Thomas Dolman Shorts was a Canadian sailor, and one of the early captains on the

Okanagan Lake Okanagan Lake () is a lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. The lake is long, between wide, and has a surface area of 348 km2 (135 sq. mi.). Hydrography Okanagan Lake is called a fjord lake as it has been carved o ...

. Shorts started the lakeboat service on Okanagan Lake in the

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley of the British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan Lake, Okanagan and Skaha Lake, Skaha lakes. In the 2021 Canadian Census, its population was 36,885, while its Census geographic un ...

area.Penticton Years To Remember, A. David MacDonald, 1983, British Columbia Heritage Trust

''Ruth Shorts''

'' Ruth Shorts'' was Thomas Shorts's first boat. She was named for his mother.The Kelowna Story An Okanagan History, Sharron J. Simpson, 2011, Harbour Publishing Company Limited, ''Ruth Shorts'' was a rowboat that could make a roundtrip from Penticton to Okanagan Landing in nine days. ''Ruth Shorts'' could carry 2.5 tons of cargo as well as a few passengers. Occasionally, the boat would sport a sail if the weather permitted it. Captain Shorts had no schedule; he left when he wanted or when there was enough people to make the trip worthwhile. Shorts would row during the day and when dusk fell he would row ashore and camp on land with his passengers for the night. Captain Shorts would row sixty-five miles per trip.

''Mary Victoria Greenhow''

In 1884, Shorts owned and operated the ''Mary Victoria Greenhow''. She was a steamer that operated on the same route the ''Ruth Shorts'' did. The ''Mary Victoria Greenhow'' had the capacity to carry five tons of freight and several passengers. She ran on kerosene. After only a short time in operation, the ''Mary Victoria Greenhow'' was destroyed by a fire.

''Jubilee''

In 1887, Shorts salvaged the engine from the burned ''Mary Victoria Greenhow'' and modified it so that it was powered by burning wood, and he installed this engine in his new boat, the ''Jubilee''. The ''Jubilee'' was thirty feet long and could tow a barge. In 1889, only two years after she began operation, she sank.

''Penticton''

In 1890, Shorts partnered with Thomas Ellis to improve the lake service in the

Okanagan The Okanagan ( ), also called the Okanagan Valley and sometimes the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of ...

. Ellis could provide the funds that Shorts needed. Together, they had a new boat ordered. Meanwhile, Shorts took the engine from the ''Jubilee'' and attached it to a

scow A scow is a smaller type of barge. Some scows are rigged as sailboat, sailing scows. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scows carried cargo in coastal waters and inland waterways, having an advantage for navigating shallow water or small ha ...

and called his new creation the ''City of Vernon''. He used the ''City of Vernon'' until the new boat was ready. The new boat, named ''Penticton,'' was a twin screw steamer. After only two years of operation, Shorts and Ellis sold the ''Penticton'' to Leon Lequime of

Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley in the British Columbia Interior, southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna ...

for five thousand dollars.

Later years

Shorts had never been big on luxury, so when the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

entered the lake service with the SS ''Aberdeen'', Shorts could not, despite his many efforts, compete with them. Not long after the ''Aberdeen'' was launched Shorts left the lake service. He headed for the Klondike hoping to strike it rich.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shorts, Thomas Canadian sailors