Joseph Kellogg was a stern-wheel driven steamboat that operated on the Willamette, Columbia, and Cowlitz rivers for the Kellogg Transportation Company. It was named after the company's founder, Joseph Kellogg (1812–1903). The sternwheeler Joseph Kellogg was built in 1881 at Portland, Oregon.
Joseph Kellogg remained in service for almost 50 years, from 1881 to 1929, and as such was one of the longest serving steamers on the Columbia river system. It was rebuilt at least once, and had to be refloated a number of times after sinking, but it remained a profitable boat for its owners for a long time.
Joseph Kellogg was rebuilt in 1900, also at Portland. In 1921 the name of this steamer was changed to Madeline after it was sold to Harkins Transportation Company. Madeline was abandoned in 1929.
Design and construction Work on Joseph Kellogg began about the middle of April 1881. The hull was built of cedar except where greater strength was needed, and then white oak was used. The cabins, offices, dining rooms, and seats were built of Oregon ash and maple, with walnut trimmings. The furniture was built from Oregon woods by the firm of Shindler & Chadbourne. Louis Paquet supervised the hull construction. The designs for the rest of the work, including the designs for the cabins, saloon, staterooms and railings, were done by E.E. McClure. All the painting, inside and out, was done by A.D. Brundage. The steamer was launched at Portland, Oregon, upriver from Smith's Mill, in early August 1881.
As built in 1881, Joseph Kellogg was long, exclusive of the extension of the main deck over the stern, called the "fantail", on which the stern-wheel was mounted. The beam was , exclusive of the guards. The depth of hold was . The overall size of the vessel was 322 gross tons, a measure of volume and not weight, and 272 registered tons. The official merchant vessel registry number assigned in 1881 was 76267.
The deck house and upper works of Joseph Kellogg were built of cedar and other light woods, giving the vessel greater buoyancy and allowing it greater speed. As built there were 16 staterooms with 32 beds. The boat had a "unique kitchen and model pantry" which was characterized as "the envy of every frugal housewife whose good fortune leads her to travel upon it." The steamer had an elegantly designed ladies cabin.
The engines for Joseph Kellogg came from the older steamer Dayton. Dayton had been built at Canemah, Oregon in 1868. The boiler was wood-fired, at least as initially constructed.
Operations 1881-1900
Joseph Kellogg was placed on a route running from Portland to the Cowlitz River. Joseph Kellogg was intended to replace the dismantled sternwheeler Dayton on the route from Portland to Monticello, W.T. (now a part of Kelso, Washington).
Joseph Kellogg was reported to have made its first trip to Monticello on October 27, 1881. According to a contemporaneous source, every member of the boat's company was a member of the Kellogg family.
When the Kellogg Line built another steamer in 1889, the Northwest, Joseph Kellogg made runs from Portland to Northport, Washington (now part of Kelso) and made a transfer to Northwest to proceed further upriver to Castle Rock, Olequa, and Toledo.
Until 1890 Joseph Kellogg was commanded by Charles Kellogg and Orrin Kellogg (1846–1924), the sons of Joseph Kellogg. After 1890 W.P. Whitcomb assumed command.
Joseph Kellogg provided important transportation and financial services for the farmers and settlers in the Cowlitz Valley, according to a report from 1887, describing the business of Orrin Kellogg:
Sinkings, collisions and casualties Between 1881 and 1895 Joseph Kellogg was snagged several times and sank, but was always raised without much difficulty, and was still in good condition in 1895.
Drownings among crew On April 12, 1887, Sherman S Evans, a deckhand on Joseph Kellogg, drowned after falling overboard when the boat was moored at the foot of Yamhill Street in Portland.
Just over twenty years later, on July 7, 1907, another dockhand, G. Graham fell off Joseph Kellogg while the boat was lying at Rainier, Oregon. Rescue efforts were made, but Graham drowned before he could be reached.
On the night of June 13, 1910, Peter Smith, the night watchman on Joseph Kellogg, went missing and was believed to have drowned. Smith was last seen on deck as he chopped wood. When Smith was noticed to be missing for some time by other crew members, a search was instituted, but he could not be located. Smith had worked on various steamers on the Willamette and Columbia rivers for many years.
Collision with Alarm and snags In April 1889, a collision happened between Joseph Kellogg and the propeller steamboat Alarm. The collision resulted in the Portland, East Portland, and Albina Transportation Company, owners of Alarm, bringing a lawsuit in the United States District Court against the Joseph Kellogg, alleging that Alarm had sustained $140 in damage as a result of the collision. The claimants alleged that the collision was solely the fault of Joseph Kellogg being handled carelessly by Charles H. Kellogg, an unlicensed pilot.
As a result of the suit, Joseph Kellogg was seized by the U.S. Marshal's service. The owners of Joseph Kellogg were able to obtain its release from seizure by posting bonds in the amount of $300.
In January 1893, Joseph Kellogg hit a snag near Caples, Washington, and had to be beached to escape sinking, leaving the boat in what was reported to be a badly damaged condition.
On Friday October 12, 1894, Joseph Kellogg sank while it was taking on cargo on the Cowlitz river not far from the river's mouth. The falling tide caused the boat to settle on a snag, making a hole in the hull. Barges and wrecking equipment were secured. The extent of the damage was not immediately known.
The tide had ebbed out unusually far, and the boat hit the snag where it was thought the water was deep enough for the boat to pass. The steamer was beached near Glibbet's mill, and as of Sunday, October 14, was lying there with the bow in the mud and seven feet of water in the engine room. Even so, the damage was said to be "not very heavy." Wrecking barges were dispatched to the scene from Portland, and the steamer was expected to be raised and returned to Portland for repair on that Sunday the 14th. Damage was reported to be $500 by the Steamboat Inspection Service.
Stolen boat incident In September 1889 someone stole one of the small boats of the Joseph Kellogg while the steamer was lying at a wharf in Astoria. In July 1890, a boat with the name "Kellogg" on the bow was found in the possession of one John Anderson, at Anderson's ranch on the Oregon side of the Columbia river opposite Coffin Rock. An investigation was conducted, which led to the arrest of Anderson by Constable Al Thomas, who transported Anderson to Portland for examination before a magistrate.
Unlicensed pilot In November and December 1888, Charles H. Kellogg handled Joseph Kellogg as pilot without having a pilot's license on the Columbia and Willamette rivers. On Friday, February 8, 1889, pled guilty to the charge of operating a vessel without a pilot's license, and was fined $100.
Schedules, excursion, and cargo work
1882 schedule In 1882, Joseph Kellogg was running on the following schedule: Leaving Portland from the wharf at the foot of Yamhill Street for Freeport, W.T. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 7:00 a.m. via the Willamette Slough, stopping at St. Helens, Columbia City, Kalama, W.T., Carroll's Point, Rainier, Cedar Landing, Monticello, and all intermediate points.
Returning, Joseph Kellogg departed Freeport on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 6:00 a.m. The steamer remained on this schedule until at least August 1882, and later.
1893 schedule In late October 1893 Joseph Kellogg was running on a route from Portland to Rainier, Oregon, on the following schedule: leave Rainer at 5:00 a.m. daily except Sunday, arrive Portland at 10:30 a.m.; returning, leave Portland at 1:00 p.m., arriving back at Rainier at 6:00 p.m.
Early excursion work
Joseph Kellogg also ran on excursions, including one on July 4, 1882, to Vancouver, W.T, under the personal command of Joseph Kellogg, who was then 70 years of age, and one of the oldest steamboatmen on the river.
On September 24, 1884, there was to be a grand torchlight parade in Portland for the Republican nominees for president, James G. Blaine and vice-president, John A. Logan. Joseph Kellogg would carry people to the parade at half fare.
Cargo A cargo shipped out of Kelso in March 1896 on Joseph Kellogg included 350 sacks of potatoes, 64 bales of hops, and 2500 pounds of smelt. On the Wednesday before March 7, 1889, Joseph Kellogg shipped 12,000 pounds of smelt.
In later years, Joseph Kellogg was placed on the wheat trade on the Columbia River. On November 13, 1905, Joseph Kellogg arrived in Portland with one of the few full cargoes of wheat brought from the Inland Empire on the portage railroad around Celilo Falls. The cargo was composed of 2,755 sacks of wheat, or 183 tons. Joseph Kellogg was then under charter to the Regulator Line, which was operating other steamers in the wheat service.
Transport of wheat offered some additional revenue opportunities for some deckhands. On the night of November 17, 1906, Portland police arrested O. Rood, a deckhand on Joseph Kellogg, and charged him with drunkenness. Police claimed that Rood, along with three others who escaped, had sold several sacks of wheat to a saloon keeper in the area of Front and Alder streets. Rood claimed that he had done no wrong, because the grain he had sold had been sweepings only from the deck of the Joseph Kellogg.
Competition and refit in 1891 Competition with Iralda In September and October 1891 competition was keen between Joseph Kellogg and the propeller steamer Iralda. Iralda was then running under Captain Newsome on a route from Portland to Rainier, extending it to Stella, Washington, for a round trip distance of 120 miles covered daily. As of September 11, 1891, Joseph Kellogg was carrying passengers for free, resulting in a large daily list.
1891 machinery refit In late 1891 Joseph Kellogg was withdraw from service to be refitted with a new boiler and a larger stern-wheel. Joseph Kellogg was returned its route by December 4, 1891, and was reported to be capable of increased speed.
Reconstruction 1900 Joseph Kellogg was reconstructed in Portland in 1900 by Charles Nelson. The machinery from Dayton, built in 1868, continued to be used in the reconstructed vessel.
Reconstruction was done at the Portland Shipyard, and the vessel was approaching readiness for its trial trip on September 6, 1900. Capt. Joseph Kellogg, then age 89, personally built the model for the reconstructed steamer, and supervised its construction.
The reconstructed vessel was long measured over the hull, with a beam of and depth of hold of . and depth of hold of .
The rebuilt Joseph Kellogg of 1900, at 462 gross tons and 342 registered tons, was much larger than the 1881 original boat. As part of the reconstruction, the cabins from the 1881 boat were shifted over to a new hull.
A new merchant vessel was assigned to the rebuilt Joseph Kellogg, 72431.
Operations 1900-1921 Excursions to Columbia Gorge In the summers of 1905 and 1906, Joseph Kellogg was used on excursions to Multnomah Falls The steamer left from Portland at 8:45 a.m. and returned at 5:30 p.m. Round trip fare was one dollar.
Strike by deckhands On August 29, 1906, the deckhands on Joseph Kellogg went on strike. The deckhands wanted longshoremen's wages for loading and unloading the steamer. The owners of the boat were reported to be having some difficulty in locating replacement hands for the strikers.
Wrecked 1906