Acme (steamboat)

The steamboat Acme operated on Lake Washington and also on the Sammamish Slough to Bothell, Washington from 1899 to 1910, when it was destroyed by fire.

Acme
History
Name: Acme
Owner: Bothell Transportation Co.; John L. Anderson
Operator: N.C. Peterson
Route: Lake Washington
Builder: Gustavus V. Johnson & Son.
In service: 1899
Out of service: August 16, 1910
Identification: U.S. Registry #107460
Fate: Burned at mooring
General characteristics
Type: inland steamboat
Tonnage: 31 gross; 21 registered tons
Length: 60 ft (18.29 m)
Beam: 11.5 ft (3.51 m)
Installed power: steam engine
Propulsion: propeller

Construction and design

Acme was built in Seattle in 1899 [1] on the Lake Washington shore.[2] The builders were Gustavus V. Johnson (1845-1926) & Son.[2][3] Gustavus V. Johnson was a Civil War veteran, who had been born in Clayton County, New York and who had established a boat building business on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota.[3][4] He and his son Mark ran one of the earliest boatyards on Lake Washington (established 1888).[4] In addition to Acme, they built vessels such as L.T. Haas and City of Renton.[2]

Acme was built of wood and was 60 ft (18.29 m) long,[1][2] with a beam of 11.5 ft (3.51 m) and depth of hold of 3 ft (0.91 m).[5] The overall size of the vessel was 31 gross and 21 registered tons.[5] The official U.S. registry number was 107460.[5] Acme has been described as a tug.[1]

Operation

Acme was operated between Leschi and Madison parks and Bothell, Washington by N.C. Peterson.[1] The vessel was used to service Leschi and Madison parks for one year, and thereafter being sold to the Bothell Transportation Company for use on the Bothell run.[4] Acme was also under the ownership of John L. Anderson, one of the most important figures in steamboat navigation on Lake Washington.[4] In 1906, Acme was making twice-daily trips from Madison Park to Bothell, a distance of 22 miles (35 km) from Seattle.[6]

Loss by fire

On August 16, 1910, at about 2:00 a.m., Acme burned[1] on Lake Washington.[7] No one was on board at the time.[7] Due to the lack of evidence, an investigation could not determine the cause of the fire.[7] The total loss was $2,000.[7]

Possible discovery of wreck

In 2002,[8] the Submerged Cultural Resources Exploration Team (SCRET) discovered a wreck in Lake Washington of a wooden steamer 60 ft (18.29 m) long, in 210 ft (64.01 m) feet of water, which they judged to be either Acme or L. T. Haas (which was destroyed by fire in 1909).[9] The vessel contained a small steam engine and a propeller shaft, which made the wreck unique.[9] Normally machinery would have been salvaged from a vessel if possible.

See also
  • Steamboats of Lake Washington
  • Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet

Notes
  1. Newell, Gordon R., Ships of the Inland Sea -- The Story of the Puget Sound Steamboats, Binford & Mort (2d Ed. 1960), at page 203.
  2. Newell, Gordon R. ed., H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, Superior Publishing, Seattle WA (1966), at pages 49 and 377.
  3. Neill, Edward Duffield, History of Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis, at page 245.
    • Kline, Mary S., and Bayless, G.A., Ferryboats -- A Legend on Puget Sound, Bayless Books, Seattle, WA 1983 ISBN 0-914515-00-4, at pages 145-46.
  5. U.S. Dept. of the Treasury, Bureau of Statistics, Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States (for year ending June 30, 1901)
  6. "Amidst the Hum of Buzzing Saws", The Coast, Vols. 11-12 (1906), at page 166.
  7. Congressional Serial Set, Report of the Steamboat Inspection Service, Government Printing Office (1910), at page 516
  8. Submerged Cultural Resources Exploration Team, "Exploration Updates", Newsletter (Fall 2002)
  9. SCRET: Lake Washington Steamers:Historical archives (accessed 12-20-2013).

References
  • Kline, Mary S., and Bayless, G.A., Ferryboats -- A Legend on Puget Sound, Bayless Books, Seattle, WA 1983 ISBN 0-914515-00-4
  • Newell, Gordon R. ed., H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, Superior Publishing, Seattle WA (1966)
  • Newell, Gordon R., Ships of the Inland Sea -- The Story of the Puget Sound Steamboats, Binford & Mort (2d Ed. 1960)
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