S.S. MOUNT ROYAL

Built:  1902 in Victoria for Hudson's Bay Company
Registration #:  111778

Hull length:   132.0 feet  (exclusive of sternwheel)
Hull width:  28.4 feet
Hull depth:  4.8 feet
Gross weight:  471.03 tons
Registered weight:  295.90 tons

Engines:  1902 Victoria Machy Depot, two horizontal high  pressure cylinders 14" wide x 60" long, rated at 13 NHP

MOUNT ROYAL loading on the Skeena River
Image Courtesy of BC Archives - Detail of Call #B-01311

In response to Robert Cunningham's vessel, the HAZELTON, the Hudson's Bay Company built the MOUNT ROYAL.  Shortly after her arrival on the Skeena in 1902, she became the HAZELTON's major competitor.  With no love lost between the two skippers, the race was on.

After the agreement between the Hudson's Bay Company and Robert Cunningham in 1904, the MOUNT ROYAL became the only boat operating on the Skeena.  She occasionally worked on the Stikine River during 1906 and early 1907 until she was recalled to the Skeena.  During her trip down the Skeena on July 6, 1907, she met her demise in the only major steamboating disaster on the Skeena River.

While attempting to navigate Kitselas Canyon, a strong gust of wind drove her up against Ringbolt Island.  Bridging the narrow channel, she heldfast long enough for all the passengers to get safely ashore.  In an attempt to save her, the captain and ten crewmen reboarded her and then ran a cable from a block on the stern up to the capstan in a hope to pull her off the rocks.  Unfortunately, her king post in the hold jumped off its footing and went through her hull.  She buckled in the middle and then flipped over, drowning six crewmen.  The MOUNT ROYAL herself was a total loss, but her engines were given to the INLANDER.

This digital collection was produced under contract to the
   SchoolNet Digital Collections program, Industry Canada. Revised:  02/15/99