''Cyrene'' was a steamboat that operated initially on

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

and later on

Lake Washington Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest natural lake in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It borders the cities of Seattle on the west, ...

from 1891 to 1914. ''Cyrene'' and another similar vessel ''Xanthus'' were somewhat unusual in that they had clipper bows and were both originally built as

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

Construction and launching

''Cyrene'' was built in Seattle in a boatyard on the site of

Colman Dock Colman Dock, also called Pier 52, is the primary ferry terminal in Seattle, Washington, United States. The original pier is no longer in existence, but the terminal, now used by the Washington State Ferry system, is still called "Colman Dock". ...

. The vessel was commissioned as a yacht by James M. Colman, a prominent early Seattle businessman. Colman hoped that the building of the yacht would encourage employment in the shipyard. Matt Anderson superintended the construction of the vessel.Kline, M.S., and Bayless, G.A. ''Ferryboats: A Legend on Puget Sound'', Bayless Books, Seattle 1983 , at pages 145-46. She was launched in 1891 and passed her final inspection at the end of July that year. As originally built, ''Cyrene'' was long, in beam, and had a draft of . She displaced 21 gross tons. She was substantially enlarged in 1904 in order to carry more passengers at a cost of $4,000. The work was done at Atwood's wharf near

Leschi Park Leschi Park is an park in the Leschi, Seattle, Leschi neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, named after Chief Leschi of the Nisqually people, Nisqually tribe. The majority of the park is a grassy hillside that lies west of ...

. After this rebuild, she displaced 25 gross tons. She was lengthened to and had her beam increased to . Her pilothouse was moved to the upper deck in order to create more room for passengers on the lower deck. ''Cyrene's'' original engine was removed and installed on ''Inland Flyer'' in late 1900. Seattle Machine Works built a new compound steam engine for ''Cyrene'' in 1901, and it was installed at least by April of that year. At least as early as 1901, she had electric lights aboard for nighttime operation.

Service as a yacht (18911900)

Immediately after her final inspection, on August 2, 1891, ''Cyrene'' headed north to East Sound on

Orcas Island Orcas Island () is the largest of the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest, which are in the northwestern corner of San Juan County, Washington. History and naming of the island The name "Orcas" is a shortened form of ''Horcasitas,'' fro ...

. She was base camp for a two-week camping expedition for 42 vacationers. Guests enjoyed tennis, bonfires, singing, and stories. This camping expedition became an almost annual affair. The Colman family used her as a setting for dinner parties for their friends. There were excursions to

Port Orchard Port Orchard, part of Washington state's Puget Sound, is the strait that separates Bainbridge Island on the east from the Kitsap Peninsula on the west. It extends from Liberty Bay and Agate Pass in the north to Sinclair Inlet and Rich Passage in ...

, Tacoma,

Alki Point Alki Point is a point jutting into Puget Sound, the westernmost landform in the West Seattle district of Seattle, Washington. Alki is the peninsular neighborhood on Alki Point. Alki was the original settlement in what was to become the city of S ...

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

, among others. Laurence J. Colman, James' son, took his Sunday school class on an outing.

Lake Washington passenger ferry (19001914)

Anderson Steamboat Company 1905 Time Table

John L. Anderson John Leonard Anderson (born 1945) is the current President of the National Academy of Engineering. He was a professor of chemical engineering, who served as the eighth president of Illinois Institute of Technology. Prior to his appointment at IIT, ...

purchased ''Cyrene'' from Colman in March 1900. The two of them had been partners in ''Winnifred'', in the early 1890s. Anderson sailed the vessel to Lake Washington by way of the difficult Black River route, the only natural riverine access from Puget Sound to Lake Washington. Starting in the summer of 1900, Anderson ran the vessel as a passenger ferry between Madison Park and Leschi Park. In 1903, Anderson acquired ''Xanthus'', another of James Coleman's yachts. He paired her with ''Cyrene'' to create a passenger ferry service that ran every half hour between Leschi Park, Madrona Park, and Madison Park. The fare was 10 cents. Business was good. Too good on occasion. In 1907 Cyrene was fined $393.50 for taking 30 more passengers than the law allowed. In 1914 Cyrene ran from Leschi Park to various points on the west side of Mercer Island eleven times daily. Cyrene and canoe 1905

In addition to her ferry service, ''Cyrene'' was chartered for private cruises. For example, on July 31, 1900 the Seattle Chamber of Commerce entertained the officers of the 1st Cavalry, then encamped at

Fort Lawton Fort Lawton was a United States Army post located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington overlooking Puget Sound. In 1973 a large majority of the property, 534 acres of Fort Lawton, was given to the city of Seattle and dedicated as ...

, on a lake cruise and dinner. ''Cyrene'' hosted wedding parties, the Norse Club of Seattle, college fraternities, and many other private events. On May 23, 1901 she hosted thirteen members of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

from Ohio, on their way home from San Francisco where they had viewed the launch of the battleship ''

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

''.

End of ''Cyrene''

There is no advertising or other press account of Cyrene sailing after 1914, but neither is there any report of her being sold or broken up. She drops from Federal registration in 1915 so it seems likely that she was broken up. Wreck divers in Lake Washington have identified a hull that conforms to the general size and shape of ''Cyrene,'' but the ship cannot be definitively identified.

Notes

External links

Ely, Arlene, ''Our Foundering Fathers: The Story of Kirkland'', Kirkland Public Library, 1975
{{Lake Washington Steamboats Steamboats of Washington (state) Propeller-driven steamboats of Washington (state) Steamboats of Lake Washington Ships built in Seattle