Elfin (steamboat) facts for kids
class="infobox " style="float: right; clear: right; width: 315px; border-spacing: 2px; text-align: left; font-size: 90%;"
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.5em;" | _before_reconstruction.JPG)
|} The steamboat Elfin was a special boat that sailed on Lake Washington from 1891 to 1900. Back then, there were no good roads or railways around the lake. There were also no bridges to cross it. This made Elfin a very important way for people to travel and move goods.
Contents
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Elfin |
| Owner | Frank Curtis |
| Route | Lake Washington |
| Builder | Edward F. Lee |
| In service | 1891 |
| Out of service | 1901 |
| Fate | Burned, engines salvaged, installed in Peerless. |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | inland steamboat |
| Length | 54.5 ft (16.61 m) or 60 ft (18.29 m) |
| Installed power | compound steam engine; cylinder bores 6 inches (15.2 cm) and 12 inches (30.5 cm); stroke 10 inches (25.4 cm) |
| Propulsion | propeller |
| Speed | 12 miles per hour. |
| Capacity | 35 passengers; 2.5 tons freight |
| Crew | 4 (captain, mate, deckhand, engineer) |
| Notes | Rebuilt in 1896 to increase capacity |
Building the Elfin
The Elfin was built in 1891 at a place called Pontiac. This was on the north side of Sand Point, right on Lake Washington.
Size and Power
The boat was about 54.5 feet (16.61 m) (or 60 feet (18.29 m)) long. That's about the length of two school buses! It was 13.5 feet (4.11 m) wide. A special two-cylinder steam engine made the boat move. This engine used steam to turn a propeller, pushing the boat through the water.
The Builder and Owner
Edward F. Lee was the person who built the Elfin. Its first owner was Captain Frank Curtis. He had owned another boat before, but it sank in a storm.
Launching Day
The Elfin was launched into the water in April 1891. It was a big event! Other steamboats on the lake, like the Kirkland and Mary Kraft, brought people to watch the new boat float for the first time.
Life on the Lake
The Elfin started carrying passengers on July 4, 1891. Captain Frank Curtis was in charge. His sons, Al and Walter, helped as mate and deckhand. Irving Leake was the engineer, making sure the engine ran smoothly.
Daily Trips
The Elfin made six trips every day. It started early at 7:10 a.m. from Yarrow Bay. Then it went to Kirkland, Houghton, and finally across the lake to Seattle. A trip cost only 10 cents!
Busy Waters
In its first two years, the Elfin carried many people. On its busiest day, 180 passengers rode the boat. In the first half of 1892, about 1,070 passengers traveled on the Elfin each month.
Upgrades to the Boat
In 1896, the Elfin was made bigger. This allowed it to carry even more people and cargo. The pilot house, where the captain steered the boat, was also moved to the upper deck.
The End of the Elfin
Sadly, the Elfin was destroyed by fire on December 2, 1900. It happened early in the morning while the boat was tied up at a dock. Even though the boat burned, its machinery was saved. These parts were later used in a new steamboat called the Peerless.
