The Steamboating Forum

Pacific Lumber Ships

https://archive.org/details/apdfPacific ... team+ships

Thanks for that, an interesting history that filled my quarantined day.

Many of these ships I’ve seen on the on the Columbia where I live. Calmar, and Olsen ships would call at the mills across the river from us, and the Lumber Lady (pg157), last of the steam schooners, would pass on its’ way to and from the mill in Rainer Oregon. I was four or five years old.

In the 1920s between fishing seasons my father would pick-up casual work at the Westport Lumber Co. mill in Westport Oregon, often loading lumber on ships, one of them was the F. S. Loop (pg79). When loading was done he signed on as a crew member for a trip to San Francisco and back. The lumber was loaded so high that it covered the pilot house windows with a tunnel left in the load so the helmsman could see the channel range lights. The officer stood watch on a mostly open bridge one deck above. I remember stories of a half drunk crew, and a main engine that baulked at reverse, both leading to a couple of near collisions.

This area was the heart of lumber production in the day. Three different mill whistles could be heard at eight o’clock as we waited for the school bus, and with an east wind a forth from Big Benjamin at the Long-Bell mill 25 miles up river in Longview WA.

Thanks for the memories

David Vik

David,

Those are great memories to have. Thanks for sharing those with us.

-Ron