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Chester (sternwheeler)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chester was a shallow draft steamboat built in 1897 that ran until 1917, mostly on the Cowlitz River in southwestern Washington.
Quick Facts History, General characteristics ...
![]() Chester in the Cowlitz River, 1897 | |
History | |
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Name | Chester |
Owner | Joseph Kellogg |
Route | Cowlitz River |
In service | 1897 |
Out of service | 1917 |
Identification | U.S. #127201 |
Fate | Abandoned at Kelso, Washington |
General characteristics | |
Type | inland all-purpose |
Length | 101 ft (30.78 m) |
Beam | 20.9 ft (6.37 m) |
Draft | 5.5 in (140 mm)(1897) 7.5 in (190 mm) (1901) |
Depth | 3.8 ft (1.16 m) depth of hold |
Installed power | twin steam engines, horizontally mounted, cylinder bore 6.0 in (150 mm) and stroke of 2.0 ft (61 cm). |
Propulsion | stern-wheel |
Speed | 30 miles per hour maximum under highly favorable conditions |
Close
Chester was built to an unorthodox design. When Chester was built it was widely predicted that the boat would be a failure.[1] Instead Chester was a success, and was said to have paid for itself many times over.[2]
Although one of the smallest steamers to operate on the Columbia river system, Chester had an important role to play in connection with the Cowlitz river basin, because it made a connection at Kelso, Washington with larger steamers running to Portland, Oregon.[3]