Route
Rapids and portages
In its natural state, the Columbia river had a many rapids and narrows which impeded navigation. Moving upstream, at river mile 146.5 were theRailroad competition
Railroads and steamboats often competed for business. There once had been steamboats operating on the upper Columbia river, but by 1883, railroad competition had been so successful that all river boats had been driven off the route. Wheat farming became widespread in the region in the 1880s and 1890s, and the railroads could not handle the larger and larger wheat crops being produced. The Open River Navigation company was formed to meet the demands for transport by wheat farmers and shippers, and it built a number of steamers, including ''Relief''.Construction
''Relief'' was rebuilt from the much smaller stern-wheel steamer ''Columbia'' (US registry 127689), which had been feet long, on theOperations on the upper Columbia
On October 3, 1906, ''Relief'' made its first commercial run, from Squally Hook, on the Columbia River in Gilliam County, Oregon, to Celilo, carrying 1,500 bags of wheat. Once at Celilo, the wheat was transshipped around Celilo Falls on the portage railroad, to The Dalles, Oregon, where it was loaded on the sternwheeler '' Charles R. Spencer'' for further transport downriver. Open River company superintendent Frank J. Smith was on board ''Relief'', which was reported to have readily climbed rapids on the river, and to have made excellent time. In a possible contradiction, a newspaper report in 1907 stated that ''Relief'' could not ascend the Umatilla Rapids, upstream from the mouth of the Umatilla River and the town of Umatilla, Oregon. A non-contemporaneous authority states ''Relief'' lacked sufficient power to ascend the Umatilla rapids. In mid-January 1907 ice jammed the Columbia so much so that it was possible, if dangerous, to walk across the river. The steamers ''Relief'' and ''Norma'' were tied up at Celilo, and protected from the ice by a log boom around the moorage. In September 1907, a newspaper estimated ''Relief'', running out of Umatilla, would carry downriver 250,000 to 300,000 sacks of wheat from the fall harvest, at 1,500 sacks per trip. At that time Fred Snipes was the superintendent of the Open River Navigation Company, owners of ''Relief'' and another sternwheeler, ''J.N. Teal''. In November 1907, ''Relief'' was tied up at Celilo, unable to navigate because of low water in the upper Columbia river.Overhaul at Celilo
On August 23, 1908, the ''Sunday Oregonian'' reported that engineers and a deck crew would begin overhauling ''Relief'' the next day at Celilo, Oregon, with the objective of starting operations on the upper Columbia river, that is, upstream from Celilo Falls. Short hauls only were to be made, with the steamer operating primarily between Celilo and Columbus, Washington, a former settlement on theConnecting service with Portland and upriver points
In February 1909, the Open River Navigation company announced a new steamboat service, to run from Portland to Kennewick and Pasco, using ''Relief'' and four other steamers operated by the company, ''J.N. Teal'', ''Sarah Dixon'', ''Inland Empire'', and ''Twin Cities''. The new service was announced to begin on March 1, 1909, and would be extended toSinking at dock
On October 15, 1909, ''Relief'' sank at the Celilo dock with 100 sacks of sugar on board.Transfer to Kennewick-White Bluffs route
On July 11, 1912, the '' Oregon Daily Journal'' reported that the fruit growers of the White Bluff region of Washington had chartered ''Relief'' to replace the recently sunk ''W.R. Todd''. White Bluffs was a settlement 45 miles upriver from Kennewick. The commercial clubs of the Washington towns of White Bluffs, Hanford, Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland joined to make the arrangements to use ''Relief''on a tri-weekly schedule. ''Relief'' had been lying at Celilo at the time, out of service. ''Relief'' ran on the Kennewick - White Bluffs route for a month, but the business was insufficient, and the Open River Transportation company took the steamer off the run. Kennewick was on the Columbia river, three miles upstream from the mouth of the Snake River, atOperations on the lower Columbia and Willamette rivers
On January 19, 1915, The Dalles-Columbia line, backed by the Willamette & Columbia River Towing Company, bought four river steamers from the Open River Transportation, including ''Relief'', ''J.N. Teal'', ''Twin Cities'', and ''Inland Empire''. ''Relief'' was to run between Pasco and White Bluffs, Washington. ''Relief'' was transferred to the lower Columbia river when the Open River Navigation company gave up its service on the upper river. In the summer of 1917, ''Relief'', then engaged in trade on the upper Willamette, was acquired by the Yamhill Navigation company, which removed the engines and boilers from another steamer owned by the company, ''Woodland'', to install them in ''Relief''. On October 14, 1918, ''Relief'', having had its annual inspection by the U.S. steamboat authorities, was being considered by its owners to be placed on the Portland- Lewis River run.Portland-Kelso route
In early October 1920, ''Relief'' started running on the route along the lower Columbia river from Portland to Kelso, Washington. ''Relief'' made three weekly trips to Kelso, and competing on the route with the Greyhound, recently completed at Kelso by the Gore brothers. On June 3, 1922, Lewis River Transportation company sold its freight franchise between Portland and the Lewis River towns to C.E.O. Brown, who operated a truck line on the Pacific Highway running from Portland to Woodland, Washington. ''Relief'', which reportedly had been making regular runs to Woodland for a long time, was taken off the route upon sale of the franchise.Return to the Willamette
On May 5, 1921, the Oregon Daily Journal reported ''Relief'' had been choesn to transport Oregon pioneers, and their guests, to a Founders’ Day Celebration the following Saturday, May 7, at Champoeg, Oregon, on the Willamette River. The boat would carry only 150 passengers, and would be commanded on the trip by Captain Lumm. In June 1921 ''Relief'' transported cattle to upriver points on the Willamette. In late October or early November 1921, ''Relief'' ran up on a gravel bar on the Willamette River, near the settlement of Fairfield, in Marion County. Fairfield, now uninhabited, was located on the east bank of the Willamette River, between Salem and Champoeg, about eight miles west of Woodburn, Oregon. The steamer was still there on the bar on November 17, having been stranded by low water conditions in the river. In early May, 1922, Capt. Willam C. Lumm, master and part owner, brought ''Relief'' back into service, after the boat had been laid up for some time. Lumm's objective was to tow the tourist barge ''Bluebird'' on sight-seeing trips around the Portland harbor during the summer.Sale to Inland Waters Transportation company
On October 19, 1924, the Inland Waters Transportation Company announced that it would inaugurate steamboat service, using ''Relief'', running on the Willamette River from Salem to Portland. ''Relief'' was to departSunk at Salem by ice
On December 24, 1924, the Willamette River, for the first time in many years, froze bank to bank at Salem. ''Relief'' had loaded nearly 100 tons of cargo, mostly paper, at the Chemeketa street dock at about 10:00 a.m. when a sudden change in current brought ice to the vessel, crossing it against the river bank, listing over badly, and near to capsizing. Efforts to take off the cargo began early in the afternoon, and were successful. Relief was valued at $12,000 and was insured. The boat was being operated at the time by the Inland Waters Transportation company. On December 29, 1924, the pressure of the ice on the steamer caused the line holding the boat to the riverbank to break, resulting in ''Relief'' sinking in about 20 feet of water. About one-half of the vessel was under water. By January 24, 1925, ''Relief'' had been raised. The hole in the hull was about a foot above the water line when the steamer was not loaded, and it had been patched with canvas. ''Relief'' was expected to be able to proceed to Portland under its own power for repairs. By late February 1925, ''Relief'' was tied up, out of service, on Willamette Slough, a backwater near Salem. Charles F. Schuab owned Relief when the boat was sunk at Salem. ''Relief'' was insured by the Globe & Rutgers Fire Insurance company. Schuab became involved in a dispute with the insurance company, with Schuab insisting that the insurer pay $3,259.26, which it was claimed was the cost of raising the boat. The insurance company claimed that the boat had been allowed to sink. The insurance company obtained a judgment of $3,500 against ''Relief'', and then purchased the boat for $2,100 at aDisposition
''Relief'' was abandoned in 1931.Notes
References
* * * * {{Steamboats Pacific Northwest Steamboats of Oregon Steamboats of the Columbia River Ships built in Oregon 1906 ships