King County (steam ferry)
{{Short description|Steam ferry ship}}
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{{Infobox Ship Image |Ship image=King County (steam ferry) under construction.jpeg |Ship caption=King County under construction, March 6, 1900 }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship name=King County |Ship owner= King County |Ship operator= George Bartsch |Ship registry= |Ship route= |Ship ordered= |Ship builder= |Ship original cost= |Ship yard number= |Ship way number= |Ship laid down= |Ship launched= |Ship completed= |Ship christened= |Ship acquired= |Ship maiden voyage= |Ship in service=1900 |Ship out of service= 1908 |Ship identification= US registry #161145 |Ship fate=Condemned as unfit for marine service |Ship notes= }} {{Infobox Ship Characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship type=steam ferry |Ship tonnage= 412 gross; 252 regist. |Ship displacement= |Ship length={{convert|115.5|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} |Ship beam={{convert|33|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} |Ship height= |Ship draught= |Ship draft= |Ship depth={{convert|10|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} |Ship decks= |Ship deck clearance= |Ship ramps= |Ship ice class= |Ship sail plan= |Ship power= steam engine |Ship propulsion= sidewheels |Ship speed= |Ship capacity= |Ship crew= |Ship notes= }} |
King County was a steam ferry built in 1900 which served on Lake Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States, until 1908.
Career
King County was the first true ferry to operate on Lake Washington, in King County, Washington. The ferry was built in 1900 at Madison Park The ferry was launched on March 8, 1900.Kline and Bayless, Ferryboats – A Legend on Puget Sound, at pages 147-148 and 340. A mishap occurred during the vessel's launching with a number of notable figures on board, the ferry slid down the ways but rather than floating in the water, became stuck in the mud. The steamer Cyrene had to pull the new ferry free.Newell and Williamson, Pacific Steamboats, at 166.
King County purchased the ferry from Moran Brothers Company, the shipyard that built her, for $26,100 on July 25, 1900.{{Cite news|url=https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2%3A127D718D1E33F961%40GB3NEWS-128081BEFA4A97C3%402415229-128012EF0561D9B9%4023-128012EF0561D9B9%40?h=4&fname=&mname=&lname=&kwinc=%22steamer%20king%20county%22&kwexc=&show_kwexc=1&rgfromDate=1900&rgtoDate=1906&formDate=&formDateFlex=exact&dateType=range&processingtime=&addedFrom=&addedTo=&sid=fclnfyntgzcjngfnknjexkrkdivrtjcq_s073_1584990613888|title=Bills Of Sale|date=July 28, 1900|work=Seattle Daily Times|page=24}} King County was placed on the route from Madison Park to Kirkland. The county hired George Bartsch to act as the ferry's captain. When his services weren't necessary for the ferry, Bartsch ran a sideline with his own steamboat towing log rafts on the lake. It was said by some that he spent most of his time doing this, as business was too sparse to justify much operation of the ferry.
Poorly built, King County lasted only eight years, and 1908, the vessel was condemned as unfit for further service. The vessel is also reported to have sunk in May 1907.
Notes
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References
- Kline, M.S., and Bayless, G.A., Ferryboats -- A legend on Puget Sound, Bayless Books, Seattle, WA 1983 {{ISBN|0-914515-00-4}}
- Newell, Gordon R., ed., H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, Superior Publishing (1966)
- Newell, Gordon R., and Williamson, Joe D., Pacific Steamboats, Superior Publishing, Seattle WA 1958
{{Lake Washington Steamboats}}
Category:Steamboats of Washington (state)
Category:Steam ferries of Washington (state)
Category:Ships built in Seattle
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