailed article and composite illustration of Columbia was featured in the May 1880 issue of Scientific American magazine.[13]
Columbia was lost on 21 July 1907 after a collision with the lumber schooner San Pedro off Shelter Cove, California, with the loss of 88 lives.[14]
History
Construction and outfitting
After attending Thomas Edison's New Year's Eve lighting demonstration in Menlo Park, New Jersey, Henry Villard, president of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company became enthusiastic of Edison's work. Villard subsequently ordered an Edison Lighting System to be installed on his company's new passenger steamer, Columbia. Although met with hesitation by Edison himself, the project moved forward, making the installation onboard Columbia Edison's first commercial order for the light bulb.[11] Columbia would also be the first ship to utilize a dynamo. The success of Columbia's experimental dynamo system led to the system being retrofitted on to other vessels.[2]
Columbia herself was ordered in July 1879 as Hull No. 193 at the John Roach & Sons Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works in Chester, Pennsylvania originally by the Oregon Steamship Company.[15] That same year, the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company had bought and merged the Oregon Steamship Company into its own operations.[16] Construction of Columbia began in September 1879.[17] Columbia was launched at 11:40 AM on February 24, 1880. Both the Bureau Veritas and American Shipmasters' Association oversaw her construction.[2][18][19] Roach himself refused to install the incandescent light bulbs on board Columbia in fear of a possible fire breaking out.[6] In May 1880, Columbia sailed to New York City, where Edison's personnel installed the new lighting systems.[2] The light bulbs were carried aboard in a shopping basket by Francis R. Upton, a chief assistant of Edison.[6] The first lighting of the ship took place on May 2, 1880.[6]
Maiden voyage
Columbia finished her
After arriving in San Francisco without incident,[6] the original carbon paper filament bulbs were replaced by a shipment of newer bamboo filament bulbs, sent by Edison himself. The chief engineers of Columbia sent a letter of satisfaction to Edison complimenting the superior performance of the light system, stating that none of the lights gave out after 415 hours and 45 minutes of constant use.[2] Columbia safely arrived in Portland on August 24, 1880. Despite this, insurance companies were reluctant at first to underwrite the brand new vessel.[6]
Subsequent operations
Columbia ran a regular service between Portland and San Francisco. When the paddle steamer Alaskan was sunk by a storm in 1889, Columbia carried its captain and crew to Astoria.[14]
The success of the Edison lighting systems onboard Columbia eventually convinced other shipping companies to install similar systems in their vessels, including the British Cunard Line.[20] The next year, Cunard's SS Servia became the first major ocean liner to be lit up by the incandescent light bulb.[21] In service, the Columbia was greatly appreciated for its reliability.
The Columbia's record on the
San Francisco route is remarkable, as only once in fifteen years has she been longer than one night at sea on the down trip between two cities.
~E.W. Wright - Lewis and Dryden's Marine History of the Pacific Northwest - 1895[22]
During a major overhaul in July 1895, the original Edison generators were removed in favor of modern counterparts.[2] The dynamos were donated to the Smithsonian Institution and The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan.[6] Three years later, the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company was taken over by the Union Pacific Railroad.
On January 30, 1898, the Columbia broke the speed record between San Francisco and Portland. Under the leadership of Captain Conway, she left her San Francisco dock at 10:09 A.M. on January 28 and began travelling on a relatively calm ocean at a fast pace. On January 30 at 1:25 A.M., the Columbia passed the
Following the sale of its steamship, the Oregon in 1899, the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company considered placing the Columbia and its fellow steamer, the State of California, into Alaskan service to Nome.[24] On October 3, 1900, the Columbia was steaming slowly towards its dock in San Francisco, while the ferryboat Berkeley was preparing to leave her slip. Captain Peter A. Doran of the Columbia and Captain "Jim" Blaker of the Berkeley mis-interpreted each other's signals, which led to the Columbia colliding with the Berkeley, destroying one of the ferry's lifeboats and badly damaging the Columbia's bow. Both ships were taken out of service to be repaired following this incident. Another screw steamer owned by the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company, the George W. Elder, temporarily took over the Columbia's route.[25][26] On September 14, 1902, the Columbia ran aground near Astoria due to low tide. She was subsequently refloated at high tide and returned to Portland the following night.[27] In 1904, the Columbia and the George W. Elder transferred to a new Union Pacific subsidiary called the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company.[26][28][29] By this time, the Columbia was considered to be an outdated vessel.
In 1905, the new company was plagued by two unfortunate events. The George W. Elder struck a rock in the Columbia River and sank. She was later refloated and purchased by the
Columbia was undergoing a refit at the
Design and accommodations
Columbia, designed by shipwright Edward Faron, was about 300 feet (91 m) long with about 310 feet (94 m) visible above the waterline. She had a beam of 38 feet 6 inches (11.73 m) and a depth of 23 feet (7.0 m). She had two
Columbia had four decks, three of which were the Spar deck,
The passenger comforts and amenities of Columbia were highly innovative and advertised as luxurious. She had a large refrigeration room in her stern for holding food items such as fresh meat. The large refrigerator was capable of keeping a constant cold temperature regardless of the outside temperature. Columbia also included ventilation and heating systems. The main saloon included a Bohemian glass shade illuminated by an electric light bulb.[18] The remainder of the saloon's light bulbs were encased in frosted glass lamp fixtures. The main dining room boasted French walnut, Hungarian ash, mahogany and maple wooden paneling. Wooden furniture and carpeting further complimented the room's elegance. Telephones were provided in key rooms to allow easier communication between the ship's crew. The bridge was fitted with electrical indicators and monitoring equipment which would have alerted the captain the status of the engine as well as simplifying commands between the captain and engine room.[13] Columbia had first-class staterooms for 250 individuals and could accommodate 600 steerage passengers.[18] The first-class staterooms had paneling and furniture commonly seen on first-class Pullman rail cars on passenger trains, including folding berths in place of conventional beds. Columbia also boasted fresh-water plumbing still system.[13]
By far the most innovative feature aboard the Columbia were her Edison incandescent light bulbs. If a passenger wanted his or her light turned off, a steward had to be summoned, who would unlock a rosewood box outside the cabin and turn the light off. All the lights were placed in the main salons and staterooms only.[6] The passenger accommodations and luxuries aboard Columbia were designed to greatly surpass anything seen on previous liners along the Pacific coastline.[38] Scientific American later published a large article describing the Edison lighting system aboard Columbia.[11] All 120 light bulbs were connected via separate circuits to four 6-kilowatt Edison A Type "long legged Mary-Ann" dynamos, producing power via a belt drive connection to the main engines. The fourth dynamo was used to boost the magnetic fields of the other three and operated at a lower voltage. All four dynamos included two bipolar magnets along with lead wires that produced the multiple circuits. Each dynamo was capable of powering 60 light bulbs. Due to the lack of instrumentation, adjusting the voltage was judged by the brightness of light bulbs in the engine room.[39][12] The wiring insulation was molten paraffin and cotton mix inside a rubber tube casing. The wires were also painted two separate colors to differentiate the negative and positive charges. Overall, the electrical systems aboard the Columbia held little difference from its Menlo Park counterparts. Oil lamps were readily available throughout the vessel in case of a power outage.[12]
Sinking
On 20 July 1907, Columbia departed San Francisco, California, with 251 passengers and crew for Portland, Oregon, under the leadership of Captain Peter Doran.
Captain Doran ordered the passengers to go to the lifeboats and the lifeboats be lowered.
88 passengers and crew, including all the children on board, lost their lives during the sinking of Columbia. Due to the speed of the sinking, many lifeboats were unable to be launched. After the sinking, the lifeboats of Columbia and San Pedro launched a rescue effort assisted by the steamers
Aftermath of the disaster
In the wake of the disaster, hull inspector John K. Bulger, who had inspected the hull of Columbia eight months earlier with hull inspector O.F. Bolles (coincidentally the first captain of the Columbia), testified that the ship was up to modern safety standards as Columbia carried four
The Columbia, an iron hull vessel, bore the brunt of the impact, and her iron plates – brittle with age – cracked and the gash, seven feet across the forward hatch, allowed the water free ingress.
Of the individuals involved in the Columbia sinking, Captain Doran of the Columbia and First Officer Hendrickson of the San Pedro were found to have the most responsibility for the collision. This led to Hendrickson's license being revoked for five years. In addition, Captain Magnus Hanson of the San Pedro was found to have given insufficient orders to his crew. He also did not come to the schooner's bridge when warned of the fog. Hanson's license was revoked for one year. Despite the errors made by both crews, the survivors and press gave praise to most of the crew members aboard Columbia and San Pedro for their courageous and lifesaving actions exhibited during the disaster.[42]
One crew member who did not receive praise by most survivors was Third Officer Hawse of the Columbia. Hawse was reported to have shown aggressive and indifferent behavior towards injured survivors. He reportedly threatened to throw numerous survivors in his lifeboat overboard. Hawse later stated to the press, that he felt most of the men in the disaster refused to help many of the distressed women. He stated, "I would have shot them if I had a
After the sinking, the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company leased the vessel City of Panama to fill the void left by Columbia. On August 8, 1907, the City of Panama was involved in a collision with the grounded steam schooner Alliance near the junction of the
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Early promotional artwork of the SS Columbia.
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The damage sustained on Columbia's bow from the collision with the Berkeley.
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Stern view of San Pedro following the accident.
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An illustration of the Columbia colliding with alog rafton the Columbia River on February 1, 1906.
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Close up of Columbia's bow following the 1906 earthquake.
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A close up of the San Pedro's bow, showing the damage sustained in the collision with the Columbia.
See also
- Clallam (steamboat)
- Dix (steamboat)
- Empress of Ireland
- San Pedro (steam schooner)
- SS Andrea Doria
- SS City of Rio de Janeiro
- SS Pacific
- SS San Juan
- SS Valencia
Citations
- ^ Ringwalt, John Luther (1888). Development of Transportation Systems in the United States: Comprising a Comprehensive Description of the Leading Features of Advancement, from the Colonial Era to the Present Time, in Water Channels, Roads, Turnpikes, Canals, Railways, Vessels, Vehicles, Cars and Locomotives. author, Railway World Office. p. 290. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help) - ^ ISBN 9780766126480.
- OCLC 4383986.
- ^ "The Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding & Engine Works, Chester PA". Original. Shipbuilding History. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
- ^ "San Francisco Call, Volume 102, Number 30". Re-printed. San Francisco, California. California Digital Newspaper Collection. June 30, 1907. p. 49. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "First "Electric" Ship Came Here". Uploaded digitally. Washington State Library (digital). May 13, 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ Annual Report of the Board of Directors of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Co. to the Stockholders Volumes 1-8. Oregon Railway and Navigation Company. 1880. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
- ^ Colton, Tim (August 4, 2010). "The Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding & Engine Works, Chester PA". Original. Shipbuilding History: Construction records of U.S. and Canadian shipbuilders and boatbuilders. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
- ^ "Brigantine (noun)". Dictionary. Merriam Webster. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
- ^ Antonio Jacobsen (1880). "SS Columbia". Archive. Retrieved October 27, 2013 – via The Athenaeum.
- ^ a b c "Lighting A Revolution: 19th Century Promotion". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
- ^ a b c Ray E. Kidd (June 11, 1936). "Lighting the Steamship Columbia With Edison's First Commercial Light Plant" (PDF). General Electric Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "The Columbia". Scientific American, Volume 42. Munn & Company. May 22, 1880. p. 326.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Dalton, Anthony A long, dangerous coastline : shipwreck tales from Alaska to California Heritage House Publishing Company, 1 Feb 2011 - 128 pages
- ^ "At Roach's". Archival. Delaware County Daily Times. July 23, 1879. p. 3. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
- ^ The Public - Volumes 17-18. New York: The Financier Association. August 26, 1880. p. 135.
- ^ "Ship Building Notes". Archival. Delaware County Daily Times. September 12, 1879. p. 3. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "The Launch And A Description Of The Ship". Archival. Chester, Pennsylvania. Delaware County Daily Times. February 24, 1880. p. 3. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
- ^ Colton, Tim (October 21, 2013). "The Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding & Engine Works, Chester PA". Shipbuilding History. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
- ^ a b "Columbia (steamer)". Database. Magellan - The Ships Navigator. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ Frame, Chris. "Servia". Original. Chris' Cunard Page. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ Wright, E.W. (1895). Lewis and Dryden's Marine History of the Pacific Northwest. Portland, Oregon: The Lewis and Dryden Printing Company. p. 275.
steamship Columbia.
- ^ "Fast Trip of the Columbia - San Francisco Call, Volume 83, Number 62". Archive. California Digital Newspaper Collection. January 31, 1898. p. 2. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
- ^ "May run to Cape Nome - San Francisco Call, Volume 86, Number 161". Archive. California Digital Newspaper Collection. November 8, 1899. p. 9. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
- ^ "Berkeley and Columbia Come Together Off Ferry Slip - San Francisco Call, Volume 87, Number 125". Archive. California Digital Newspaper Collection. October 3, 1900. p. 5. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
- ^ a b c Grover, David H. (March 31, 2008). "The George W. Elder Defied the Skeptics". Bay Ledger News Zone. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
- ^ "Steamer Columbia Aground - Los Angeles Herald, Volume XXIX, Number 347". Archive. California Digital Newspaper Collection. September 15, 1902. p. 2. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
- ^ Records and briefs brought under the Act to protect trade and commerce against unlawful restraints and monopolies, of 1890 in the District Court of the United States for the District of Utah and the Supreme Court of the United States, Volume 6. Southern Pacific Company. 1915. p. 2089.
- ^ Annual Report of the Board of Directors of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company, to the Stockholders, Volume 3. Oregon Railway and Navigation Company. 1899. p. 24.
- ^ "Steamer Columbia Runs Into A Barge - San Francisco Call, Volume 98, Number 57". Archive. California Digital Newspaper Collection. July 27, 1905. p. 6. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
- ^ "Columbia Is Safe - San Francisco Call, Volume 99, Number 64". Archive. California Digital Newspaper Collection. February 2, 1906. p. 2. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
- ^ "Hits Raft of Piles - San Francisco Call, Volume 99, Number 66". Archive. California Digital Newspaper Collection. February 4, 1906. p. 54. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
- ^ "History of Potrero Point Shipyards and Industry". Pier 70 San Francisco. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- ^ "Advertisement for the Columbia and Costa Rica - San Francisco Call, Volume 100, Number 162". Archive. California Digital Newspaper Collection. November 9, 1906. p. 14. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ "Columbia Stuck In Ice". Archival. San Francisco, California. San Francisco Call. January 18, 1907. p. 4. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ "Ice Still Holds The Columbia". Archival. San Francisco, California. San Francisco Call. January 19, 1907. p. 3. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ "Steamer Columbia Prisoner in Ice for Four Days". Archival. San Francisco Call. San Francisco Call. January 24, 1907. p. 11. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ "Pacific Coast News". Archival. Sacramento Daily Union. February 2, 1880. p. 2. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ^ Skjong, Espen (November 20, 2015). "The Marine Vessel's Electrical Power System: From its Birth to Present Day". Article. pp. 2–3. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- ^ a b Emery Escola Collection (1907). "George W. Elder and the San Pablo". Photo Archives. Kelley House Museum. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
- ^ "Titanic: How can a disastrous ship be celebrated?". Original. BBC News. May 31, 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Belyk, Robert C. (2001). Great Shipwrecks of the Pacific Coast. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc. pp. 168–172.
- ^ Belyk, Robert C. (2001). Great Shipwrecks of the Pacific Coast. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc. pp. 207–227.
- ^ Hillman, Raymond W. (July 20, 2007). "Fog-bound tragedy remembered". Original. Times-Standard. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
- ^ "The Ships: "S"". Mendocino Coast Model Railroad and Historical Society. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
- ^ Hult, Tim (May 19–21, 2009). "Lost Coast Trail - Northern Section". Climber.Org. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
Further reading
- Belyk, Robert C. Great Shipwrecks of the Pacific Coast. New York: Wiley, 2001. ISBN 0-471-38420-8
External links
- SS Columbia the first "electric" ship Washington (state) Rural Heritage.
- Marine Engineering, Marine Publishing Company, Volume 8, 1903
- SS Columbia - The Lost Ship Who Lit The World, article on Shipwreck World.com
- Lighting a Revolution, webpage by the Smithsonian Institution
- Edison Dynamo used on S.S. Columbia, item in the collection of the Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan