CONSTRUCTION
The Revelstoke was a sternwheeler commissioned
by the Revelstoke Navigation Company of that town. Built at the CPR
shipyard in Nakusp and launched on January 10, 1902, the powerful
craft was designed for freighting up the Columbia River above Revelstoke
and it represented a gallant effort by some of the city's businessmen
to establish mining and logging in this inhospitable area.
The vessel was of wood construction and some 38.7
m (126.9 feet) long, 6.9 m (22.7 feet) wide and 1.3 m (4.3 feet)
deep and measured 308.6 gross tons. She was equipped with 2 horizontal,
single cylinder engines built by the Polson Iron Works of Toronto.
Each engine had 30.5 cm (12 inch) bore and a 152.4 cm (60 inch)
stroke producing 9.6 nhp. Her ability to negotiate the rapids of
the Upper Columbia was made possible by the inclusion of a 1379
kPa (200 psi) boiler to maintain adequate pressure to operate the
engines which were under constant throttle.
Licensed to carry 150 passengers and freight with
safety equipment numbering 2 (twelve-person) lifeboats and 158 life
preservers, one would be hard pressed to believe such a multitude
could ever be accommodated judging from some of the excursion photos
where the decks are more than filled with less than 100 persons.
The somewhat plain sternwheeler was designed by
Captain Troup and built by James Bulger using A. Blondin's knowledge
of wood construction to ensure strength.
OPERATIONAL HISTORY
In 1897 the CPR loaned the Lytton to work up
through the Revelstoke Rapids to La Porte in order to support the
French Creek Company in its placer mining efforts in the Big Bend
area. Unfortunately after the loss of the Trail to fire at
Robson, the Lytton was assigned to ferry work between Robson
and Robson West. At this point the Revelstoke Navigation Company
made the decision to build the Revelstoke.
Captain Albert Forslund of the CPR Arrow Lakes
sternwheeler fleet was "lent" to the Revelstoke Company
to command the ship through the many rapids on the river. Because
lining was necessary a powerful capstan was mounted on the bow of
the boat. While the Big Bend had a short season Captain Forslund
worked the run between 1902 and 1912, often taking the Revelstoke
on runs downstream to the Arrow Lakes as a fill-in or excursions
to ball games and picnics at Halcyon or St. Leon Hot Springs.
LOSS
By 1915 the country was in the depths of the First
World War leaving many industries unable to transfer funds internationally.
The closure of local manufacturers meant even less money for questionable
sojourns up river or to leisurely excursions. One large mill at
Arrowhead burned, another ceased operations and the Comaplix millyard
suffered from a mysterious fire in 1914. Just to make things even
more perplexing the Revelstoke was docked near the Comaplix
mill slab pile in March of 1915. On the 5th of April, seven separate
fires "broke out" at points throughout the plant producing
a conflagration that consumed the mill, town and steamer. The whole
affair went before the courts leaving the owners of the boat assured
of compensation in spite of the seemingly planned destruction.
SALVAGE
The Revelstoke burned to the waterline and then
sank in 8 m feet of water, landing on some old pilings. It was thought
cables could be threaded under the and the remains winched to the
surface. Veteran Captain Robert Sanderson acquired salvage rights
and used his son Robert as diver, expediting his descent by using
a large rock to take him to the bottom quickly. Unfortunately the
lifting procedure was unsuccessful because Revelstoke was
more severely damaged than expected. The stern section was raised
and the paddlewheel, engines and boiler removed, but these items
were unused. The boiler remained on shore at Comaplix and eventually
the paddleshaft along with the engine controls were taken to Nakusp
to be used as part of the tourist booth assembly.
SEARCH
The site was well-known to local historians. The UASBC
visited the site in the spring 1991 at which time the 3.2 x 8 metre
boiler of the Revelstoke was visible on shore approximately
350 m west of the old Comaplix mill. A variety of metal wreckage
was noted 100 m to the east, including both fire doors, the metal
fastenings from the sternwheel, a bronze spotlight or bell support
and a variety of piping and related machinery. The engines and hull
were not located. All of the material was located close to the spring
low water mark and would be submerged in 10-15 m for most of the
year.
In 1995 Bart Bjorkman brought his ROV (remotely
operated vehicle) to the Arm and a series of dives were made in
the area. In less than 12 m of water immediately in front of the
boiler a silt-covered wreck was discovered. This vessel was identified
as a small steam tug but since that time the videos suggest it may
in fact be the bow section of the Revelstoke. Unfortunately
the diving conditions on this site were marginal due to low visibility
and positive identify will require further work and possibly excavation.
Direction and sidescan sonar work on this site
in March 1999 did not locate any definite targets, suggesting the
wreck may be partially or totally buried under sediment. A weak
target was noted directly off the end of the old Comaplix wharf.
Divers attempted to locate this target but abandoned the search
as the deep dive was plagued by very low visibility. While this
target may simply be a sonar "echo" of the wharf, it is
worthy of further investigation with a drop camera.
ACCESS/DIVING
Boat access is required. A Zodiac or car-top boat can
be launched at the Old Beaton wharf site, but larger boats must
be launched at Galena Bay, 20 km to the south. As with all Northeast
Arm sites, silt from the Incomappleaux River and the fluctuations
of the reservoir limit the diving period to three weeks. Even then,
visibility will be 2-4 m or less.
CONCLUSIONS
If the hull of the Revelstoke is found it will
contain a significant number of artifacts and some machinery. Unfortunately
the silt accumulation on the Northeast Arm, may have buried this
wreck and the use of a proton magnetometer may be necessary. When
the hull is found, mapping such a site will be an unpleasant and
possibly dangerous task.
