The
George W. Elder was launched in 1874 at the
Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works of
John Roach & Sons in
Chester, Pennsylvania and first served as a nightboat for the
Old Dominion Steamship Company on the
New York City to
Chesapeake Bay route. She was equipped with brigantine-rig sail configuration and a triple-expansion steam engine rated between and . The
George W. Elder drew of water, was long, had a beam of and measured 1,709 gross tons. Due to her design, the
George W. Elder was able to visit several different ports. In 1876, the
George W. Elder was sold to the
Oregon Steamship Company, which brought the ship around
Cape Horn and placed her on the
San Francisco, California to
Portland, Oregon route. The
George W. Elder became part of the
Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company fleet after O.R. & N purchased the Oregon Steamship Company. In O.R. & N service, the
George W. Elder served alongside the innovative
Columbia, which was the first structure to use the
incandescent light bulb outside
Thomas Edison's laboratory in
Menlo Park, New Jersey. O.R. & N was bought out by the
Union Pacific Railroad in 1898. On May 31, 1899, the
George W. Elder set out of
Seattle, Washington on a scientific exploration voyage to
Russia, via
British Columbia and
Alaska. Although her stopovers were brief, the actions and nature of research done on the
George W. Elder followed tradition. The voyage, called the
Harriman Expedition, was over long. The
George W. Elder was captained by Peter A. Doran during this expedition. After the Harriman Expedition, the
United States Army drafted the
George W. Elder in November 1899 for use as a troopship in the
Philippines during the
Spanish–American War. Strangely during this time, the owners of the
George W. Elder were listed as
Goodall, Perkins & Company, the agents of the
Pacific Coast Steamship Company who were the owners of the ill-fated
Pacific back in 1875. After being salvaged, the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company abandoned her and she was sold in Auction to Captain J.H. Peterson. In 1906, the
George W. Elder was sold to the
North Pacific Steamship Company, who would be her last American owners. In a chance of coincidence, the
George W. Elder was paired the SS
Roanoke, which had also been built as a nightboat for the Old Dominion Steamship Company. On July 21, 1907, the former running mate to the
George W. Elder, the
Columbia collided with the lumber schooner
San Pedro off
Shelter Cove, California, causing the
Columbia to sink, killing 88 people. Among the dead was Captain Peter A. Doran, who had commanded the
George W. Elder on her 1899 Harriman Expedition. Both the
George W. Elder and
Roanoke arrived at the site of the disaster and picked up
Columbias survivors from the badly damaged
San Pedro. The
George W. Elder returned some of the survivors to
Astoria, Oregon. By 1915, the
North Pacific Steamship Company was struggling, due to the loss of their steamer
Santa Clara on the bar of
Coos Bay, Oregon, in 1914. The management considered closing the company's doors. Thankfully, relief came when the
California South Seas Navigation Company chartered both
Roanoke and
George W. Elder. Neither were used for passenger service under this charter. Unfortunately, the
Roanoke capsized and sank off the California coastline, on her second voyage under the charter. Only three people survived. During
World War I, the
George W. Elder was leased by the
Pacific Mail Steamship Company, which was at the time owned by the
Grace Line. The
George W. Elder was used during this time as part of a four ship feeder service for Central American and Mexican ports. At war's end, now 44 years old, the
George W. Elder was sold to
Artigas Riolrio Compania, based in
Valparaiso, Chile, they were to be her last operators. The
George W. Elder was renamed
America and served the Chilean coastline until 1935. On 7 December 1928, the Chilean
cargo ship collided with
America and sank.
America survived the collision and was reported scrapped in 1935, but it remains uncertain whether the job was done in
Japan or Valparaiso. Either way,
America had reached an outstanding age of 61 years. ==See also==