How to get down the Skeena on one engine

In his booklet, Whitewater Men of the Skeena Wiggs O’Neill tells the story of how the sternwheeler Caledonia got back to Port Essington from up river with just one engine (instead of the regular two engines):

Ingenuity a Must

“In the steam boat days, there were no ship yards to repair ships of any kind. The crew had to have a little bit of know-how to be able to get along. The following is an illustration.

On one trip coming back to the coast after a good trip to Hazelton, just after passing through Kitselas Canyon, the Caledonia blew a cylinder head on the starboard engine. They were lucky it didn’t happen in a bad place, as they were able to launch a ship’s boat and run a line ashore and snub her into the shore and tie up.

There they were, lucky but helpless. There being no telephones or telegraphs, it would be necessary to send a small boat or canoe to the coast to catch the coast mail boat and order parts from Victoria. Captain Bonser and Pat Hickey the chief engineer went into a huddle and put their thinking caps on. Pat said, “From my end of the ship I’m helpless, with only one engine, she will either stick on top dead centre or bottom, and that’s it”. Captain Bonser got an idea “Look, Pat” said he, “if I have Paul Kato (the ship’s carpenter) remove a bucket from the paddle wheel, that is in the water, when your engine is on top dead centre, and on dead opposite when she is on bottom, there being no resistance she will roll over herself and the eccentric will open your steam valves – what you think?” – “Well” said Pat, “go ahead and we will try it, but be sure you keep a line ashore, while we’re trying it”. They tried it out, tied up to the bank, and lo and behold it worked. They made their way back to Port Simpson on their own steam on one engine. Of course there was a terrible vibration, caused by being two paddles short, but they made it. Afterwards Pat Hickey said he doubted if he had a sound tooth in his head left.”◀