Crest (1900 steamboat)

Crest was a wooden steamboat that operated on Puget Sound in the early 1900s. Following a sale of the vessel in May, 1912, this boat was known as Bay Island.

Crest (later, Bay Island)
History
NameCrest (Bay Island)
OwnerHunt Bros.; Hale Passage & Wollochet Bay Nav. Co.
RoutePuget Sound
Completed1900
FateAbandoned in 1929
General characteristics
Tonnage99 Gr/67 Reg
Length91.2 ft (27.8 m)
Beam20 ft (6.1 m)
Depth of hold5.9 ft (1.8 m)
Installed powersteam engine
Propulsionpropeller

Career

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In 1899, the Hunt Brothers, a family steamboat business, had Crest built at Tacoma for service on the Tacoma-Gig Harbor route[1] Crest was built according to a tear drop shaped design, which was originated by the Hunt brothers. While this did not increase the speed of the boat, it allowed the vessel to carry more passengers and cargo at the same speed.

In 1902 the Hunt Brothers divided their interest in the firm's boats, with Emmett Hunt taking ownership of Crest.[2]

In 1912, Emmett Hunt, for $11,500, sold Crest to the Hale Passage and Wollochet Bay Navigation Company, which was a farmer's cooperative seeking a way to lower transport costs on produce.[1] The cooperative renamed the vessel Bay Island. Bay Island made as many as 10 stops along the cooperative's route in Hale Passage and Wollochet Bay, and ran in the evening so the produce cargo would be fresh in the morning at the market.[2]

Bay Island was abandoned in 1929.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Newell, ed., McCurdy Marine History, at 32, 49, 203.
  2. ^ a b Gig Harbor Museum, “Steamboats and the Hunt Brothers” Archived 2007-08-22 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 04-14-2011)

References

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  • Findlay, Jean Cammon and Paterson, Robin, Mosquito Fleet of Southern Puget Sound, (2008) Arcadia Publishing ISBN 0-7385-5607-6
  • Newell, Gordon R., ed., H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, Superior Publishing, Seattle, WA 1966
  • Newell, Gordon, Ships of the Inland Sea, Binford and Mort, Portland, OR (2nd Ed. 1960)
  • Newell, Gordon, and Williamson, Joe, Pacific Steamboats, Bonanza Books, New York, NY (1963)
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