S.S. Hazelton

Hazelton was built in 1900 at Victoria, BC by Alexander Watson, Jr. from designs by Capt. J. H. Bonser for Robert Cunningham of Port Essington, BC. Cunningham ran her on the Skeena River under Capt. Bonser. Hazelton was a very competitive vessel and forced the Hudson’s Bay Co. to build a better boat so they ordered the Mount Royal. The competition became fierce and resulted in an altercation (in Kitselas Canyon of all places) between the two vessels, resulting in an official inquiry. Read here about how fierce the competition became. After the inquiry, Hudson’s Bay Co. promised to deliver Cunningham’s freight at very favourable prices if he layed up the Hazelton, which he agreed to.

In May 1902, Hazelton did an excursion trip for a group of people up to the Big Falls on the Ecstall River.

In August 1902, Cunningham’s diary shows that Hazelton was holed somewhere and sunk on the Skeena. On August 14, Mount Royal loaded supplies and men at Port Essington to be taken up to the Hazelton to raise the her. On August 22, a telegram was received that Hazelton was afloat.

After the HBC lost the Mount Royal in Kitselas Canyon in 1907, they bought the Hazelton from Cunningham and continued to run her on both the Skeena and Stikine Rivers.

Name, Reg	Tonnage	Len x Wid x Draft	NHP	Engines	Passengers	Info
Hazelton, C-107834	377.86	134.4×24.0x4.4	9.2	12×48	130	u/k

Crew:
Capt. Joseph P. Bucey
Capt. John H. Bonser
Capt. Gardner
John Weber, Mate
Pat Hickey, Chief Engineer
J. W. Dean, Engineer
W. Harloch, Second Engineer
Joe Doyen, Steward
Tom Hickey, Purser
Louis Hopstenstall, Mate
Frank Waller, Quartermaster
Fred Campbell, Second Mate
Mr McIntosh, Steward
Walter Noel, Steward

In July 1902, the competition between the Mount Royal and Hazelton was fierce. They competed for the fastest round trip from Port Essington to Hazelton and back:

Depart/Arrive Port Essington	Vessel	Time
Depart July 23, 1902, 3:45 pm	Hazelton
Arrive July 25, 1902, 11:10 pm	Hazelton	2 days, 7 hrs, 55 minutes
Depart July 25, 1902, 2:45 pm	Mount Royal
Arrive July 27, 1902, 9 pm	Mount Royal	2 days, less than 7 hours
Depart July 30, 1902, 7:30 am	Hazelton
Arrive August 1, 1902 6:30 am	Hazelton	47 hours (RECORD!)
Depart July 30, 1902, 9:45 am	Mount Royal
Arrive August 1, 1902, 8:30 pm	Mount Royal	58.75 hours

With the completion of the railway, all sternwheelers including the Hazelton were suddenly obsolete on the Skeena River. Hazelton‘s machinery was stripped our of her and the hull was towed to Prince Rupert to serve as a club house for the Yacht Club.

Ships Registry for the Hazelton courtesy Library and Archives Canada:

*Sternwheeler Hazelton Courtesy Northern BC Archives, UNBC 2009_5_1_67*

*Hazelton and FWS boat Conveyor passing on the Skeena River near Andimaul. Photo by Fred Button, courtesy Prince Rupert City and Regional Archives.*

*S.S. Hazelton flying under the H B Co flag. Courtesy BC Archives*

*S. S. Hazelton bucking up through Kitselas Canyon. Courtesy BC Archives*

*S. S. Hazelton serving out its final days as a Prince Rupert Yacht Clubhouse. Courtesy Northern BC Archives, UNBC*

*S. S. Hazelton on the Skeena River Courtesy BC Archives*

Image labelled by BC Archives as the S. S. Hazelton which I think is incorrect. S. S. Hazelton did not have a closed in saloon deck at stern, and S. S. Hazelton wheelhouse was above the Texas deck, not on the same level. Courtesy BC Archives