View source for Wide West

{{Short description|American luxury steamboat (1877–1888)}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |display title=ital}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[Image:Wide West sternwheeler circa 1880.jpeg|300px|''Wide West'']]
|Ship caption=''Wide West'', probably on the [[Willamette River]].
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship name=''Wide West''
|Ship owner=[[Oregon Steam Navigation Company|Oregon Steam Navigation Co.]]; later, [[Oregon Railway and Navigation Company|Oregon Railway & Navig. Co.]]
|Ship operator=
|Ship registry=
|Ship route=[[Columbia River]] and lower [[Willamette River]] to [[Portland, Oregon]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder= [[John J. Holland]]
|Ship original cost= $114,000
|Ship yard number=
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=
|Ship completed=1877, Portland, Oregon
|Ship christened=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship maiden voyage=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=1888
|Ship identification= 80650
|Ship fate=Dismantled 1888, engines and upper works used to complete ''[[T. J. Potter]]''
|Ship notes= Hull repowered as propeller-driven barge, wrecked on [[Destruction Island]], 1889.
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class= Riverine passenger/freight
|Ship tonnage=1200.80 gross; 928.75 registered tons
|Ship displacement=
|Ship length={{convert|218|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} hull;  {{convert|246|ft|9|in|m|2|abbr=on}} measured over hull (exclusive of fantail)
|Ship beam= {{convert|39|ft|9|in|m|1|abbr=on}} hull; {{convert|46|ft|9|in|m|2|abbr=on}} exclusive of  [[guards (steamboat)|guards]]
|Ship height=
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft=
|Ship depth= {{convert|8|ft|0|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
|Ship decks= three (main, boiler, and hurricane)
|Ship deck clearance=
|Ship ramps=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship power= twin steam engines, horizontally mounted, each with bore of {{convert|28|in|cm|1|abbr=on}} and stroke of {{convert|8|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=sternwheel
|Ship speed= Varied, highest recorded over long distance: {{convert|24|mi}} per hour (downstream).
|Ship capacity=
|Ship crew=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''''Wide West''''' was a steamboat that served in the [[Pacific Northwest]] of the United States.  It had a reputation as a luxury boat of its days.

''Wide West'' was built in 1877 in [[Portland, Oregon]], by the [[Oregon Steam Navigation Company]]. It was built entirely of wood.  ''Wide West'' was a sternwheeler, 218 feet long and rated at 1200 tons.  On the Columbia River, unlike the Mississippi and other rivers in the eastern part of the country, there were very few sidewheel steamboats. ''Wide West'' was placed on the run from Portland to the Cascades of the Columbia, which at that time, was the head of navigation.  Passengers had to disembark and ride a short railway around the Cascades to board another steamboat to travel further upriver.  Cargo similarly had to be unloaded and reloaded again.

In 1888 Wide West was disassembled.  The upper works and machinery were used to build another steamboat, the ''[[T. J. Potter]]''.  This was typical of the time, as the wooden-hulls would become waterlogged and worn, and it was easier to simply rebuild a new boat.  The upper works and machinery were reused, as they were more durable and still had economic value after only ten years of operation.

In practice, ''Wide West'' was sometimes referred to simply as the ''West''.<ref name = WS2>{{cite journal
| title = To Spokane and Beyond
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/2012260361/1882-08-01/ed-1/seq-4/
| volume = 8| issue =  8
| journal  = [[West Shore (magazine)|The West Shore]]
| location = Portland, OR
| publisher  = Leopold Samuel
| date = August 1, 1882
|page=144
}}</ref>

== Design, dimensions and cost==
''Wide West'' was built for the [[Oregon Steam Navigation Company]], which held a [[monopoly]] on steamboat navigation on the [[Columbia River]].<ref name = Blow>{{cite book | author1-last = Timmen | author1-first = Fritz
| title = Blow for the Landing -- A Hundred Years of Steam Navigation on the Waters of the West | isbn = 0-87004-221-1 | lccn = 73150815 | location =  Caldwell, ID | publisher =  Caxton Printers | date = 1973 | pages = 27, 29, 131, 145, 170, 173}}</ref>  ''Wide West'' was intended to be the pride vessel of the company's fleet.<ref name = Mills_1>{{cite book | author1-last = Mills | author1-first = Randall V. | author-link1 = Randall V. Mills | title = Sternwheelers up Columbia -- A Century of Steamboating in the Oregon Country | isbn = 0-8032-5874-7 | lccn = 77007161 | location =  Lincoln NE | publisher = University of Nebraska | date = 1947 | pages = 48–49, 160–161}}</ref>  In 1895, ''Wide West'' was said to have been the "perfect sternwheeler" constructed for Columbia River service.<ref name = Lewis_01>{{cite book
| editor1-last = Wright
| editor1-first = E.W.
| title = Lewis & Dryden's Marine History of the Pacific Northwest
| year = 1895
| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_seRDAAAAYAAJ
| publisher =  Lewis & Dryden Publishing
| publication-date = 1895
| pages = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_seRDAAAAYAAJ/page/n125 101], 106, 126, 248–49, 268, 291–92, 372, 489
}}</ref>  When in service, ''Wide West'' was characterized as "palatial" and "the finest steamboat in America."<ref>{{cite news
| title = Dying Hours of Robert Lee
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96061149/1881-06-18/ed-1/seq-1/
| newspaper = Daily Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = June 18, 1881
|page=1 col. 3
}}</ref>

According to one source, the hull of ''Wide West'' was about {{convert|215|ft|9|in|m|2|abbr=on}} feet long<ref name = WestShore>{{cite journal
| title = The Wide West
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/2012260361/1881-02-01/ed-1/seq-3/
| volume = 7| issue = 2
| journal  = The West Shore
| location = Portland, OR
| publisher  = Leopold Samuel
| date = February 1, 1881
|pages=33–34
}}</ref> or {{convert|218|ft|9|in|m|2|abbr=on}}.<ref name = Lewis_01/>  However, the overall length of the vessel was greater than the hull length because of an extension of the main deck, called a "fantail" over the stern which carried the stern-wheel.  Measured this way, ''Wide West'' was {{convert|236|ft|9|in|m|1|abbr=on}} feet long.<ref name = Mills_1/><ref name = WestShore/>  Similarly, the width of the vessel, called "beam" was measured differently, depending on whether it was over the hull or over the  [[guards (steamboat)|guards]], which were wide heavy timber extensions running along the top of the hull on both sides of the vessel.  According to one source, ''Wide West'' had a beam of {{convert|36|ft|9|in|m|1|abbr=on}} feet.<ref name = WestShore/>

According to another source, the beam was {{convert|39|ft|6|in|m|2|abbr=on}}.<ref name = Lewis_01/>  Another source states that, over the guards, ''Wide West'' and the very similar sternwheeler [[R.R. Thompson (sternwheeler)|''R.R. Thompson'']] measured  {{convert|246|ft|9|in|m|2|abbr=on}} in length and  {{convert|46|ft|9|in|m|2|abbr=on}} in beam.<ref name = COE_1>{{cite book
| author1-last = U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers
| title = Report of the Chief Engineer
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=EspIAAAAMAAJ&q=2578
| location =  Washington, DC
| publisher =  U.S. Government Printing Office
| date = 1881
|page=2578
}}</ref>    ''Wide West'' had a depth of hold of {{convert|8|ft|0|in|m|2|abbr=on}}.<ref name = Lewis_01/>

According to the official steamboat registry, ''Wide West'' was {{convert|218|ft|9|in|m|1|abbr=on}} long, with a beam of {{convert|39|ft|9|in|m|1|abbr=on}} and depth of hold of {{convert|8|ft|9|in|m|1|abbr=on}}.<ref name = 1886_list>{{cite book
| last1 = U.S. Dept. of the Treasury, Marine Inspection Bureau
| title = Annual List of Merchant Vessels (for year ending June 30, 1886)
| location = Washington, DC
| publisher = Government Printing Office
| date = 1887
|page=374
| hdl = 2027/uc1.b3330056
}}</ref> The overall size of the vessel was expressed in "tons" which was not a unit of weight but rather of size.  ''Wide West'' was 1200.80 gross and 928.75 registered tons.<ref name = 1886_list/>  The official steamboat registry number was 80650.<ref name = 1886_list/>  According to one source, ''Wide West'' cost about $114,000 to construct.<ref name = WestShore/>

==Construction and launch==
Construction began about the middle of June 1877 at the site of what in 1881 had become the Ainsworth dock in [[Portland, Oregon]].<ref name = WestShore/>  This was also known as the steamboat boneyard.<ref name = MO6/> The hull was divided into 84 water-tight compartments, each of which was provided with a steam-powered siphon to pump out any leaking water.<ref name = WestShore/>  The vessel was launched on August 15, 1877.<ref name = Lewis_01/>  It was estimated that 2,000 people witnessed the launch of the Wide West.<ref>{{cite news
| title = Brief Notes
| newspaper = Morning Oregonian
| location = Portland, OR
| date = August 16, 1877
|page=3
}}</ref>  The launch, supervised by the builder, [[John J. Holland]], took place at 4:45 in the afternoon and went flawlessly.<ref name = MO6>{{cite news
| title = Launch of the Wide West
| newspaper = Morning Oregonian
| location = Portland, OR
| date = August 16, 1877
|page=3
}}</ref>

==Cargo capacity==
''Wide West'' could carry about 550 tons of [[wheat]] and still have the guards (large wooden rails around the upper edge of the hull) not awash.<ref name = Mills_1/><ref name = WestShore/>  Had the hull been made one foot deeper, ''Wide West'' could have carried another 120 tons of wheat.<ref name = WestShore/>  In this respect, ''Wide West'' was considered inferior to a similar vessel, the [[R.R. Thompson (sternwheeler)|''R.R. Thompson'']], built one year later.<ref name = WestShore/>

==Engineering==
[[File:OSN advertisement.jpg|thumb|Advertisement for ''Wide West'' and other boats of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company.]]
Power for ''Wide West'' was supplied by two horizontal high-pressure [[steam engine]]s built by [[Pusey and Jones|Pusey, Jones & Co.]], of [[Wilmington, Delaware]].<ref name = WestShore/>  Drawings for the engines were prepared by John Gates (b.1839), chief engineer of the [[Oregon Steam Navigation Company]], and included an independent cut-off device, designed by Gates, which reduced wastage of steam in the cylinders which resulted in a “great economy of fuel.”<ref name = WestShore/>  Each engine had a bore of {{convert|28|in|mm|1|abbr=on}} and a stroke of {{convert|8|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}.<ref name = WestShore/><ref name = SA>{{cite journal
| title = Steamboats of the Pacific Coast
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Fe08AQAAIAAJ
| journal  = Scientific American Supplement
| date = November 6, 1880
|page=4026
}}</ref>

They were exact duplicates of the engines installed in the ''R.R. Thompson'', which were built by the firm of [[Harlan and Hollingsworth]], also of Wilmington.<ref name = WestShore/>  The engines generated 500 horsepower.<ref name = SA/>

''Wide West'' was expected to run at {{convert|18|mi}} per hour, on a route between the Cascades and [[Astoria, Oregon]].<ref name = LOCAL>{{cite news
| title = Local and Domestic
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96061149/1877-09-07/ed-1/seq-1/
| newspaper = The Daily Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = September 7, 1877
|page=1 col. 5
}}</ref>  However, by October, 1877, the steamer had not been placed on the Astoria route, but was running solely between Portland and the Cascades, prompting criticism from the ''[[Daily Astorian]]'' of the decision.<ref name = WONT>{{cite news
| title = Won't the Oregon Steam Navigation folk catch it …
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96061149/1877-09-07/ed-1/seq-1/
| newspaper = [[Daily Astorian]]
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = October 23, 1883
|page=1 col. 1
}}</ref>

A single boiler, originally wood-fired, generated steam at 90 pounds pressure per square inch,<ref name = SA/> although it seems that pressure of up to 125 pounds per inch was possible.<ref name = MO8/>  The boiler, built at [[Willamette Iron Works]], of a type known as “Gates Sectional Boiler” was 7 feet in diameter and 30 feet long.<ref name = MO8/>  It had 336 tubes, each 2.5 inches in diameter.<ref name = MO8/>

Fuel consumption was approximate one [[cord (unit)|cord]] per hour, or, conservatively estimated, one cord for every 16 miles travelled.<ref name = SA/>  This was less than one-half of what a Mississippi-type steamboat with comparable capacity would consume.<ref name = SA/>

The boiler was designed with a spark arrester which captured combusted material from the firebox, automatically hosed down the material with water, and discharged it into the river through a port in the hull.<ref name = WestShore/>  This kept the upper decks clean from soot which would otherwise have been exhausted through the smokestack and reduced the amount of paint needed for the cabins.<ref name = WestShore/>

Water pressure for the washbasins in the cabin, and for the hydraulic steering gear was furnished by auxiliary steam-powered donkey engines.<ref name = WestShore/>

==Placed into service as freight boat==
''Wide West'' made its first trial run on October 17, 1877.<ref name = Lewis_01/>  At that time, the inland region of the Pacific Northwest was developing rapidly, with steamboats being loaded to capacity with wheat on their downstream trips, and returned upriver with cargos of merchandise, building supplies, farm machinery and other goods.<ref name = Lewis_01/>  ''Wide West'' was rushed into freight service without completion of her cabins and furnishings, making a daily round trip, heavily laden with cargo, between Portland and the Cascades.<ref name = Lewis_01/>

==Passenger accommodations completed==
In April 1878,  fitting out of the vessel was completed.<ref name = Lewis_01/><ref name = NNW1>{{cite journal
| title = The O.S.N. Co.'s steamer "Wide West" …
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn84022673/1878-04-19/ed-1/seq-3/
| volume = 7| issue =  31
| journal  = [[The New Northwest]]
| location = Portland, OR
| publisher  = [[Abigail Scott Duniway]]
| date = April 19, 1878
|page=3 col. 1
}}</ref><ref name = SO1>{{cite news
| title = River Boats Have Romantic History
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn83045782/1910-03-06/ed-1/seq-56/
| newspaper = Sunday Oregonian
| location = Portland, OR
| date = March 6, 1910
|page=Sec. 5 p.2 col. 2
}}</ref>  It was at this time that the Gates hydraulic steering gear was installed, with ''Wide West'' being the first vessel it was fitted on.<ref name = Lewis_01/>
The initial trip of the vessel, in a fully completed state, occurred on April 16, 1878.<ref name = MO8>{{cite news
| title = The Wide West: The Trial Trip of this New, Elegant and Commodious Steamer
| newspaper = Morning Oregonian
| location = Portland, OR
| date = April 17, 1878
|page=3
}}</ref>  At this time, the vessel was moored opposite [[Swan Island (Oregon)|Swan Island]] to be photographed by Joseph Buchtel (1830-1916), a well-known photographer.<ref name = MO8/><ref name = Buchtel>
{{cite web
| url = http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv12268
| title = Joseph Buchtel papers
| website = Northwest Digital Archives (NWDA)
}}</ref>  The public was invited on board on the afternoon of the initial cruise, on April 16, to view the newly completed steamer.<ref name = MO8/>

== Upper works and cabins==
[[File:Wide West steamboat interior 01.jpeg|thumb|Passenger accommodation on ''Wide West''.  This is identified by one source as the ladies cabin,<ref name = Blow/> but note the [[cuspidor]]s on the carpet beside the [[marble]]-topped radiator.]]
The deck above the main deck was called the “boiler deck”.<ref name = WestShore/>  A portion of the boiler, known as the “steam drum” protruded into the hall on the forward end of boiler deck, and was surrounded with metal jacketing.<ref name = WestShore/>   Overcoats, valises and other things were often stowed on tope of the jacketing while the vessel was under way.<ref name = WestShore/>

[[File:Wide West steamboat interior 02.jpeg|thumb|Forward passenger accommodation on ''Wide West''.<ref name = Blow/>  Note window labeled "office", probably that either of the [[purser]] or the freight clerk.  Jacketed steam drum also shown, enclosed with a low rail.]]
The floors of the boiler deck were covered with mosaic [[oil cloth]]. The hall in the forward part was said to have been painted in a “delicate shade of lilac.”<ref name = WestShore/>  The forward hallway, which was known as the “social hall” included the [[purser|purser's]] office on one side, and the freight clerk's office on the other.  Ten staterooms, each containing two bachelor's berths, opened on to the forward hall.<ref name = WestShore/>   Each stateroom was to have a stationary marble wash basin with hot and cold running water.<ref name = DA2>{{cite news
| title = An Elegant Steamer
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96061149/1877-09-28/ed-1/seq-1/
| newspaper = Daily Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = September 28, 1877
|page=1 col. 1
}}</ref>  Large mirrors were placed at the ends of the cabins and chandeliers were hung at regular intervals trom the center line of the ceiling.<ref name = MO8/>

Towards the stern, the boiler deck then transitioned into the dining room, onto which opened 22 “large and commodious” staterooms, all of uniform size, with each stateroom including a three-quarters bedstead for two persons, with a single berth above.<ref name = WestShore/>   These accommodations, as well as those in the ladies’ saloon, were said to “contrast favorably with the cramped up little dens called state-rooms on the eastern steamboats.”.<ref name = WestShore/>  The dining room was painted in pale lemon, with gold beads on the door panels.<ref name = WestShore/>  The floor in the dining room was covered with a Brussels-style carpet, apparently locally made.<ref name = WestShore/>  The chairs and tables were made locally as well, of [[Fraxinus latifolia|Oregon ash]] with [[burl]] [[maple]] [[Wood veneer|veneer]].<ref name = WestShore/>

Further towards the stern on the boiler deck was the ladies saloon, which included six rooms, painted in a different color from the dining room.  One of the rooms had been fitted up as a ladies toilet, in which the pumps kept “continuous jets of water playing, while the boat is in motion, so that no offensive effluvia taints these sumptuous cabins.”<ref name = WestShore/>  During winter, this area was heated by a steam radiator covered a marble slab.<ref name = WestShore/>  At night the room was lit by nickel-plated lamps.<ref name = WestShore/>

Above the boiler deck was the hurricane deck, which was also called simply the “roof” in steamboat parlance.<ref name = WestShore/>  Seven lifeboats were located on the roof, along with crane derricks to lower them.<ref name = WestShore/>  There was a structure on the roof called a “[[Texas (steamboat)|texas]],” which housed all the officers of the vessel, except for the clerks, in ten cabins.<ref name = WestShore/>

Above the {{Not a typo|texas}} was the pilot house, which featured plate glass windows and a [[ship's wheel|wheel]] which controlled the vessels rudder's by hydraulic power, exceeding, it was said, the strength of ten men.<ref name = WestShore/>  It was said that a child of six could move the wheel.<ref name = WestShore/>  In 1881, seventeen other steamboats of the [[Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company|Oregon Railway and Navigation Company]] were similarly equipped.<ref name = WestShore/>

==Officers and crew==
In 1881, the master of the vessel was John H. Wolf (also seen spelled “Wolfe”)<ref name = WS2/>(c1821 or 1824<ref name = Lewis_01/>-1885),<ref name = OS1>{{cite news
| title = Capt. John Wolf, the veteran steamboatman …
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn84022657/1885-10-17/ed-1/seq-3/
| newspaper = Oregon Sentinel
| location = Jacksonville, OR
| date = October 17, 1885
|page=3 col. 2
}}</ref> who in 1881 had had 28 years experience on the Columbia River.<ref name = Lewis_01/><ref name = WestShore/>   Chief engineer in 1881 was John Marshall.<ref name = Lewis_01/><ref name = WestShore/>  On the 1883 Astoria runs, ''Wide West'' was under the command of Capt John W. Babbidge (b.1842) and also under Capt. Clark W. Sprague.<ref name = Lewis_01/>  One of the pursers of ''Wide West'' was Napoleon Bonaparte Ingalls (1830-1922), who also served on many other well-known steamers that operated on the Columbia river system.<ref name = OCE1>{{cite news
| title = Napoleon Ingalls Old Time River Captain Dies in Portland.
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn00063700/1922-12-29/ed-1/seq-3/
| newspaper = Oregon City Enterprise
| location = Oregon City, OR
| date = December 29, 1922
|page=3 col. 6
}}</ref>

== Service on the Columbia River==
[[File:OSN Ad June 1878.png|thumb|Advertisement, June 1, 1878, for Wide West.]]
''Wide West'' ran for several years on the Portland-Cascades route, occasionally going to Astoria.<ref name = Lewis_01/>  Passengers disembarked, and all freight was offloaded at the Cascades, to be taken by a portage railroad around the rapids of the Cascades, to another steamboat, which would proceed to [[The Dalles, Oregon]], where the process would be repeated to bypass the long stretch of rapids above that point on the river.<ref name = Blow/><ref name = Mills_1/>  When first built, the ''[[Daily Astorian]]'' criticized O.S.N. for not placing the boat on the Astoria route.
{{Quotation|
Won’t the Oregon Steam Navigation folk catch it, ‘though if they do not send that new steamer Wide West on to this route?  What right have they to give the Cascade trade the biggest and best boat.  Will some of THE ASTORIAN “satellites” in Portland please put a cockle-burr under Mr. S.G. Read’s crupper until we get a good fire brand ready for that posish?<ref name = WONT2>{{cite news
| title = Won't the Oregon Steam Navigation folk …
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96061149/1877-10-23/ed-1/seq-1/
| newspaper = Daily Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = October 23, 1877
|page=1 col. 1
}}</ref>}}

In 1881 ''Wide West'' made daily trips between Portland, Oregon and the Cascades of the Columbia, and was reported to have been the favorite vessel of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company.<ref name = WestShore/>   In 1881, ''Wide West'' was estimated to be capable of operating for another ten years.<ref name = WestShore/> The wheat traffic in 1882 was extremely heavy, and ''Wide West'' was frequently loaded to capacity on its runs between Portland and the Cascades.<ref name = Lewis_01/>

Gambling on river boats in the Pacific Northwest was never as prevalent as on the Mississippi craft, ''Wide West'' was said to have been an exception; supposedly “her palatial equipment lent itself to the art of professional card playing, and high stakes were not considered an exception aboard her.”<ref name = SO1/>

==Power, accidents, and speed==
''Wide West'' had a reputation as a powerful steamer.  It could tow two or three barges without difficulty.<ref name = COE_1/>  ''Wide West'' once lost power in one engine, but ran for several days on the one remaining engine.<ref name = Lewis_01/>  The other cylinder blew however, on August 28, 1878, when the vessel was three miles distant from Vancouver.<ref name = MO7>{{cite news
| title = Another Accident to the Wide West
| newspaper = Morning Oregonian
| location = Portland, OR
|page=3
}}</ref>

Several Chinese passengers on the main deck, that is the machinery and freight deck, were injured by flying debris.<ref name = MO7/>  Racial segregation of the time required Chinese passengers to travel only on this deck.  The explosion disabled ''Wide West'', which had to anchor and was out of service for three weeks.<ref name = MO7/>  The steamer had to be towed back to Portland by the [[Ocklahama (steamboat)|''Ocklahama'']] and the [[Ordway (steamboat)|''Ordway'']].<ref name = MO7/>  ''[[Emma Hayward]]'' took the place of ''Wide West'' on the Cascades run.<ref name = MO7/>

On April 16, 1879, ''Wide West'' made the fastest run ever from Cascades downstream to [[Vancouver, Washington]], covering the 47 mile distance in one hour and 47 minutes, almost 24 miles per hour.<ref name = DA4>{{cite news
| title = The Wide West
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96061149/1879-04-16/ed-1/seq-3/
| newspaper = Daily Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = April 16, 1879
|page=3 col. 2
}}</ref>  It was speculated then that no other steamboat on the river, save only the ''[[S.G. Reed]]'', could come within 5 miles per hour of this speed.<ref name = DA4/>

As of December 1878, ''Wide West''’s fastest time from Portland to Vancouver was 67 minutes.<ref name = MO10>{{cite news
| title = Time
| newspaper = Morning Oregonian
| location = Portland, Oregon
| date = December 16, 1878
|page=3
}}</ref> This was bested on December 11, 1878 by the then new (launched September 30, 1878) steamer [[Lurline (sternwheeler 1878)|''Lurline'']], which made the same run in 60 minutes with 95 pounds of steam, carrying 150 troops to [[Vancouver Barracks|Fort Vancouver]].<ref name = MO10/>  The steamer ''Emma Hayward'', when first on the route, had made the run in 65 minutes.<ref name = MO10/>

In 1880, ''Wide West'' made the Portland-Astoria run in five hours, a record time that was unbroken for several years.<ref name = Lewis_01/>  It was claimed that when ''Wide West'' towed the hull of the dismantled older steamer [[Oneonta (sidewheeler)|''Oneonta'']], the old boat had moved faster than at any time when under actual power.<ref name = Lewis_01/>

==Ownership change==
In 1879, the original owner of ''Wide West'', the very successful [[Oregon Steam Navigation Company]], ceased to exist, and most of its assets, including ''Wide West'' and other steamboats passed to a new concern, the [[Oregon Railway & Navigation Company]].<ref name = Blow/><ref name = Lewis_01/>  At 1200 tons, ''Wide West'' and the slight smaller ''R.R. Thompson'' (1158 tons), were by far the largest vessels in the new company’s fleet, the next largest being the ''Harvest Queen'' (845 tons) and the ''S.G. Reed'' (800 tons).<ref name = ORN_list>{{cite news
| title = The Columbia River Fleet
| url = http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn96061149/1881-07-01/ed-1/seq-3/
| newspaper = Daily Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = July 1, 1881
|page=3 col. 2
}}</ref>  ''Wide West'' was also the most valuable vessel of the O.R. & N, being valued at $40,000 in July 1881.<ref name = ORN_list/>

==Prominent passengers==
On October 4, 1880, the Wide West carried President [[Rutherford B. Hayes]], Gen. [[William T. Sherman]] and the president’s party from [[Vancouver, WA]] to the Cascades, where the party inspected the Cascade locks, then under construction, and then proceeded east, along the portage railway to above the Cascades, where they boarded the Hassalo, bound for [[The Dalles, Oregon]].<ref name = CT>{{cite news
| title = The President
| url = http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1880/10/06/page/3/article/the-president
| newspaper = Chicago Tribune
| location = Chicago, IL
| date = October 6, 1880
|page=6 col. 1
}}</ref>

==Conversion to coal-firing==
On February 18, 1883, ''Wide West'' was reported to have been taken out of service at the Portland “boneyard”, an area on the [[Willamette River]] used for storage and rehabilitation of old steamboats.
<ref name = DA5>{{cite news
| title = The News learns that …
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96061149/1883-02-18/ed-1/seq-3/
| newspaper = Daily Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = February 18, 1883
|page=3 col. 1
}}</ref> The vessel had undergone a thorough overhaul, during which the firebox was converted to a coal-burner.<ref name = DA5/>   Other steamboats of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company were undergoing conversion to coal-firing at the same time.<ref name = DA6/>

The first trip with coal-fired boilers was on March 22, 1883, running from Portland to Astoria.
<ref name = DA6>{{cite news
| title = Fast Time
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96061149/1883-03-23/ed-1/seq-3/
| newspaper = Daily Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = March 23, 1883
|page=3 col. 2
}}</ref>  ''Wide West'' departed Portland at 5:30&nbsp;a.m. and arrived at Astoria at 12:15&nbsp;p.m.<ref name = DA6/>  The trip was an experimental one, intended to test the function of the coal-fired machinery, and develop a time-table for the Portland-Astoria route.<ref name = DA6/> Several high-ranking officials of the company were on board for the trip, including F.T. Dodge, superintendent of the river division, John Gates, chief engineer of the river division, and D.P. Keene, secretary for C.H. Prescott, the company manager.<ref name = DA6/>

== Portland-Astoria route==
In April 1883, ''Wide West'' was placed on the route between Portland and Astoria.<ref name = New/>  This route was 110 miles in length.<ref name = Our>{{cite news
| title = Our Steamers
| url = http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn96061149/1883-04-08/ed-1/seq-3/
| newspaper = Daily Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = April 8, 1883
|page=3 col. 2
}}</ref>  The chief competitor on the route was the then-new (built in 1881) propeller-driven [[Fleetwood (steamboat)|''Fleetwood'']], owned by Captain U.B. Scott and his associates.<ref name = New/>

''Wide West'' left Portland daily at 5:00&nbsp;a.m., with the objective of arriving in Astoria by noon.<ref name = New>{{cite news
| title = New Arrangement
| url = http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn96061149/1883-04-06/ed-1/seq-3/
| newspaper = Daily Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = April 6, 1883
|page=3 col. 2
}}</ref>  ''Wide West'' would then leave Astoria at 1:00 pm to be able to return to Portland by 9:00 pm.<ref name = New/>  The steamboat was orin on Sundays, with a layoff on Mondays.<ref name = New/>  Stops along the way were limited to [[St. Helens, Oregon|St. Helens]], [[Kalama, Washington|Kalama]], Oak Point, [[Cathlamet, Washington|Cathlamet]], and Brookfield.<ref name = New/>  In 1881 the fare one way was $2.<ref name = Our/>

In June 1883, ''Wide West'' made daily trips, except Wednesday, between Portland and [[Astoria, Oregon]].<ref name = Resorts>{{cite journal
| title = Summer Resorts
| url = http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/2012260361/1883-06-01/ed-1/seq-4/
| volume = 9| issue = 6
| journal  = [[West Shore (magazine)|The West Shore]]
| location = Portland, OR
| publisher  = Leopold Samuel
| date = June 1, 1883
|page=126 col. 2
}}</ref>  ''Wide West'' was taken off the Astoria route on September 5, 1883.<ref name = Withdrawn>{{cite news
| title = Wide West Withdrawn
| url = http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn96061149/1883-09-01/ed-1/seq-3/
| newspaper = Daily Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = September 1, 1883
|page=3 col. 3
}}</ref>  ''Wide West'' was advertised as running in conjunction with the [[Ilwaco Steam Navigation Company]]’s steamer [[General Miles|''Gen. Miles'']].<ref name = Miles>{{cite news
| title = Advertisement
| url = http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn96061149/1883-07-12/ed-1/seq-2/
| newspaper = Daily Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = July 12, 1883
|page=2 col. 2
}}</ref>  On Saturdays, the ''Miles'' would depart for [[Garibaldi, Oregon|Garibaldi]] and [[Tillamook, Oregon]] upon the arrival of ''Wide West'' at Astoria, thus enabling travellers to go from Portland to Tillamook in only 12 hours.<ref name = Miles/>  On other days (except Wednesdays and Sundays) either the ''Gen. Miles'' or the [[General Canby (steamship)|''Gen. Canby'']] would meet the ''Wide West'' in Astoria, and then carry passengers and freight on to [[Fort Canby (Washington)|Fort Canby]] and [[Ilwaco, Washington]].<ref name = Canby>{{cite news
| title = Advertisement
| url = http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn96061149/1883-07-11/ed-1/seq-4/
| newspaper = Daily Morning Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = July 11, 1883
|page=4 col. 6
}}</ref>

==Return to Cascades route==
''Wide West'' was last placed on the Cascades route under Capt. A.B. Pillsbury.<ref name = Lewis_01/>

==Dismantled==
[[File:TJ Potter pre-1901.jpg|thumb|''T.J. Potter'', the steamer constructed with the upper works and machinery of ''Wide West''.]]
In August 1887, the boiler, engines, and upper works of ''Wide West'' were nearly as good as new, but the hull was "rotten", and consequently the owners planned to construct a new hull for the steamer, and shift the works and the machinery over to it.<ref name = MO3>{{cite news
| title = The O.R. & N's Fast Boat to Astoria
| newspaper = Morning Oregonian
| location = Portland, OR
| date = August 12, 1887
|page=3
}}</ref>  The new hull was to be nearly as long as the old one, with two feet less beam, and one foot less depth of hold.<ref name = MO3/>  The boiler deck was to be cut down one and one-half to two feet.<ref name = MO3/>

In 1887, ''Wide West'' was dismantled in Portland.<ref name = Lewis_01/>  The cabin structures and most of the fittings were transferred to a new steamer, the side-wheel driven ''[[T.J. Potter]]''.<ref name = Blow/><ref name = Lewis_01/>  The work was done under the supervision of shipbuilder J.H. Steffen, who along with Capt. [[James William Troup|James W. Troup]] was one of the designers of the new vessel.<ref name = MO4>{{cite news
| title = The 'Fannie Potter'
| newspaper = Morning Oregonian
| location = Portland, OR
| date = April 20, 1888
|page=9
}}</ref><ref name = Rebuilding>{{cite news
| title = Rebuilding the Wide West
| url = http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn96061150/1887-12-29/ed-1/seq-3/
| newspaper = Daily Morning Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = December 29, 1887
|page=3 col. 2
}}</ref>  ''Wide West'' was almost unrecognizable once the works had been transferred to the new hull, which was to be a side-wheeler rather than a sternwheeler.<ref name = MO4/>  According to one source, new cylinders were bored for the side-wheel engines.<ref name = MO4/>  According to another source, the old engines would be used in the new steamer.<ref name = Rebuilding/>

==Wreck off the coast of Washington==
The hull of the ''Wide West'' was sold to the Puget Sound Lighter and Transportation Company, which, keeping the name ''Wide West'', in 1889 installed into the hull a small steam engine and a propeller drive.<ref name = Lewis_01/>   The new owners intended to put the vessel into service on [[Puget Sound]].<ref name = CJ/>  The hull was to be converted into a “mammoth steam barge” to be used for slow freight on the Sound.<ref name = Marine_News>{{cite news
| title = Marine News and Notes
| url = http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn96061150/1889-10-25/ed-1/seq-3/
| newspaper = Daily Morning Astorian
| location = Astoria, OR
| date = October 25, 1889
|page=3 col. 3
}}</ref>

On December 25, 1889, under Capt. Frederick Sparling (b.1862), the ''Wide West'' was sent of the [[Columbia River bar]] and into the Pacific Ocean, to make the voyage around the [[Olympic Peninsula]].<ref name = Lewis_01/><ref name = CJ>{{cite news
| title = All the News in a Minute
| newspaper = Capital Journal
| location = Salem Oregon
| date = January 6, 1890
|page=1 col. 4
}}</ref>  On January 6, 1890, the owners of the barge ''Wide West'' reported that they believed the vessel to have been lost at sea.<ref name = CJ/>  This turned out to be correct.

Sparling was reported to have had only a limited knowledge of steam navigation.<ref name = Lewis_01/>  Soon after crossing the bar, ''Wide West'' met heavy seas and high wind.<ref name = Lewis_01/>  The large hull proved to be unmanageable in these conditions, and an auxiliary sailing rig which had been installed was blown away by the wind.<ref name = Lewis_01/>  The propeller was also lost, and the vessel was wrecked on [[Destruction Island]].<ref name = Lewis_01/><ref name = Gibbs>
{{cite book
| author1-last = Gibbs
| author1-first = James A., Jr.
| author-link = James A. Gibbs
| title = Shipwrecks of the Pacific Coast
| isbn = 9780832303913
| oclc = 3153208
| location = Portland, OR
| publisher =  Binford and Mort
| date = 1957
|page=30
}}</ref>

None of the crew were lost however.<ref name = MO1/>  They managed to reach the mainland, where they walked up along the [[Hoh River]] and sought the assistance of the Native Americans there.<ref name = MO1>{{cite news
| title = The Wide West Lost
| newspaper = Morning Oregonian
| location = Portland, OR
| date = January 8, 1890
|page=1
}}</ref>  The party procured a guide to take them north along the coast to [[La Push, Washington]].<ref name = MO1/>  From La Push, the party proceeded about 40 miles across the [[Olympic Mountains]] to the [[Pysht River]], where they were able to board the steamer [[Evangel (steamship)|''Evangel'']] to reach [[Port Townsend, Washington]].<ref name = Lewis_01/>

''Wide West'' was said to have been a total loss.<ref name = MO1/>  The value of the barge was estimated to have been about $15,000.<ref name = MO1/>  However, everything movable on the wreck, including engines, boiler and machinery, was salvaged before the hull was battered to pieces.<ref>{{cite news
| title = The Wide West Wreck
| newspaper = Morning Oregonian
| location = Portland, OR
| date = January 20, 1890
|page=6
}}</ref>  The license of the chief engineer, one Goulding, was suspended as a result of the wreck.<ref name = MO9>{{cite news
| title = His License Is Suspended: Engineer Goulding, late of the Wide West, violates the law and suffers.
| newspaper = Morning Oregonian
| location = Portland, Oregon
| date = April 6, 1890
|page=8
}}</ref>  The reasons for the suspension were that the engineer “had taken charge of new machinery that had never been inspected, and also went to sea knowing that it was in violation of the marine laws; also for incompetence shown by putting out with his engines and propellers in a disabled condition.”<ref name = MO9/>

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==See also==
*[[Steamboats of the Columbia River]]
*[[T. J. Potter|''T. J. Potter'' (sidewheeler)]]

{{Steamboats Pacific Northwest}}
{{Oregon Steam Navigation Company}}
{{1889 shipwrecks}}

[[Category:Passenger ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Steamboats of the Columbia River]]
[[Category:Steamboats of Oregon]]
[[Category:Ships built in Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:1877 ships]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the Washington coast]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in December 1889]]
[[Category:History of Jefferson County, Washington]]
[[Category:Oregon Steam Navigation Company]]