Originally delivered to the
Oregon Steamship Company in 1878, she was used on the
Portland, Oregon to
San Francisco, California route for many years. Like
Oregon,
Columbia was also built by
John Roach & Sons in Chester, Pennsylvania. Over time,
Oregons hull became breached after a number of incidents. Furthermore, the hull had been weighted with
concrete to the point where she was considered unsuitable for service as a
passenger liner. Despite this, she was viewed as a cursed ship by her crew. The steamship appears as docked In Alaska at the time for the 1900 census.
Oregon was owned by the
White Star Steamship Company (not to be confused with the
White Star Line) from around 1902 to 1905. Around this time,
Oregon was operating between Alaska and
Puget Sound. On 13 September 1906,
Oregon ran aground on the rocky shoreline of
Cape Hinchinbrook, Alaska. At the time, there was no active
lighthouse at Cape Hinchinbrook, although one was under construction. It is unknown whether poor navigation or reduced visibility caused the wreck. Shortly after the collision, the bottom of the vessel tore open and water began flooding the ship.
Oregon became stuck on the rocks without any barrier from the open sea. After crew members began boarding the
lifeboats without orders,
Captain Horace E. Soule threatened to shoot any man attempting to steal one. This led to the crew obeying all further orders and a small party was sent off in a lifeboat to report the disaster in
Valdez, Alaska. When the report of
Oregons wreck reached Valdez, many ships set out to rescue the passengers and crew. Remarkably, all 110 remaining people on board
Oregon were rescued by the revenue cutter .
Oregon however, was reported as a
total loss. ==References==