Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/368

260 authority from the government could be had to run the boat until the evidence was filed in the custom house that the men who built the boat had all been paid. Here was a veritable "snag" right in front of that first steamboat that was about as bad as a hole in her bottom. The collector of customs might wink at some violations of law, and allow Hanscom and Kamm to run her up and down the Willamette, and over to Vancouver, and down to St. Helens, but the Whitcomb must not dare to venture down to the Astoria custom house without the receipts in full of all labor, machinery and materials bills. Some high financing had to be done, and done quickly. So Whitcomb and Jennings formed a syndicate—the first syndicate in Oregon—and got Abernethy to head the paper, and then circulated it among the wheat growing farmers up in the valley and they subscribed dollars payable in wheat; and finally enough cash and farmers produce was put into the syndicate to pay for Oregon's first steamboat. Hanscom took cash as far is it would go, and wheat for the balance; Kamm took wheat and sold it to the Oregon City merchants, and finally everybody that had a dollar against the boat got their pay; Hanscom ran her down to Astoria, filed a clear bill of health on the creditors account, and General Adair issued the authority to run on the Willamette and Columbia rivers; and the Lot Whitcomb took the head of the fleet of the hundreds of steamboats that have followed in her wake; and John C. Ainsworth was appointed her first master.

As population increased, business on the rivers increased, and became more remunerative, with the stimulus of the greater business in the future incited others to try their luck at steamboating which has always been an attractive pursuit in new countries, where there were navigable rivers. Other boats were projected and built.

The Columbia, built at Astoria, not finding much business on the lower river, came to Portland and entered the transportation field here and was the first boat to run from Portland up to the Cascades. The James R. Flint, named in honor of a San Francisco merchant, was built above the Cascades by Flint, the Bradfords and J. O. Vanbergen; but not finding enough business up there was run down over the Cascades in 1861 and put on the run between Portland and Oregon City. To show the primitive character of the steamboat machinery in those days, it is said that the single engine of the Flint was geared directly to the paddle wheel shaft, which was a side-wheeler, and that this gearing made such an awful racket when the boat was in motion as to be alarming to the passengers. And on a time when Dr. Newell was aboard he innocently inquired of the purser what made such a threshing-machine-like noise below decks; and was told it was nothing but "the cook grinding coffee."

The Bradfords next built a steamer called "The Mary" with double engines to run between the Cascades and the Dalles, the Bradfords being at that time the owner of the portage on the north side of the Columbia at the Cascades. And soon after "The Mary" the Bradfords added the "Hassalo" to run on the route from the Cascades to the Dalles.

In the meantime S. G. Reed and Captain Richard Williams (known to the old timers as Captain Dick Williams) built the steamer "Belle" to run from Portland to the Cascades. Business increasing and the price of freights enormous. Colonel J. S. Ruckle and Harrison Olmstead built the "Mountain Buck" to run between Portland and the Cascades. In 1854 Jacob Kamm, J. C. Ainsworth and Thos. Pope (of Abernethy and Clark) built the "Jennie Clark" for the Oregon City and Portland trade; Ainsworth, master, and Kamm, engineer. In 1858 the Carrie Ladd was launched at Oregon City and owned and operated by the owners of the "Clark."

By 1859, the steamers, "Senorita," "Belle," and "Multnomah" had been built and were running between Portland and the Cascades, owned by Reed, William and Ben Stark, of which Stark was the general manager.

And now R. R. Thompson comes into the transportation field. Thompson had been appointed agent to the Indians in the upper country and had picked