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This proved not to be the case, as the steamer then struck another rock and received even worse damage, the wheel was broken, and the hull pierced in several places. After being towed off with cables, the boat lacked sufficient power to move on its own, and so the decision was made to let it drift downstream, with the hope it would make it safely. The steamer first hit one set of rocks, and became stranded.
![mountain gems mountain gems](https://www.cayaya-birding.com/species/Green-throated-Mountain-gem_10.jpg)
On the morning of JanuMountain Gem sustained serious damage while running downstream through Umatilla Rapids, which were located two miles east of Umatilla, Oregon. Damaged at Umatilla Rapids īy January 1906, Mountain Gem had been brought down the Snake River, to be operated by the Open-River Commission on the Columbia run between Celilo, Oregon and Wallula, Washington. At two separate points the current was 12 miles an hour, and it was often necessary to line through these places. Despite Mountain Gem’s speed of 19 miles an hour, it took nine hours to cover the distance. The distance between Lewiston and the upriver mining district was 52 miles. The plan at that time for the steamer's use was to run from Lewiston in the morning to Asotin, Washington, and returning in the afternoon, carrying passengers for a fair at Lewiston, at 60 cents each for the round trip. Recent heavy storms had caused landslides into the river, creating additional rapids. Originally it had been intended to take the steamer as far as the Wild Goose Rapids, but river conditions prevented the boat from going farther than Grand Ronde. Gray took Mountain Gem upriver from Lewiston. Mountain Gem (left) and two other steamers at Asotin, Washington, 1906 The mortgage was foreclosed and the steamer was sold for $13,200 to satisfy the debt. The Eureka Mining company advanced the $10,000 necessary to complete the boat. As a result, Mountain Gem had been leased out, with an additional $10,000 expended to complete the steamer for the leaseholder, the money being raised by obtaining a loan secured by a mortgage on the steamer. Financing problems īefore construction of Mountain Gem was complete, mining activity had fallen off sharply. Campbell, and was manufactured by the Willamette Iron Works of Portland. The machinery was designed by engineer F.L. The boilers were licensed to carry 225 pounds of steam. Mountain Gem could reach a speed of 19 miles an hour. Mountain Gem was driven by twin steam engines, horizontally mounted, each with a bore of 13 in (33.0 cm) and stroke of 72 in (1.83 m) turning a stern-wheel. The steamer had overnight accommodations for 75 passengers. On day excursions, Mountain Gem could carry 200 passengers. The merchant vessel registry number was 201045. Overall size of the steamer was 469 gross tons and 282 net tons, with tons being a measure of volume and not weight. To minimize the chance of sinking in the many rapids of the Snake River, the hull was divided into 29 water-tight compartments. The depth of hold was 5 ft (1.52 m) feet. The steamer had a beam 26.5 ft (8.08 m) measured over the hull exclusive of long protective timbers, called guards, along the upper outside edge of the hull. Mountain Gem was 150 ft (45.72 m) long over the hull, exclusive of the fantail, which was the extension over the stern on which the stern-wheel was mounted. Specifications Īdvertisement, placed March 10, 1905, for an excursion on Mountain Gem, from Lewiston, Idaho, to the Grande Ronde River. Mountain Gem was built in Lewiston, Idaho, in 1904. When Imnaha was wrecked, the mine owners went to the public and asked them to raise money for a new steamer. Imnaha had been serving mines in the Eureka area upriver from Lewiston. Mountain Gem was built with funds raised by a public stock subscription which raised $10,000 to build a new steamer for work on the upper Snake River to replace the wrecked Imnaha. Allen, a businessman of Clarkston, Washington. Īccording to one report, the steamer cost $35,000 to construct.
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Mountain Gem was built for the Lewiston Navigation company.