Recent from talks
Wide West
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Wide West
Wide West was a steamboat that served in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It had a reputation as a luxury boat of its days.
Wide West was built in 1877 in Portland, Oregon, by the Oregon Steam Navigation Company. It was built entirely of wood. Wide West was a sternwheeler, 218 feet long and rated at 1200 tons. On the Columbia River, unlike the Mississippi and other rivers in the eastern part of the country, there were very few sidewheel steamboats. Wide West was placed on the run from Portland to the Cascades of the Columbia, which at that time, was the head of navigation. Passengers had to disembark and ride a short railway around the Cascades to board another steamboat to travel further upriver. Cargo similarly had to be unloaded and reloaded again.
In 1888 Wide West was disassembled. The upper works and machinery were used to build another steamboat, the T. J. Potter. This was typical of the time, as the wooden-hulls would become waterlogged and worn, and it was easier to simply rebuild a new boat. The upper works and machinery were reused, as they were more durable and still had economic value after only ten years of operation.
In practice, Wide West was sometimes referred to simply as the West.
Wide West was built for the Oregon Steam Navigation Company, which held a monopoly on steamboat navigation on the Columbia River. Wide West was intended to be the pride vessel of the company's fleet. In 1895, Wide West was said to have been the "perfect sternwheeler" constructed for Columbia River service. When in service, Wide West was characterized as "palatial" and "the finest steamboat in America."
According to one source, the hull of Wide West was about 215 ft 9 in (65.76 m) feet long or 218 ft 9 in (66.68 m). However, the overall length of the vessel was greater than the hull length because of an extension of the main deck, called a "fantail" over the stern which carried the stern-wheel. Measured this way, Wide West was 236 ft 9 in (72.2 m) feet long. Similarly, the width of the vessel, called "beam" was measured differently, depending on whether it was over the hull or over the guards, which were wide heavy timber extensions running along the top of the hull on both sides of the vessel. According to one source, Wide West had a beam of 36 ft 9 in (11.2 m) feet.
According to another source, the beam was 39 ft 6 in (12.04 m). Another source states that, over the guards, Wide West and the very similar sternwheeler R.R. Thompson measured 246 ft 9 in (75.21 m) in length and 46 ft 9 in (14.25 m) in beam. Wide West had a depth of hold of 8 ft 0 in (2.44 m).
According to the official steamboat registry, Wide West was 218 ft 9 in (66.7 m) long, with a beam of 39 ft 9 in (12.1 m) and depth of hold of 8 ft 9 in (2.7 m). The overall size of the vessel was expressed in "tons" which was not a unit of weight but rather of size. Wide West was 1200.80 gross and 928.75 registered tons. The official steamboat registry number was 80650. According to one source, Wide West cost about $114,000 to construct.
Hub AI
Wide West AI simulator
(@Wide West_simulator)
Wide West
Wide West was a steamboat that served in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It had a reputation as a luxury boat of its days.
Wide West was built in 1877 in Portland, Oregon, by the Oregon Steam Navigation Company. It was built entirely of wood. Wide West was a sternwheeler, 218 feet long and rated at 1200 tons. On the Columbia River, unlike the Mississippi and other rivers in the eastern part of the country, there were very few sidewheel steamboats. Wide West was placed on the run from Portland to the Cascades of the Columbia, which at that time, was the head of navigation. Passengers had to disembark and ride a short railway around the Cascades to board another steamboat to travel further upriver. Cargo similarly had to be unloaded and reloaded again.
In 1888 Wide West was disassembled. The upper works and machinery were used to build another steamboat, the T. J. Potter. This was typical of the time, as the wooden-hulls would become waterlogged and worn, and it was easier to simply rebuild a new boat. The upper works and machinery were reused, as they were more durable and still had economic value after only ten years of operation.
In practice, Wide West was sometimes referred to simply as the West.
Wide West was built for the Oregon Steam Navigation Company, which held a monopoly on steamboat navigation on the Columbia River. Wide West was intended to be the pride vessel of the company's fleet. In 1895, Wide West was said to have been the "perfect sternwheeler" constructed for Columbia River service. When in service, Wide West was characterized as "palatial" and "the finest steamboat in America."
According to one source, the hull of Wide West was about 215 ft 9 in (65.76 m) feet long or 218 ft 9 in (66.68 m). However, the overall length of the vessel was greater than the hull length because of an extension of the main deck, called a "fantail" over the stern which carried the stern-wheel. Measured this way, Wide West was 236 ft 9 in (72.2 m) feet long. Similarly, the width of the vessel, called "beam" was measured differently, depending on whether it was over the hull or over the guards, which were wide heavy timber extensions running along the top of the hull on both sides of the vessel. According to one source, Wide West had a beam of 36 ft 9 in (11.2 m) feet.
According to another source, the beam was 39 ft 6 in (12.04 m). Another source states that, over the guards, Wide West and the very similar sternwheeler R.R. Thompson measured 246 ft 9 in (75.21 m) in length and 46 ft 9 in (14.25 m) in beam. Wide West had a depth of hold of 8 ft 0 in (2.44 m).
According to the official steamboat registry, Wide West was 218 ft 9 in (66.7 m) long, with a beam of 39 ft 9 in (12.1 m) and depth of hold of 8 ft 9 in (2.7 m). The overall size of the vessel was expressed in "tons" which was not a unit of weight but rather of size. Wide West was 1200.80 gross and 928.75 registered tons. The official steamboat registry number was 80650. According to one source, Wide West cost about $114,000 to construct.
Recent media