''John H. Couch'' was a side-wheel driven steamboat that operated on the

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

and lower Willamette rivers from 1863 to 1873. Informally the vessel was known as the ''Couch''.

Construction

''John H. Couch'' was built at Westport, Oregon in 1863. The boat was named after a prominent seaman,

John H. Couch John Heard Couch ( February 28, 1811 – January 19, 1870) was an American sea captain and pioneer in the Oregon Country in the 19th century. Often referred to as Captain Couch, he became famous for his singular skill at navigation of the Co ...

, who was also Oregon’s first inspector of hulls. The boat was built by Capt. Charles Holman, D. Huntington, and Capt. Oliff Olsen. Holman owned one-half of the boat, with the others holding a one-third and a one-sixth share, respectively. The shipbuilder was John Bruce, of Astoria.

Design, dimensions, and engineering

''John H. Couch'' was a side-wheel driven vessel. It was built to run from

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corne ...

. The official merchant vessel registry number was 13622. ''John H. Couch'' was long, with a beam of , exclusive of the guards and the paddle-wheel housings. Gross tonnage was 255.24 tons. The engines had cylinders with an inside bore of 14 and three-eighths inches with a stroke of 54 inches.

Operations

''John H. Couch'' operated for a time in opposition to the dominant steamboat concern on the river, the Oregon Steam Navigation Company. O.S.N was running the steamer ''Julia'' against the Couch on the Astoria route. In January 1865, O.S.N. bought the ''Couch'', as well as the steamers ''Cowlitz'' (ex ''Swan'') and ''Belle'', which were also owned by Holman, Huntington, and Olsen. Once O.S.N. had the ''Couch'', it withdrew ''Julia'' from the Astoria route. O.S.N. kept the ''Couch'' on the Astoria run under Capt. J.O. Van Bergen, as master, with Richard Hoyt, Jr. as purser. During summer, the boat was sometimes engaged in excursion business. Van Bergen was succeed in command by Capt. Henry A. Snow, who remained in charge until 1870. In November 1866, the ''Couch'' had a contract to carry the U.S. mail from Portland to Astoria. Captain Snow was then in command. ''Couch'' left Portland for Astoria and way landings at 6:00 a.m. on Mondays and Fridays of each week. Returning, ''Couch'' departed Astoria on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 6:00 a.m. Captain Grenville Reed was also reported to have been in command of the ''John H. Couch'' for five years.

Disposition

By 1870, ''Couch'' was no longer fit to carry passengers and was retired from service. In January 1873, ''Couch'' was dismantled, with the boat’s engines being salvaged and sent to the upper Columbia, to be installed on another steamer.

Notes

References

Printed sources

On-line newspaper collections

* {{Columbia River Steamboats People's Transportation Company Oregon Steam Navigation Company Steamboats of the Columbia River Ships built in Oregon