S.S. Operator
S.S. Operator was built in 1909 at Victoria BC by G. A McNicholl for Foley, Welch and Stewart, railroad contractors. It was one of 5 built to support construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad along the Skeena River as far as Hazelton. Later the British Columbia Waterways ran her in railway construction and passenger service.
On May 25, 1911, Operator struck a rock in the river while passing Meanskinisht, causing the vessel to lurch to one side. As a result James Baker a deckhand was tossed overboard and drowned. The rushing water quickly swept him out of sight and he disappeared in the river almost immediately. His body was not recovered. Baker was a native of Elliston, Newfoundland where his parents resided.
In 1912, she was dismantled and shipped to Tete Jaune Cache BC where she continued operating during the construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad.
| Name, Reg | Tonnage | Len x Wid x Draft | NHP | Engines | Passengers | Info |
| Operator, C126501 | 583.2 | 137.5×31.4×5.4 | 15 | 15×72 | 600 | u/k |
Captains:
Meyers
Ships Registry for the Operator courtesy Library and Archives Canada:
Sources:
Armstrong, Cliff Sternwheelers on the Skeena , 2001
Bennett, Norma V Pioneer Legacy: Chronicles of the Lower Skeena River, 2001
Macdonald, Joseph F. Macdonald’s Steamboats & Steamships of the Pacific Northwest.
O’Neill, Wiggs Steamboat Days on the Skeena River, 1963
Wright, E. W. Lewis & Drydens Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, 1967.
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