''Cochan'', ( Quechan) last of the stern-wheel

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

s built for the

Colorado Steam Navigation Company Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

(CSNC). It ran on the Colorado River between 1900 and 1909.

History

In 1899 Issac Polhamus and Jack Mellon owners of the CSNC had to choose one of their remaining steamboats to rebuild to keep up with the competition. The old boats were wearing out in competition with newer boats. Both the 23-year-old ''Mohave II'' and the ''Gila'', with 35 years on the Colorado River, had worn hulls only kept going with a lot of maintenance. The Gila despite its age had better engines, and so it was chosen. In late 1899 the ''Gilas machinery was refurbished and its hull rebuilt for $25,000 in the shipyard at Yuma, Arizona. Launched on November 8, 1899, it was renamed the Cochan it was two tons lighter and 14 feet shorter than the ''Gila''. ''Cochan'' displaced 234 tons, was 135 feet long, 31 feet wide beam, and drew only 11 inches of water unloaded. It could carry 125 tons of freight, drawing less than two feet of water. In January 1900, the Cochan began carrying freight to the

Quartette In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

and Searchlight mines, competing with the ''St. Vallier'' of the

Santa Ana Mining Company Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

. In 1900, Polhamus and Mellon built a new barge, the ''Siløs J. Lenis'' for the ''Cochan'' to tow and scrapped all their old barges. The new barge was 150 feet long and 32 feet on the beam. In early 1903, the Colorado River Transportation Company entered the competition with the ''Searchlight''.Richard E. Lingenfelter, Steamboats on the Colorado River, 1852-1916, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1978
In 1905 the new Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad,

California Eastern Railway California Eastern Railway, is a defunct short-line railroad that operated from 1902 - 1911. The railroad ran from Goffs, California, to Ivanpah. It was first a private line operated by a mining company, that was acquired by the Atchison, Top ...

and Arizona and California Railroad ended the use of steamboats on the upper river and they all moved down to Yuma. The remaining steamboats worked on irrigation projects on the lower part of the river and on repairing the 1904-1907 breach in the Alamo Canal, that directed the Colorado River into the Salton Sink and created the Salton Sea before it was repaired. The last project, the construction of the

Laguna Dam The Laguna Diversion Dam is a rock-filled diversion dam on the Colorado River. It is located 13 miles northeast of Winterhaven, California, Winterhaven, CA–Yuma, Arizona, Yuma, AZ on County Route S24 (California), Imperial County route S24. Cons ...

ended steam navigation on the river.

Fate of the ''Cochan''

Just before the completion of the

, some 14 miles above Yuma, ended steam navigation on the lower Colorado River, the Colorado Steam Navigation Company sold its remaining boats including the ''Cochan'' to the United States Reclamation Service in 1909. Not required by the Service, ''Cochan'' was dismantled in 1910.

References

Steamboats of the Colorado River Stern-wheel steamboats of California Ships built in Arizona Merchant ships of the United States 1899 ships {{California-transport-stub