In 1898, the Canadian Pacific Navigation Co. [CPN] commissioned the Albion Iron Works in Victoria to build the first steel hulled sternwheeler in the province. In addition to its steel hull, the engines were constructed with innovations introduced by engineer James Knight Rebbeck. They would handle 150 pounds boiler pressure and run more quietly than any other design. The ship was 140 feet long, 28 feet beam, with a depth of only 5 feet. Her top speed was rated at 17 knots. A great deal of interest was generated by the construction of this vessel and it was much talked about in the newspapers of the day.
The "Beaver" was launched on Saturday, April 23, 1898, after a construction period lasting only two months. A crowd of 1000 people gathered to see the launch. At its launch, it was thought that the ship would actually be named the "John Irving" and that its destination would be the Stikine River and the goldfields. However, four weeks after its launch, the government decided that their planned access to the goldfields was not viable and the whole plan was scrapped. The vessel was redirected to the lower Fraser River and named the "Beaver" at that point.
Two years after its launch, engineer Rebbeck wrote an evaluation of the vessel singing its praises and noting in particular its fuel economy and quietness of operation. The "Beaver" continued to work the Fraser River until 1913 when the introduction of the BC Electric inter-urban trains caused her to be set aside. In 1918, she was purchased by the government of BC and refurbished as a ferry between Ladner and Steveston. In 1930, the ship was replaced by a new vessel but the innovative steam engines were transferred to the new vessel and continued in service for many years.
[material taken from: "Gold and Steam Engines - Notes from the Past Part 1" by Eleanor Dempster, published in the BC Genealogical Society Journal in March of 1995]
Summary by Val Patenaude, Curator, Maple Ridge Museum & Archives October 17, 2000