Nakusp (sternwheeler)
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Nakusp
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Owner: | Columbia and Kootenay Steam Navigation Company |
| Builder: | Thomas J. Bulger |
| Launched: | July 1, 1895 |
| Maiden voyage: | late August 1895 |
| In service: | 1895 |
| Out of service: | 1897 |
| Identification: | CAN 103302 |
| Fate: | Destroyed by fire, December 23, 1897 at Arrowhead, BC |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | inland shallow draft passenger/freighter |
| Tonnage: | 1083 gross; 832 registered |
| Length: | 171 ft (52 m) |
| Beam: | 33.5 ft (10 m) |
| Depth: | 6.3 ft (2 m) depth of hold |
| Installed power: | twin steam engines, single-cylinder, horizontally mounting, 20" bore by 72" stroke, 26.6 horsepower nominal, manufactured by Iowa Iron Works, Dubuque, Iowa |
| Propulsion: | sternwheeler |
| Notes: | near sistership to Kootenay |
The Nakusp was a sternwheel steamboat that operated from 1895 to 1897 on the Arrow Lakes of British Columbia.
Nakusp was commissioned by the Columbia and Kootenay Steam Navigation Company to replace the sternwheeler Columbia which had burned in 1894. Capt. James W. Troup, the company's superintendent, designed Nakusp.
When launched on July 1, 1895, Nakusp was the largest steamboat that had been built on Arrow Lakes. There were then two other sternwheelers operating on the Arrow Lakes when Nakusp was launched, Lytton and Kootenai. Nakusp could carrying more freight than both of them combined. At 1083 gross tons, Nakusp was over twice as large as the Columbia she was replacing.Nakusp was also considered a luxury vessel for the time, as described by historian Downs:
Nakusp had three decks, the main or freight deck, the saloon or passenger deck, and the Texas or hurricane deck. The freight deck could accommodate approximately 15 railroad car loads of freight, or about 300 tons. Mechanically the vessel had a steam driven capstan and a dynamo to generate electricity for the 130 electric lights on board. Nakusp also had two searchlights and a boom light to allow night operations.
There were 17 staterooms on the saloon deck. The saloon deck also include a parlour, 18 ft (5 m) wide and 44 ft (13 m) long, a dining room 17 ft (5 m) by 38 ft (12 m), and a smoking room 17 ft (5 m) wide and 34 ft (10 m) long. There were additional cabins on the Texas deck. The inside of the Texas deck included an open balcony or gallery running around and above the dining room on the saloon deck. The dining room ceiling was 17 ft (5 m) high, and light came into the room through colored windows in the clerestory.
By the time Nakusp was placed in operations, the Canadian Pacific Railway had completed its transcontinental line, which crossed the Columbia River at Revelstoke, BC, about 28 miles up the Columbia River from Arrowhead, which was the main town at the northern end of upper Arrow Lakes. The stretch of the Columbia from Arrowhead to Revelstoke was difficult for steamboats to navigate, as the current was rapid and the water was often shallow. For this reason, C.P.R. built an extension southwards towards Arrowhead, but this was placed closed to the river, and was subject to washouts during high water on the Columbia.When rail line was washed out, the northernmost departure point for Nakusp and other steamers running on the lakes reverted to Revelstoke.
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