Acme (steamboat)

The steamboat ''Acme'' operated on Lake Washington and also on the Sammamish Slough to Bothell, Washington from 1899 to 1910, when it was destroyed by fire.

Construction and design

''Acme'' was built in Seattle in 1899 on the Lake Washington shore.Newell, Gordon R. ed., ''H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest'', Superior Publishing, Seattle WA (1966), at pages 49 and 377. The builders were Gustavus V. Johnson (1845-1926) & Son.Neill, Edward Duffield, ''History of Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis'', at page 245.
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Gustavus V. Johnson was a Civil War veteran, who had been born in Clayton County, New York, and who had established a boat-building business on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota.* Kline, Mary S., and Bayless, G.A., ''Ferryboats -- A Legend on Puget Sound'', Bayless Books, Seattle, WA 1983 , at pages 145-46. He and his son Mark ran one of the earliest boatyards on Lake Washington (established 1888). In addition to ''Acme'', they built vessels such as ''L.T. Haas'' and ''City of Renton''.

''Acme'' was built of wood and was long,Newell, Gordon R., ''Ships of the Inland Sea -- The Story of the Puget Sound Steamboats'', Binford & Mort (2d Ed. 1960), at page 203. with a beam of and depth of hold of .U.S. Dept. of the Treasury, Bureau of Statistics, ''Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States'' (for year ending June 30, 1901)
/ref> The overall size of the vessel was 31 gross and 21 registered tons. The official U.S. registry number was 107460. ''Acme'' has been described as a tug.

Operation

''Acme'' was operated between Leschi and Madison parks and Bothell, Washington by N.C. Peterson. The vessel was used to service Leschi and Madison parks for one year, and thereafter being sold to the Bothell Transportation Company for use on the Bothell run. ''Acme'' was also under the ownership of John L. Anderson, one of the most important figures in steamboat navigation on Lake Washington. In 1906, ''Acme'' was making twice-daily trips from Madison Park to Bothell, a distance of from Seattle."Amidst the Hum of Buzzing Saws", ''The Coast'', Vols. 11-12 (1906), at page 166.
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Loss by fire

On August 16, 1910, at about 2:00 a.m., ''Acme'' burned on Lake Washington.Congressional Serial Set, ''Report of the Steamboat Inspection Service'', Government Printing Office (1910), at page 516
/ref> No one was on board at the time. Due to the lack of evidence, an investigation could not determine the cause of the fire. The total loss was $2,000.

Possible discovery of wreck

In 2002,Submerged Cultural Resources Exploration Team, "Exploration Updates", ''Newsletter'' (Fall 2002)
/ref> the Submerged Cultural Resources Exploration Team (SCRET) discovered a wreck in Lake Washington of a wooden steamer long, in feet of water, which they judged to be either ''Acme'' or ''L. T. Haas'' (which was destroyed by fire in 1909).
(accessed 12-20-2013). The vessel contained a small steam engine and a propeller shaft, which made the wreck unique. Normally machinery would have been salvaged from a vessel if possible.

See also

*Steamboats of Lake Washington
*Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet

Notes

References

* Kline, Mary S., and Bayless, G.A., ''Ferryboats -- A Legend on Puget Sound'', Bayless Books, Seattle, WA 1983
* Newell, Gordon R. ed., ''H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest'', Superior Publishing, Seattle WA (1966)
* Newell, Gordon R., ''Ships of the Inland Sea -- The Story of the Puget Sound Steamboats'', Binford & Mort (2d Ed. 1960)

{{Lake Washington Steamboats

Steamboats of Washington (state)
Steamboats of Lake Washington
Propeller-driven steamboats of Washington (state)