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launched the steamer LIGHT - land, where, upon his arrival, Captain WOOD, a one hundred and forty the man who had great difficulty foot boat, which drew but eight in securing enough money to Uriah Bonzer inches of water. She ran on the build his new steamer, found lower Mississippi and Red that he could now command Scott rivers. Returning to Cincinnati unlimited capital with which he Captain Uriah B. Scott was born in 1871, he built the steamer could build any kind of steam - in Lawrence County, Ohio, near CHESAPEAKE, a very fast boat he desired. The OHIO was Ironton, in 1827 and spent his side-wheeler, which he ran for a great success and made money youth on the Ohio River where two years and then sold, after - from the start, as no other boat he developed a passionate inter - ward completing the steamer on the river could come within est in steamboating. He began FASHION, with which he forty miles of the upper his steamboating career in 1859 carried the mail until the fall of Willamette points which she on the Ohio River where he 1873, when he decided that the could easily reach. worked on and built a consider - opportunity and challenge of the able number of steamers. developing Pacific Captain Scott was a frugal man was too much to ignore, and he and worked economically, and sold his boat and mail business many features of construction and went to Oregon. gave the OHIO an odd appear - ance. Her hull was broad, al - Captain Scott was a practical most flat on the bottom; much steamboatman, but was not over - like a barge. On it he built a burdened with wealth. When plain, squarish-looking deck he arrived in Oregon, he endeav - house that resembled a shed. ored to secure employment on Even though he had an engine, some of the steamers of the he had no pitmans for the stern - People's Transportation Com - wheel. For these he used lengths Uriah B. Scott pany and the Oregon Steam of hollow gas pipe. He lacked 1827 – 1913 Navigation Company. The money to buy heavy iron cast - He built the sidewheel steamer managers of these companies ings for the web of the wheel, LILY, following her with the were skeptical of his abilities so instead he framed it with VICTOR NO. 1, a sternwheeler, and would not employ him. wood. As the OHIO slowly one hundred and ten feet long, Undismayed by this lack of took form, Captains Scott's VICTOR NO. 2, one hundred appreciation, Scott, together with critics, amidst their laughter, and thirty-five feet long, and a couple of business - predicted failure. They would VICTOR NO. 3, also one hun - men; L.B. Seeley and Samuel soon eat their words. dred thirty-five feet long. Brown, acquired engines and He then bought the steamer machinery from an old dredge, UNDINE from the Government, and proceeded to build the remodeled her, and named her OHIO, the first light-draft VICTOR NO. 4. She was two- steamer in the Northwest. The hundred feet long by thirty-two steamer was one-hundred forty foot beam. He subsequently feet long, twenty-five feet beam, owned the steamers R.H. and three feet six inches hold. BARNHAM and CHARLES She made her initial trip Decem - BOWEN, and constructed the ber 12, 1874, going up the river BEN GAYLORD, which he ran light as far as Eugene City. At Steamer Chesapeake. Built at Ironton, OH in 1871. Construction supervised from Portsmouth to Parkersville. Eugene she loaded seventy tons by Capt. U.B. Scott. Operated by After the VICTOR NO. 4, he of wheat and returned to Port - Parkersburg & Ohio Transportation Co Uriah Bonzer Scott:Layout 1 6/3/15 8:21 PM Page 2

gines, the engineer would respond, same light-draft advantages. The but the gas-pipe pitmans, revolting new boat was just as successful at the strain, would bend, leaving as the OHIO, and could carry the engine and wheel locked dead- a much larger cargo on the same center. Whenever that happened, draft as the older boat. In July, the OHIO would grandly plow into 1878, larger poppet-valve engines the dock with a crash of splintered were placed in the CITY OF piling. Because of this distressing SALEM and the discarded 14" The City of Salem was buil in 1875 for the tendency, most cautious wharf - x 48" slide-valve set replaced the U.B. Scott Steamboat Co. and operated on the until 1895. boatmen went ashore when they dredging gear on the OHIO. saw her coming. She exhibited The CITY OF SALEM was When the OHIO was launched, distressing habits on the river, too. commanded by Capt. E.W. as Captain Scott knocked out When the OHIO really got digging Spencer, J.W. Newkirk, purser, the blocks, and the boat slid side - into the river on an upstream run, and Perry Scott, engineer. ways into the river, his skeptics the wooden strips that held the grudgingly admitted that she at paddle buckets in place frequently When the railroad came, practi - least floated. With a good head of worked loose. Then the entire cally ending the steamboat business steam in her boiler, Captain Scott wheel would slowly fall apart and in the valley, Captain Scott then hauled back on the throttle, the start drifting back toward the open built the propeller FLEETWOOD engines took hold, the gas pipe sea. This peculiar characteristic for the Cascade route. The pitmans picked up the load, and of the OHIO's propulsion system FLEETWOOD made her trial trip the wooden wheel turned. After developed rather large muscles on May 28, 1881 and the speedy the lines were cast off, the OHIO on the mate, who was continually little propeller made life miserable nosed into the current and headed forced to launch the skiff and row for the competing OR & N. She up the river to Oregon City. She after the sternwheel. It also devel - was much faster than any of the made her way through the locks oped in Captain Scott a vocabulary boats run by the transportation and kept going, past Yamhill, which, for versatility, originality, giant and she was becoming a real Salem and Albany. She had no and ability to work indefinitely problem for them; always carrying trouble at Corvallis or even Harris - without repeating itself, was out - capacity crowds. A rate war fol - burg where the river shoaled, and standing in a profession and an age lowed, with fares dropping to 50 at last came to Eugene, without which boasted some of the finest cents between Portland and the scraping her keel once, and no off-hand cussers the world has ever Dalles. In connection with the wonder; she drew only eight known. These annoying experi - FLEETWOOD, Captain Spencer inches of water. When Captain ences also developed Captain was operating the steamer GOLD U.B. Scott came back to Portland, Scott's driving ambition to own the DUST on the middle river between those who had jeered were waiting most perfect inland steamers that the Cascades and The Dalles, and with checks in hand, ready to help could be built. finance his next venture. It seemed as though being wrong wasn't The odd-looking craft cleared ten nearly as important as making thousand dollars during the first money. three months of service for Captain Scott and his partners and in 1875 Traveling on the OHIO was always the U.B. Scott Steamboat Company an adventure. Because she was was incorporated by Scott, Seeley, somewhat jerry-built she tended, Brown, M.S. Burrell and Z.J. Hatch. every now and then, to come apart The new company built the steamer at the seams. Every so often, as CITY OF SALEM (151' x 33' x The propeller steamer Fleetwood was built in 1881 by Capt. Scott and ran be - she headed toward a wharf, and the 4.6'), a larger, faster and finer boat tween Portland and the Dalles and later pilot would call to back the en - that the OHIO, yet possessing the Portland to Astoris on the River. Uriah Bonzer Scott:Layout 1 6/3/15 8:22 PM Page 3

at 7 a.m., make numerous landing along the way to Astoria and be back in her dock in Portland between 8 and 9 p.m. the same day. On July 2, 1887, the TELEPHONE made a record for speed on the Astoria route that has never been equaled in regular service, covering the 105 mile distance between The TELEPHONE in 1894 running at high-speed on her daily run to Astoria. Her average Portland and Astoria in four hours running speed was 21 miles-per-hour and she was capable of exceeding 25 miles-per-hour thirty-four and three quarter min - when pushed. She never turned down the opportunity to race and in over 33 years of run - ning, she was never passed by another boat. utes at an average running speed of just a nick under twenty-three when the fight reaches its peak, Captain Scott once again demon- miles-per-hour. The record is Spencer sold the GOLD DUST to strated his genius in hull construc - particularly noteworthy considering the OR & N, leaving the FLEET - tion by building the world's fastest the conditions under which the run WOOD without an up-river con - stern-wheeler and, what many con - was made; a good portion of the nection. This infuriated Scott and sider to be the fastest river steamer trip fighting a near gale-force he then took the FLEETWOOD ever built. This long, lanky vessel, headwind. off the Cascade route and put her with her 500 horsepower engines on the Portland-Astoria route, (22" x 96") and 25 foot paddle - The original TELEPHONE was where he needed no connecting wheel maintained an average destroyed by fire in 1887. Soon boats. It didn't take the OR & N running speed of 21 miles-per-hour after the fire, Capt. Scott an - long to figure out that they had and was never bested in a contest nounced that he would rebuild a made an expensive mistake. for speed during her long, success - new TELEPHONE. The compet - The FLEETWOOD was built for ful career. The TELEPHONE was ing OR & N sent for him and told speed and could not haul freight, one of the best money-makers that him not to put his money in a new but when she trimmed nearly three ever operated on the lower river boat. If he did, they would run him hours from the time between the and, like the FLEETWOOD, off the river. They offered to make two cities she monopolized the enjoyed the cream of the passenger good his loss by the fire, hire him passenger business, and further trade and could also carry a large to rebuild the (T.J. rate cutting by the OR & N failed cargo of freight. Her speed was POTTER) and then give him com - to dislodge her from the route. such that during the summer season mand of her. Captain Scott he Captain Scott served as master on she would leave Portland every day would take the job and something the FLEETWOOD at this time, with C.A. Mann, purser, and Henry Drake, mate, both stockholders in the company. The captain's brother, Perry Scott, was chief engineer.

In December of 1881, the Colum - bia Transportation Company was incorporated by U.B. Scott, Henry Drake and C.A. Mann. Later strengthened by the addition of the Seeley Brothers, E.W. Crichton Built by Capt. Scott in 1891, the FLYER ran between Seattle and Tacoma, making four and C.R. Donohue, built the round trips a day, averaging a steady eighteen miles-per-hour on a schedule so regular steamer TELEPHONE in 1884. that it was said people could set their watches by her arrivals. Uriah Bonzer Scott:Layout 1 6/3/15 8:22 PM Page 4

a Puget Sound fleet, his company passengers and her total mileage was reincorporated as the Colum - was enough to have made fifty- bia River and Puget Sound Naviga - three voyages around the world, tion Company; absorbing John or five trips to the moon - and her Leary as a partner and adding the career was only half finished. steamer BAILEY GATZERT from the now-defunct Seattle Steam As president of his Transportation and Navigation & Puget Sound Transportation Company. Encouraged by the Company, Captain Scott operated The TELEGRAPH was built at Everett, WA the steamers TELEPHONE, in 1903 and ran for Capt. Scott on the success of the speedy FLEET - Columbia River until 1913 WOOD, in 1891 Captain Scott BAILEY GATZERT and later the then constructed the legendary TELEGRAPH, on the Columbia, like $120,000 in cash besides, propeller steamer FLYER. and the FLEETWOOD and which the company refused to give. FLYER on Puget Sound. While In 1888 Captain Scott rebuilt the The FLYER ran between Seattle the operations of Captain Scott TELEPHONE, which was a little and Tacoma, making four round and his associates were less exten - larger and nearly as fast as the trips a day, averaging a steady sive that those of his major com - original boat. She continued her eighteen miles-per-hour, and , on petitors, they cut an imposing successful high-speed running the a schedule so regular that it was figure in the areain which they Columbia, gaining and holding a said people could set their watches operated so successfully. large share of the river trade until by her arrivals. The FLYER was the railroad was built between the also a fast boat. Her triple-expan - Each of Captain Scott's boats, in two cities. During this time she sion engines were rated at 2,000 turn, was a success, navigation- maintained her reputation for speed horsepower but were never fully wise, speed-wise, and financially. by besting such river greyhounds utilized because of her boiler limi - In every venture he took up, he as the T.J. POTTER, HASSALO, tations. She also acquired an out - boldly entered into competition and CHAS. W SPENCER. side hull that trapped between her against a large, well-established William H. Larkins and Thomas old hull a few tons of water that monopolistic company, and in Crang were the captains on the not only made her heavier, but every instance he was able to best rebuilt craft, with C.W. Evans and made her list slightly. Despite it and gain control of the route. Joe Hayes in the engine room. these problems, she was one of So successful was he that his reputa - Captain Scott continued running the fastest boats on the Sound, tion became almost a legend and her until 1903 when he then sold never broke down, and made a lot investors flocked to his support her to the Arrow Transportation of money for her owners. By the whenever he proposed a new Company. In 1905 she was sold end of her first sixteen years, steamboat venture. As a practical and operated for the Regulator she had carried over three million steamboatman, Captain U.B. Scott Line. In 1908 Captain Scott again had few equals and no superiors. became her owner. In 1909 he sold Not only was he skillful in actually her to the Western Pacific Railroad handling a boat, but he could de - where she ended her days as a ferry sign, build and equip one from the on Bay. engine room to the pilot house.

Soon after the TELEPHONE He and the rest of the "Ohio entered service, Captain Scott sent crowd" will long be remembered the FLEETWOOD to Puget Sound for their work during a picturesque and operated her on a fast schedule Captain Scott operated the famous Bailey Gatzert on the lower and middle Colum - period in the history of the between Seattle and Tacoma, bia River from 1895 to 1917. She returned Willamette Valley. He died June repeating her success on the Co - to Puget Sound in 1918 to operate as a 23, 1913 in Portland, Oregon, at lumbia River. With the addition of car ferry until she was retired in 1922. the age of 86.