Lytton (sternwheeler) facts for kids
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|} The Lytton was a special type of steamboat called a sternwheeler. It operated on the Arrow Lakes and the Columbia River in southeastern British Columbia and northeastern Washington. This busy boat carried people and goods from 1890 to 1904.
Contents
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada |
|
| Name | Lytton |
| Owner | Columbia & Kootenay Steam Navigation Co.; Canadian Pacific Railway |
| Route | Arrow Lakes |
| Builder | Alexander Watson |
| Cost | $38,000 |
| Laid down | December, 1889 at Revelstoke, BC |
| Maiden voyage | July 2, 1890 |
| In service | 1890 |
| Out of service | 1904 |
| Identification | CAN 94905 |
| Fate | Scrapped |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | inland shallow-draft boat passenger/freighter |
| Tonnage | 452 gross; 285 net |
| Length | 131 ft (40 m) |
| Beam | 25.5 ft (8 m) |
| Depth | 4.8 ft (1 m) depth of hold |
| Installed power | twin steam engines manufactured by Albion Iron Works of Victoria, British Columbia, twin single-cylinder, horizontally mounted, 16" bore by 54" stroke, 16 hp (12 kW) nominal |
| Propulsion | sternwheel |
| Speed | 12.3 miles per hour average (varied greatly depending on river currents) |
- First Trip Down the River
- Connecting Rail Lines
- Helping the Mining Boom
- Trips Up the Columbia River
- Ferry Service on Lower Arrow Lake
Building the Lytton
The Lytton was built in Revelstoke, British Columbia. It was the very first ship made for a new company called the Columbia and Kootenay Steam Navigation Company. Building started in December 1889, but winter ice stopped the work until April 1890.
A skilled shipbuilder named Alexander Watson led the project. He brought carpenters from Victoria, British Columbia to help. Interestingly, the Lytton's engines were not new. They came from an older steamboat named Gertrude.
What the Lytton Looked Like
The Lytton was a typical steamboat for the Columbia River. It had three decks:
- The first deck was for carrying freight, the ship's machinery, and the crew's living areas.
- The second deck was for passengers. It had cabins and a special room for enjoying the views. In the middle of this deck was a dining room with tall windows.
- The top deck held the pilot house at the front. This is where the captain steered the boat.
Behind the pilot house was a small building called the "texas". This had cabins for the ship's officers. The ship had one tall funnel' (smokestack) behind the texas, with the ship's whistle on its front. The Lyttons funnel was unique because it flared out near the top. This might have been a spark arrestor to catch sparks. This special funnel helps people identify the Lytton in old photos. The front part of the ship was open and often piled high with wood for fuel or other cargo.
Designed for Shallow Water
The Lytton was built to travel in shallow water and through rapids. When it had no cargo, it only needed about 19 inches (480 mm) of water to float. With about 60 tons of cargo, it needed about 2 feet 6 inches (0.76 m) of water. The ship's flat, shallow bottom was kept strong by "hog chains." These chains were held up by large posts and tightened with special screws. They worked like a bridge truss to support the ship's body.
Journeys and Work
First Trip Down the River
Captain Frank Odlin took the Lytton on its first commercial trip in early July 1890. Even though it wasn't the biggest or fanciest boat, it was a huge deal for Revelstoke. It was the first important steamboat built in the town. People cheered and waved handkerchiefs as it left Revelstoke.
The trip started on July 2, 1890. The Lytton first went to the Revelstoke smelter dock. There, it loaded 65 tons of steel rails and other supplies for building train tracks.
These supplies were going to Sproats Landing, BC (now Castlegar). This was where the Kootenay River meets the Columbia. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was building a short railway there. This railway would connect mines in Nelson and Trail to the lake steamers. This way, freight could travel 100 miles north by boat to the CPR's main line at Arrowhead.
The trip down the Columbia and the lakes began on July 3, 1890. Crowds cheered, and another steamer, the Kootenai, was also nearby. Two of the main investors in the Lytton were on board for this first journey.
The Lytton reached the upper Arrow Lake in three hours, even with some mechanical problems. Its actual speed was about 14 miles (23 km) per hour, helped by the river's fast current. It crossed the upper lake and passed through the Narrows, a 16-mile (26 km) stretch of shallow water. After stopping for fuel (called "wooding up"), it reached Sproat's Landing five and a half hours later. The Lytton's average speed was good for the time. On the way back upriver, it traveled the 150 miles (240 km) to Revelstoke in 13.75 hours, averaging 11 miles (18 km) per hour.
Connecting Rail Lines
By August 1890, a railway called the Spokane Falls and Northern reached Northport, Washington. This connected to other major railways. But there were no train links between these lines and the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Kootenay region. For a while, steamboats like the Lytton were the only way to connect the railway at Northport to the CPR, 150 miles (240 km) north at Revelstoke. From 1890 to 1897, the Lytton regularly traveled between Revelstoke and Northport, Washington. Later, its northern stop changed to Wigwam, BC.
Helping the Mining Boom
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The Lytton's first trip happened in the same month that the amazing Le Roi mining claim was discovered near Trail, B.C. This mine produced over 6 million tons of valuable ore, worth more than $125 million! This mining boom created a huge need for transportation to the mines. The Lytton became an important part of this, carrying ore barges to the smelter in Trail.
Trips Up the Columbia River
From 1897 to 1901, when the water was high enough, the Lytton also worked on the Columbia River above Revelstoke. It traveled to a place called Dalles des Morts, or Death Rapids. The Lytton was the first steamboat to go this far up the Columbia River since the Forty-Nine in the 1860s and 1870s. One difficult part of the river, called the Little Dalles, took the Lytton six hours to get through going upstream. Coming back down, it took only 6 minutes and 51 seconds!
Ferry Service on Lower Arrow Lake
From 1898 to 1902, the Lytton worked as a ferry and towboat on the south end of lower Arrow Lake. It traveled between Robson, BC and Robson West. It pushed barges loaded with train cars and even engines across the lake. This helped extend the Columbia and Kootenay Railway westward. The Lytton continued this ferry service until a bridge was built in March 1902.
End of Service
The Lytton was a very hard-working and successful ship. It lasted over ten years, which was a long time for a wooden steamboat used so heavily on a frontier river. After its service ended, the Lytton was pulled ashore above Robson. In 1904, the Lytton was taken apart. Some houses in Burton, BC were even built using materials from the ship's hull!
Images for kids
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Lytton (in center), with Trail
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Lytton at Sproats Landing, BC, on lower Arrow Lake
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W.P. Short, an early captain of Lytton
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Lytton at Arrowhead, BC on upper Arrow Lake
