S.S. Union
The S. S. Union was a sternwheeler, built in 1861 at Victoria, BC by James Trahey as Maggie Lauder for the Yale Navigation Co. which became insolvent and Gustavus B. Wright and Uriah Nelson purchased her on the ways. They ran her on the Fraser and Skeena Rivers, under Capt. J. W Doane and purser John Huntoon. In 1864-5 the Collins Overland Telegraph Co. owned and ran her during the building of the American Russian telegraph line.
The Union was the very first steam powered vessel that ascended the Skeena River in 1864. Under Captain Tom Coffin she steamed into the Skeena River in the hope of making a trip up to The Forks (Hazelton), but only made it part way, some say to Kwinitsa, others say 90 miles up the river, probably as far as the little canyon. She was hopelessly under powered for the Skeena and this was the only trip she made on the river.
The Union was accidentally burned on the Fraser River July 29th, 1878.
| Name, Reg | Tonnage | Len x Wid x Draft | NHP | Engines | Passengers | Info |
| Union, u/k | u/k | 66 x 17.5 x 3.0 | u/k | u/k | u/k | u/k |
Crew:
Captain Bugby
Captain Deighton
Captain J. W. Doane
Captain Sprague
John Huntoon, Purser
Sources:
Macdonald, Joseph F. Macdonald’s Steamboats & Steamships of the Pacific Northwest.
Wright, E. W. Lewis & Drydens Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, 1967.
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