S.S. Northwest

S. S. Northwest was built in Portland Oregon in 1889, for the Kellog Trans. Co. She operated in Oregon until purchased by Capt. John Bonser who took her to the Skeena River for the North West Land Co. at Bulkley Valley BC. Before heading north a new boiler and refurbished running gear were installed. It was the only steamer on the river with a covered sternwheel.

In September 1907 she was wrecked while transporting a load of liquor up river. The Daily Province reported that after getting hung up on a gravel bar, the weight of the freight proved too much for the hull and it broke, as you can see in the following photos. The vessel had left Port Essington with 100 tons of freight and a large contingent of passengers headed to Hazelton. Capt. Bonser managed to get the boat almost over the sandbar with the use of cables and the capstan. Before he could finish night came on and overnight the river dropped resulting in the hull breaking. Eventually most freight was moved to shore and all passengers were safely removed from the boat. It was later determined that the hull was in very poor shape and the collapse of the hull was inevitable. The vessel was stripped and engines removed, and eventually the hull was dynamited.

With this sinking there were now no sternwheelers on the river, the Mount Royal having sunk earlier in the year and the Hazelton having also just ran aground at Oliver’s Riffle with a 27 foot gash in her hull. Until the Hazelton and the replacement for the Mount Royal was available, canoe’s became the only method of getting up and down the river.

Captains:
John H Bonser

Ships Registry for the Northwest courtesy Library and Archives Canada: