1911 ❖ STERNWHEELER LOST in GUEMES CHANNEL

 

The VASHON
126766
Built in Aberdeen, WA. in 1891.
127' x 19.5' x 6'
Jim Williamson photo from the archives 
of Saltwater People Historical Society©
Click image to enlarge. 

The steam sternwheeler VASHON was totally destroyed by fire in Guemes channel in November 1911. The San Juan Islander reported it was presumed to be caused by spontaneous combustion. The vessel, owned by Mackie Bros of Everett, was an occasional visitor to Friday Harbor. Captain Robert Fredericks and the crew barely escaped with their lives.
      V. Widup, one of the firemen, was the only member of the crew to suffer from the flames. Widup was sleeping when the fire started. When making the rounds of his men to see if they were all safe, he was found still in his bed. He was assisted to the dock where he recovered.
      The Vashon had just arrived in Anacortes from Seattle and was tied up to the Great Northern dock when the fire started. The Vashon was one of the oldest steamers on Puget Sound. For years she has plied out of Seattle on the Bremerton and Port Orchard route. Recently she has been on the Seattle-La Conner route, and also made trips to the San Juans. On this trip, she was making a passage for the Island Belt company to load salmon at Lummi Island. She was a sternwheel vessel of 342 tons, valued at $20,000, with $5,000 insurance. 

The San Juan Islander. 1 December 1911.