''Cheslakee'' was a steamship that operated from 1910 to 1913 under the ownership of the

Union Steamship Company of British Columbia The Union Steamship Company of British Columbia was a pioneer firm on coastal British Columbia. It was founded in November 1889 by John Darling, a director of the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, and nine local businessmen. The company be ...

. In 1913, the ship sank, killing seven people. This was the only accident involving a passenger fatality in the 70-year history (1889-1959) of the Union Steamship Company. Following the sinking ''Cheslakee'' was raised, reconstructed, and launched again under a different name.

Nomenclature

"Cheslakee" was the name of a settlement of the 'Namgis group of Kwakwaka'wakw at the mouth of the Nimpkish River also known as Whulk. The name Cheslakees is said to have been that of the chief of the village at the time of Vancouver's visit in 1792. This town had been visited by Captain George Vancouver and the name was recorded in his journal.

Design and construction

''Cheslakee'' was built in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1910. The ship was designed by A.T.C. Robertson, a

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who had previously been employed with Bow, McLachlan & Co. The hull, the maindeck and the crew's quarters were completed in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

by Dublin Dockyard Co. The ship was then towed to

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, where a triple-expansion, compound steam engine was installed, generating 650

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...

. The engine was manufactured by MacColl & Co., and drove the vessel at a maximum speed of 11 to 12 knots. No cabins or upperworks were installed in Belfast.Rushton, ''Whistle Up the Inlet'', at pages 54 and 55 The dimensions of the vessel were 132 feet long, 28-foot beam, 18-foot depth of hold, and 526 Gross register tons. The engine was built by MacColl & Co., of

, Ireland.The New Mills' List, “Registered Canadian Steamships 1817-1930 over 75 feet”
(accessed 06-27-11) ''Cheslakee'' would be the smallest modern vessel owned by the company. ''Chesalakee'' although small, was like the company's other steamers, built on a steel hull, and was considered, at least in 1910, to have been of the highest standard of construction.Newell, ed., ''McCurdy Marine History'', at page 172.

Delivery and completion

''Cheslakee'' departed Belfast on June 29, 1910 under the command of Capt. J.W. Starkey, who was a specialist in delivering new ships to their owners. With the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

not yet complete, the voyage required travel around

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...

. The ship first went to the island of St. Vincent, took on coal and water, then proceeded south to Montevideo. ''Chesalakee'' then rounded South America, calling at

Coronel, Chile Coronel () is a Chilean city and commune, located in the Concepción Province of the eighth region of Bio Bío. Geography The city of Coronel is located in a sandy platform that goes from the mouth of the Biobío River to the Arauco Gulf bay, ...

and then at

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. The ship left San Francisco on September 20 and arrived in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

on September 26, 1910. With no upperworks, the ship looked like a tugboat on arrival. The Union company sent ''Cheslakee'' to Wallace Shipyard in North Vancouver to have upper works constructed and generally prepare the vessel for operations. Twenty-three first class cabins containing 56 berths were constructed, as well as a small lounge. Afterwards the ship was licensed to carry 148 passengers in British Columbia coastal service. Thirty persons could be seated in the dining salon, and the ship could carry 120 tons of cargo. This was deemed sufficient for the route it was intended for, which was serving logging camps on the coast of British Columbia north as far as

Kingcome Inlet Kingcome Inlet is one of the lesser principal fjords of the British Columbia Coast, north and east of Broughton Island. It is sixth in sequence of the major saltwater fjords north from the 49th parallel near Vancouver and similar in width, on av ...

. While ''Cheslakee'' had handled well during the ocean journey, after the upperworks were added the ship took on a permanent list. En route through Surge Narrows the ship heeled over so far the crew thought it might capsize.Henry, ''The Good Company'', at pages 47 to 51.

Capsize

On Monday, January 6, 1913, ''Cheslakee'' departed Union dock in Vancouver at 8:45 pm bound for Van Anda, on

Texada Island Texada Island is a large island located in the Strait of Georgia of British Columbia, Canada. With an area of , it is the largest island of the Gulf Islands and the third largest island in the Strait of Georgia after Whidbey Island in Washington ...

. The ship, under the command of Capt. John Cockle, (d. 1917) had embarked 97 passengers and loaded 45 tons of cargo. ''Cheslakee'' arrived at Van Anda at 3:25 am the next morning, January 7. Eight passengers disembarked, and some cargo was offloaded. Twenty minutes later, in stormy weather the ship departed Van Anda bound for Powell River. About ten minutes later, with the ship about 1.5 miles from Van Anda, a heavy

squall A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes, as opposed to a wind gust, which lasts for only seconds. They are usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to the ...

struck the vessel, with a wind speed estimated at 65 miles per hour. This caused the vessel to heel over on the left side at an angle of about 25 degrees. Two heavy seas struck the vessel at about the same time, causing some cargo to break loose, which made the vessel more unstable. The pilot, First Officer Robert Wilson, turned the ship around to head back to Van Anda, with the wind striking on the left side of the vessel. This helped bring the ship somewhat more upright. When Captain Cockle reached the wheelhouse, he concurred in the decision to return to Van Anda, and he ordered Chief Steward G.J. Booth to have all passengers prepared to disembark immediately upon arrival.Rushton, ''Whistle Up the Inlet'', at pages 67 to 69. When the ship reached the dock, Captain Cockle tried to bring the left hand side of the ship alongside the wharf, so that if the vessel rolled, it would strike the wharf rather than go into the water. However, the ship lost power before this could be done, and it was the right side of the ship that was laid against the pier, even though the ship was leaning over sharply to the left. A

gangway Broadly speaking, a gangway is a passageway through which to enter or leave. Gangway may refer specifically refer to: Passageways * Gangway (nautical), a passage between the quarterdeck and the forecastle of a ship, and by extension, a passage th ...

was run out on the right hand side onto the dock, and passengers disembarked. Eventually the lean became so sharp that the gangway could not reach the dock, and it had to be supplemented by a long plank. The ship started flooding and began to sink. According to a report, all the officers remained calm. Captain Cockle personally rescued three loggers who were trapped on board. However, not everyone was able to get off, and seven people drowned. This was the only loss of life on a passenger vessel in the 70-year history of the Union Steamship company.

Inquiry and salvage

On January 20, 1913 a marine court of inquiry was conducted to determine the cause of the disaster. The court criticized the construction work on the cabins and other work that had been done to the vessel since for making the ship top heavy. The court also found that it had been the practice to leave freight doors open for ventilation, and it was possible these were open or not properly secured at the time of the accident. Union Steamship Company contracted with the B.C. Salvage company to raise the ''Cheslakee''. The salvage firm sent its ship ''Salvor'' to Van Anda, and in a few weeks was able to raise ''Cheslakee'' and tow the ship back to Vancouver.

Later history

Once in Vancouver the ship was cut in half and an additional 20 feet of hull was inserted, thus lengthening the vessel to 145 feet and increasing the size to 689 Gross register tons, This was the first time this type of reconstruction had been done in British Columbia. The rebuilt vessel was given new name, ''Cheakamus''. In 1941 the rebuilt ship was transferred to the U.S. Government. In 1946 the rebuilt ship was scrapped.

Notes

References

* Henry, Tom, ''The Good Company -- An Affectionate History of the Union Steamship'', Harbour Publishing, Madeira Park, BC (1994)
The New Mills' List, “Registered Canadian Steamships 1817-1930 over 75 feet”
(accessed 06-27-11) * Newell, Gordon R., ed. ''H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest'', Superior Publishing, Seattle, WA (1966) * Rushton, Gerald A., ''Whistle Up the Inlet - The Union Steamship Story'', J.J. Douglas Ltd., Vancouver, BC (1974) * Rushton, Gerald A., ''Echoes of the Whistle - An Illustrated History of the Union Steamship Company'', Douglas & McIntyre, Vancouver, BC (1980)