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California Steam Navigation Company

March 05, 2023

The California Steam Navigation Company was formed in 1854 to consolidate competing steamship companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. It was successful in this effort and established a profitable near-monopoly which it maintained by buying out or bankrupting new competitors. In response to the Fraser Canyon gold rush and economic growth in the Pacific Northwest, the company expanded to ocean routes from San Francisco north to British Columbia. Similarly, as California's economy grew, the company offered service from San Francisco south to San Pedro and San Diego. It exited these markets in 1867 when competition drove prices to unprofitable levels. While the California Steam Navigation Company was successful throughout its life in suppressing steamboat competition on its core Bay Area and river routes, it could not control the rise of railroads. These new competitors reduced the company's revenue and profit. Finally, in 1871, the company's assets were purchased by the California Pacific Railroad, and the corporation was dissolved.

Early history

 
1863 advertisement

In the 1840s and 1850s road and rail networks in the Bay Area and inland California were primitive. Steamboats and the barges they towed played an important part in moving people, agricultural commodities, and other goods around the region. Numerous wharves and depots sprang up in San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, and Suisan Bay. Steamers also ascended the rivers that emptied into these bays, notably the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River. The Sacramento River was navigable for 250 miles and in periods of high water even further upstream. The Feather River, a tributary of the Sacramento, was navigable beyond Marysville during portions of the year. The San Joaquin was navigable year-round as far as Stockton and in periods of high water, steamers could reach into Fresno County, about 200 miles from the river's mouth.[1]

In 1848 there were but two steamers on the Sacramento River. You could travel from San Francisco to Sacramento for $30 with a cabin, or for $20 on deck. As the California gold rush began, the number of ships sailing on the Sacramento River shot to sixteen in just eighteen months, all of them built in eastern shipyards and sailed around Cape Horn. By 1851 fares had dropped to $1 as all the new ships fought for customers. To make matters worse for the shipping companies, they ordered additional steamers during the boom times and they began to arrive. With loans to pay, the ship owners had no choice but to put them into service, despite the already ruinous level of competition. By 1853 there were 25 steamers running the Sacramento River alone.[1]

The steamboat owners ended their unprofitable competition by combining almost all the vessels that served the inland trade. On February 22, 1854 the California Steam Navigation Company was incorporated under the laws of California.[2] The company's initial shareholders included Richard Chenery,[3] Captain James Whitney, jr., Marshall Hubbard, John Bensley,[4] and Major Samuel J. Hensley.[5] All five men served as president of the company at various times.[6][7][8]

Inland competition

The new California Steam Navigation Company moved quickly to retire excess capacity: 23 ships were idled. The combination effectively eliminated competition on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. This allowed the company to raise rates and profitability returned for the company's owners. This profitability lured new competitors, just as it did in 1850. Individual boats such as Surprise and Martin White began service in 1855. Rates from San Francisco to Sacramento fell as low as $0.25 per passenger as the California Steam Navigation Company sought to eliminate the thinly-capitalized newcomers.[1]

In their outrage at freight rates that were raised to $40/ton after the consolidation, Marysville merchants formed the Citizens' Steam Navigation Company to compete with the company in 1854. It's competitive steamer, Enterprise, carried the freight for $12/ton. Not content to have any competition, the California Steam Navigation Company lowered its rate to $1/ton. Citizens' Steam Navigation Company built a larger ship, Queen City, but at the low prices they had to charge to compete, it lost money on every load. Citizen's Steam Navigation could not find sufficient financing to continue operations under these circumstances. On October 1, 1855 it signed a contract giving the California Steam Navigation Company control over its ships, effectively reinstating the company's monopoly on transportation to Marysville.[9]

The general public and the local business community loathed the California Steam Navigation Company for its monopoly rates and the harsh tactics it used to suppress competition.[10] One newspaper went so far as to editorialize that all candidates for the state legislature should pledge, "eternal opposition to the California Steam Navigation Company"[11]

Ocean and coastal service

The Fraser Canyon gold rush created an immediate and large demand for transportation from the Bay Area to British Columbia beginning in 1857. The "forty-niners" who rushed to the California goldfields now rushed to mine the new Canadian workings. Similarly, California's growing economy created new demand for transportation to the south as well. The California Steam Navigation Company used a few of its largest steamers for these new routes and acquired other ocean-going ships to meet this demand. Pacific was purchased in 1859. Brother Jonathan was purchased and refit in 1861. Ajax and Orizaba were purchased in 1865. California was built for the company in 1866.

In 1856 Senator began "South Coast" service between San Francisco and San Diego with stops in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and San Pedro.[12] Orizaba began sailing to the "South Coast" in 1865.[13] In 1859 Pacific began service to Victoria with stops in Crescent City and Portland[14] and was later joined by Brother Jonathan, and Active.[15] California sailed this route as well, beginning in 1866. In January 1866 the California Steam Navigation established another ocean route, offering the first regular steamship service between San Francisco and the Hawaiian Islands using its steamer Ajax.[16] After only two round trips, however, the company put her on the San Francisco - Portland route to counter new competitive pressure.[17]

These new ocean routes brought the company into contact with new competitors. In the north, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company sold its business to the California, Oregon, and Mexico Steamship Company in 1861. Ben Holladay, a tough steamboat pioneer, ran this dominant company. At the time of the acquisition It had five steamboats on the San Francisco - Victoria route to the two (Pacific and Brother Jonathan) deployed by the California Steam Navigation Company. In 1862, an infected passenger onboard the Brother Jonathan introduced smallpox to Victoria, setting off the 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic.

Holladay added more ships, but the two companies appeared to have an understanding that prevented a rate war. This changed in 1865 when Jarvis Patton established the Anchor Line, and put his ship Montana on the San Francisco - Victoria line. He cut prices to gain customers, but with only one ship on the route, the pricing equilibrium between the two main competitors more or less remained. In 1866, however, Patton built Idaho, and a full-scale rate war broke out. Profitability went out of the northern route.[17]

Decline

In 1867, the fare war on the northern route forced consolidation. The California, Oregon, and Mexico Steamship Company bought the entire ocean-going fleet of the California Steam Navigation Company. It bought Active, Ajax, California, Orizba, Pacific, and Senator.[18][19][20] This forced the California Steam Navigation Company back to its Bay Area core, which itself was suffering from competition from new railroads.

On March 31, 1871, the California Pacific Railroad Company acquired all property of the California Steam Navigation Company.[21][22] This included thirty-two sidewheel and sternwheel steamships, twenty-one barges, twenty wharves and depots, and the franchises that allowed the ships to sail.[23] Cash from the asset sale was distributed to shareholders and the company was disincorporated in September 1871.[24][25] The railroad continued the operation of the steamboats, integrating them with its own routes and pricing scheme.[26] The steamboat-railroad merger was driven by the same desire to reduce competition that had driven the previous steamboat company mergers. Five months later, the Central Pacific Railroad acquired the California Pacific Railroad Company, creating an even more powerful transportation monopoly.[27]

In a confusing epilog to the corporation's history, a new and unrelated steamboat company was created after the disincorporation which was also called the California Steam Navigation Company. It too, ran steamboats on the Sacramento River, but in this new world it was the upstart competitor under-cutting the monopoly rates of the entrenched incumbent.[28] This second California Steam Navigation Company passed out of existence in June 1889 when it merged with the San Joaquin Improvement Company to become the California Steam and Improvement Company.[29]

Fleet

The California Steam Navigation Company owned and chartered dozens of ships, barges, tugs, and boats. Relatively few were in full-time service on specific routes. Some were operated only seasonally to meet the peak demand of the summer harvest time, when ships and barges would bring crops from the interior to San Francisco. Some were operated only when high water allowed passage to ports further inland on the rivers. Some ships were held in reserve, to replace vessels that were due for maintenance or were damaged. Some ships were used as storeships, floating warehouses and offices. Some vessels were anchored or moored and never used. These were typically ships bought from competitors to keep them from competing, or obsolete ships that the company would not sell for fear of them falling into the hands of potential competitors. The company established a base for its unemployed ships in Oakland.[30] Below is a partial list of the company's ships and barges with a focus on how they came to be part of and then left the fleet.

Ships

Active (sidewheel steamer): She was built for the Sacramento River route in 1849. She was purchased by the US Coast Survey in 1852. The government sold the ship for $30,000 in June 1862. After a variety of private charters, the company acquired her no later than April 1866. The ship was, in turn, acquired from the company by the California, Oregon, and Mexico Steamship Company in 1867.[20][31][32] She hit a rock and was wrecked south of Cape Mendocino in 1870.[33]

Ajax (propeller steamer): Built in Brooklyn, New York in 1864, she was purchased by the company with California in 1865 for $250,000.[34] The ship was acquired from the company by the California, Oregon, and Mexico Steamship Company in 1867.[35][36][37]

Amador (sidewheel steamer): She was built for the company and entered service in October 1869. She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[38][22]

Amelia (sidewheel steamer): She was launched in 1863 originally as a San Francisco Bay ferry, running between Alviso and San Francisco. In 1868, Amelia was one of the first steamers in the Bay Area to convert from coal to oil for fuel.[39][40] She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[22]

American Eagle: She was one of the original ships consolidated into the company in 1854, The ship was damaged in a boiler explosion and thereafter lay moored on the levee in Sacramento for several years. In 1859 her topsides were removed and she was converted into a barge.[41][42][43][44]

Anna Abernethy (sidewheel steamer): She ran as a competitor to the company on the Marysville - San Francisco route beginning in 1854. She was taken over by the company by 1856. She broke her drive shaft while on the Petaluma - San Francisco run in 1857.[45][46][30][47]

Antelope (sidewheel steamer): The ship reached the Bay Area in 1851 by sailing around Cape Horn. In California she sailed for the "Independent Line" and was one of the vessels consolidated into the California Steam Navigation Company when it was formed in 1854. The vessel was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[1][48][22]

Banner (sternwheel steamer): She was a light draft vessel which began competing with the company on the upper reaches of the Sacramento River in May 1862. By December 1863 she had been acquired by the company. The ship was burned and nearly destroyed by an arsonist in December 1864. She was repaired and returned to the river in May 1866 to compete with the company again. She was back in the company's fleet no later than 1868. She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871. By 1872 her machinery was removed and she was slated to be broken up.[49][50][51][52][53][54][22]

Belle: She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. On February 5, 1856 her boilers exploded killing about two dozen people. The ship appears to have been repaired, but renamed Swan (see below), so as to disassociate her with the disaster.[55][56][57]

Brother Jonathan (sidewheel steamer): She was purchased by the company and refit in 1861. She sank with the loss of perhaps 225 lives in 1865.[58]

C. M. Weber: The ship entered service on the Stockton run in April 1851 and was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854.[59][46]

California:[60] She was acquired with Ajax for $250,000 from the New York shipping firm of Wakeman, Gookin & Dickinson in 1865.[34] She was acquired from the company by the California, Oregon, and Mexico Steamship Company in 1867.[61]

Capital (sidewheel steamer): The ship was built for the company and launched on November 5, 1865. She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[62][63][22]

Captain Sutter (sternwheel steamer): The ship was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. She sank at her berth in October 1855 and was not repaired due to her poor condition.[41][64]

Chrysopolis (sidewheel steamer): The ship was built for the company at the cost of $200,000[1] in San Francisco and launched in June 1860.[65] She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871[22]

Camanche: She was built in the Bay Area and launched in 1851. The ship sank after a collision with J. Bragdon in January 1853. Ten lives were lost. She was repaired and returned to service, becoming one of the ships that was consolidated into the company in 1854.[56][66][67][68] It is likely that she was converted into a barge of the same name by 1858.[69]

Clara: She was one of the original ships consolidated into the company and was used briefly as a ferry to Alameda. The ship was sold in July 1854 for $9,000 and disappears from Bay Area press accounts.[41][70]

Cleopatra: She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. Her machinery was removed and she was broken up in 1862, with her pilot house transferred to Goodman Castle.[71][72][73]

Confidence: She was acquired in New York by John Bensley and sent to San Francisco in 1849.[4] The ship was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854.[1][74]

Cora (sidewheel steamer): She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[22]

Cornelia (sidewheel steamer): She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871. She was condemned as unseaworthy in 1872.[75][76][22]

Daniel Moore: She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854.[1][41]

Defiance (sidewheel steamer): She began competing with the company in July 1860. She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[1][22]

Dover (sternwheel steamer): The ship was built for the company in San Francisco and launched in 1869. She was purchased by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[77][78][22]

Eclipse: She was launched in December 1854 as a competitor to the company. By mid-1855, the company controlled the ship. She was converted into a barge of the same name.[46][79][80]

Eliza: Built in 1824 and sailed around Cape Horn in 1850, she was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. She was broken-up in 1868.[81]

Enterprise: She was built for the competitive Citizen's Steam Navigation Company for the Marysville to San Francisco run. Her first trip with passengers aboard was made on July 27, 1854. She was taken over by the company when it drove its competitor out of business in 1855. In 1863 her boilers and machinery were removed and installed in a new steamboat to be used in China.[82][83][84]

Express: She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854.[85] The ship was owned by the company at least until 1856.[41] In June 1870, the ship was owned by an independent operator that competed with the company on the San Francisco - Oakland route.[86] This venture failed, and the ship was sold at auction for $1,200 on January 12, 1872[87]

Flora (sternwheel steamer): The ship was built for the company's trade with Marysville, and thus had an exceptionally shallow draft of 11 inches. She was launched in 1865. She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[88][22]

Gaudeloupe: She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854.[43]

Gazelle: She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854.[1][89]

Gem (sternwheel steamer): She was sailing for the company in 1854, but after the original consolidation. She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[71][90][22]

Globe: She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. The ship was used as the company's office for a time and as a storeship.[56]

Goodman Castle (sternwheel steamer): The ship was built in the Bay Area and began sailing as a competitor to the company in 1858. By February 1859 this venture had failed and the company owned the ship. She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 and broken up in 1875.[46][91][92][93][22]

Governor Dana: She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854.[1][71]

Governor Dana III (sternwheel steamship): She was a shallow draft vessel built for the company's Sacramento-Marysville route. She was launched on October 29, 1863[94]

H. T. Clay: The ship's frames were constructed in New Orleans and then sent to San Francisco where they were assembled in 1850. She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854[43][95]

Hartford: The ship sailed from New York to San Francisco, arriving January 24, 1849. She was nearly destroyed in a fire in early 1851, but was rebuilt and became one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. She was dismantled in 1855. [96][41][97][64]

Helen Hensley (sidewheel steamer): The ship was built by Samuel J. Hensley. She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. She suffered a boiler explosion later that year. She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[8][71][42][22]

Henrietta (sternwheel steamer) She was built for $12,000 in 1857 to compete with the company, but her owner died before she entered service.[98] The company owned her before the end of the year. Her engine was sold and exported to China in 1863[46][99]

J. Bragdon (sidewheel steamer): She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. Her machinery was removed and reinstalled in Paul Pry in 1864. Her hull was converted into a barge.[1][22][100]

James Blair (sternwheel steamer): She was built in the Bay Area to compete with the company and launched in 1857. This venture failed and by April 1858, the ship was owned by the company.[46][101][102]

Julia (sidewheel steamer): The ship was built for the company's Stockton route and launched on August 18, 1864. She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[103][104][22]

Kate Kearney: She was listed as unemployed in 1856. The company appears to have sold the ship that year.[30][105]

Lark (sternwheel Steamer): She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871. Lark was broken up in 1876[22][106]

Marysville[41]

New World:[71] She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. The ship was sold to the Oregon Steam Navigation Company in May 1864 for $75,000.[1][107]

Orient: She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854.[43] She sank in the Old River and her machinery was removed in 1858. She was converted into a barge.[69][22]

Orizaba (sidewheel steamer): The ship was purchased from the Pacific Mail Steamship Company in 1865 for $60,000.[108][20] She was acquired from the company by the California, Oregon, and Mexico Steamship Company in 1867.[61]

Pacific (side wheel steamer): She was purchased from the Pacific Mail Steamship Company in 1860. She was acquired from the company by the California, Oregon, and Mexico Steamship Company in 1867.[109][61]

Paul Pry (sidewheel steamer): The ship was built in San Francisco in 1854. She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[110][103][22]

Pike: She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. She was broken up in 1860.[41][111]

Plumas (sternwheel steamer): She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. On July 11, 1854 she hit a snag and sank on the Sacramento River. Her machinery was salvaged but the rest of the ship was a total loss.[57][112]

Queen City: The ship was built for the competitive Citizens Steam Navigation Company and launched in September 1854. She was taken over by the company when it drove its competitor out of business in 1855.[83]

Red Bluff (sternwheel steamer): She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[22]

Reliance (propeller steamer): She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[80][22]

Republic:[113]

Sam Soule[114]

San Antonio: She was converted into a barge.[115][21]

Senator: The ship was built in New York originally for trade on the New England coast. In response to the California gold rush, she was sent around Cape Horn, reaching San Francisco in 1849.[116] She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. She was acquired from the company by the California, Oregon, and Mexico Steamship Company in 1867.[1][117][118]

Shasta: She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854, but it appears she was idled immediately and never sailed again[41][119]

Sophie: She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854.[43]

Sophie McLean: The ship was built for the company's San Francisco - San Jose route. She was launched on January 18, 1859.[120] The vessel blew up at the dock while getting up steam in October 1865.[121]

Surprise: She was built in San Francisco and had her sea trial on April 2, 1855. She ran in competition to the company, but by November 1855 she had been sold to the company. Unlike many of the California Steam Navigation Company's surplus vessels, Surprise was sold, but in a way that guaranteed she would never come back to compete with the company's ships. Her new owners took her to China, via Honolulu, in May 1861 to carry freight on the Yangtze River. She sailed into the middle of the Taiping rebellion, was fired upon by shore batteries, and eventually burned at Shanghai.[122][46][123][124][125][126]

Swallow (sternwheel steamer): She was built in San Francisco for the company and launched in November 1860. The ship's machinery was reused from Willamette. [127][48][20]

Swan: The ship was originally named Belle (see above), but was renamed after a fatal boiler explosion. She was refit at a shipyard on the American River and launched on December 15, 1856.[128][114][129]

Thomas Hunt: She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854.[130] She was not needed in the Bay Area after the consolidation and was sold to run on the Columbia River. She returned to San Francisco briefly to refit for service on the coast of China.[130][131]

Urilda: Built in 1851, she was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. She was converted into a barge in 1860. [1][74][132]

Victor (sternwheel steamer): She was built in the Bay Area and launched in 1859 to compete with the company on the San Francisco - Marysville route. She never made a competitive trip and by January 1860 was owned by the company. She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[46][133][134][22]

Willamette: Beginning in late 1854, she competed for a time with the company's ships on the Sacramento River. The company lowered prices making Willamette unprofitable. Her owners were forced to sell the ship to the California Steam Navigation Company, which chose to simply moor the ship and let it rot. She was eventually broken up and her machinery used in Swallow.[20]

Wilson G. Hunt (sidewheel steamer): She was acquired in New York by John Bensley and sent to San Francisco in 1849.[4] She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854. The ship was acquired from the company by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1871.[1][74]

Yosemite (sidewheel steamer): The ship was built for the company in San Francisco and launched in 1862. She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[103][22]

Young America[48]

Barges

'76: She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[135][22]

Camanche: Converted from steamer. She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[69][22]

Eclipse: Converted from steamer. She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[80][22]

J. Bragdon: Converted from steamer. She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[22]

Little Giant[135]

Orient: Converted from steamer. She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[22]

Pardee.[136]

Rolla[137]

San Antonio: Converted from steamer. She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871.[22]

References

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  70. ^ "Sale of a Steamer". Daily Alta California. July 26, 1854.
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  83. ^ a b "Launch of the Steamer Queen City". Daily Alta California. October 1, 1854.
  84. ^ "For China". Sacramento Daily Union. May 11, 1863.
  85. ^ "From San Jose". Daily Alta California. November 29, 1851.
  86. ^ "Local Brevities". June 25, 1870. p. 3.
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  88. ^ "Steamer Flora". Marysville Daily Appeal. June 18, 1865.
  89. ^ "Improvement of the Feather River". Placer Herald. May 30, 1857. p. 3.
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  96. ^ "Arrived". Daily Alta California. January 7, 1850.
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March 05, 2023
california, steam, navigation, company, formed, 1854, consolidate, competing, steamship, companies, francisco, area, sacramento, joaquin, rivers, successful, this, effort, established, profitable, near, monopoly, which, maintained, buying, bankrupting, competi. The California Steam Navigation Company was formed in 1854 to consolidate competing steamship companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers It was successful in this effort and established a profitable near monopoly which it maintained by buying out or bankrupting new competitors In response to the Fraser Canyon gold rush and economic growth in the Pacific Northwest the company expanded to ocean routes from San Francisco north to British Columbia Similarly as California s economy grew the company offered service from San Francisco south to San Pedro and San Diego It exited these markets in 1867 when competition drove prices to unprofitable levels While the California Steam Navigation Company was successful throughout its life in suppressing steamboat competition on its core Bay Area and river routes it could not control the rise of railroads These new competitors reduced the company s revenue and profit Finally in 1871 the company s assets were purchased by the California Pacific Railroad and the corporation was dissolved Contents 1 Early history 2 Inland competition 3 Ocean and coastal service 4 Decline 5 Fleet 5 1 Ships 5 2 Barges 6 ReferencesEarly history Edit 1863 advertisementIn the 1840s and 1850s road and rail networks in the Bay Area and inland California were primitive Steamboats and the barges they towed played an important part in moving people agricultural commodities and other goods around the region Numerous wharves and depots sprang up in San Francisco Bay San Pablo Bay and Suisan Bay Steamers also ascended the rivers that emptied into these bays notably the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River The Sacramento River was navigable for 250 miles and in periods of high water even further upstream The Feather River a tributary of the Sacramento was navigable beyond Marysville during portions of the year The San Joaquin was navigable year round as far as Stockton and in periods of high water steamers could reach into Fresno County about 200 miles from the river s mouth 1 In 1848 there were but two steamers on the Sacramento River You could travel from San Francisco to Sacramento for 30 with a cabin or for 20 on deck As the California gold rush began the number of ships sailing on the Sacramento River shot to sixteen in just eighteen months all of them built in eastern shipyards and sailed around Cape Horn By 1851 fares had dropped to 1 as all the new ships fought for customers To make matters worse for the shipping companies they ordered additional steamers during the boom times and they began to arrive With loans to pay the ship owners had no choice but to put them into service despite the already ruinous level of competition By 1853 there were 25 steamers running the Sacramento River alone 1 The steamboat owners ended their unprofitable competition by combining almost all the vessels that served the inland trade On February 22 1854 the California Steam Navigation Company was incorporated under the laws of California 2 The company s initial shareholders included Richard Chenery 3 Captain James Whitney jr Marshall Hubbard John Bensley 4 and Major Samuel J Hensley 5 All five men served as president of the company at various times 6 7 8 Inland competition EditThe new California Steam Navigation Company moved quickly to retire excess capacity 23 ships were idled The combination effectively eliminated competition on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers This allowed the company to raise rates and profitability returned for the company s owners This profitability lured new competitors just as it did in 1850 Individual boats such as Surprise and Martin White began service in 1855 Rates from San Francisco to Sacramento fell as low as 0 25 per passenger as the California Steam Navigation Company sought to eliminate the thinly capitalized newcomers 1 In their outrage at freight rates that were raised to 40 ton after the consolidation Marysville merchants formed the Citizens Steam Navigation Company to compete with the company in 1854 It s competitive steamer Enterprise carried the freight for 12 ton Not content to have any competition the California Steam Navigation Company lowered its rate to 1 ton Citizens Steam Navigation Company built a larger ship Queen City but at the low prices they had to charge to compete it lost money on every load Citizen s Steam Navigation could not find sufficient financing to continue operations under these circumstances On October 1 1855 it signed a contract giving the California Steam Navigation Company control over its ships effectively reinstating the company s monopoly on transportation to Marysville 9 The general public and the local business community loathed the California Steam Navigation Company for its monopoly rates and the harsh tactics it used to suppress competition 10 One newspaper went so far as to editorialize that all candidates for the state legislature should pledge eternal opposition to the California Steam Navigation Company 11 Ocean and coastal service EditThe Fraser Canyon gold rush created an immediate and large demand for transportation from the Bay Area to British Columbia beginning in 1857 The forty niners who rushed to the California goldfields now rushed to mine the new Canadian workings Similarly California s growing economy created new demand for transportation to the south as well The California Steam Navigation Company used a few of its largest steamers for these new routes and acquired other ocean going ships to meet this demand Pacific was purchased in 1859 Brother Jonathan was purchased and refit in 1861 Ajax and Orizaba were purchased in 1865 California was built for the company in 1866 In 1856 Senator began South Coast service between San Francisco and San Diego with stops in San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara and San Pedro 12 Orizaba began sailing to the South Coast in 1865 13 In 1859 Pacific began service to Victoria with stops in Crescent City and Portland 14 and was later joined by Brother Jonathan and Active 15 California sailed this route as well beginning in 1866 In January 1866 the California Steam Navigation established another ocean route offering the first regular steamship service between San Francisco and the Hawaiian Islands using its steamer Ajax 16 After only two round trips however the company put her on the San Francisco Portland route to counter new competitive pressure 17 These new ocean routes brought the company into contact with new competitors In the north the Pacific Mail Steamship Company sold its business to the California Oregon and Mexico Steamship Company in 1861 Ben Holladay a tough steamboat pioneer ran this dominant company At the time of the acquisition It had five steamboats on the San Francisco Victoria route to the two Pacific and Brother Jonathan deployed by the California Steam Navigation Company In 1862 an infected passenger onboard the Brother Jonathan introduced smallpox to Victoria setting off the 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic Holladay added more ships but the two companies appeared to have an understanding that prevented a rate war This changed in 1865 when Jarvis Patton established the Anchor Line and put his ship Montana on the San Francisco Victoria line He cut prices to gain customers but with only one ship on the route the pricing equilibrium between the two main competitors more or less remained In 1866 however Patton built Idaho and a full scale rate war broke out Profitability went out of the northern route 17 Decline EditIn 1867 the fare war on the northern route forced consolidation The California Oregon and Mexico Steamship Company bought the entire ocean going fleet of the California Steam Navigation Company It bought Active Ajax California Orizba Pacific and Senator 18 19 20 This forced the California Steam Navigation Company back to its Bay Area core which itself was suffering from competition from new railroads On March 31 1871 the California Pacific Railroad Company acquired all property of the California Steam Navigation Company 21 22 This included thirty two sidewheel and sternwheel steamships twenty one barges twenty wharves and depots and the franchises that allowed the ships to sail 23 Cash from the asset sale was distributed to shareholders and the company was disincorporated in September 1871 24 25 The railroad continued the operation of the steamboats integrating them with its own routes and pricing scheme 26 The steamboat railroad merger was driven by the same desire to reduce competition that had driven the previous steamboat company mergers Five months later the Central Pacific Railroad acquired the California Pacific Railroad Company creating an even more powerful transportation monopoly 27 In a confusing epilog to the corporation s history a new and unrelated steamboat company was created after the disincorporation which was also called the California Steam Navigation Company It too ran steamboats on the Sacramento River but in this new world it was the upstart competitor under cutting the monopoly rates of the entrenched incumbent 28 This second California Steam Navigation Company passed out of existence in June 1889 when it merged with the San Joaquin Improvement Company to become the California Steam and Improvement Company 29 Fleet EditThe California Steam Navigation Company owned and chartered dozens of ships barges tugs and boats Relatively few were in full time service on specific routes Some were operated only seasonally to meet the peak demand of the summer harvest time when ships and barges would bring crops from the interior to San Francisco Some were operated only when high water allowed passage to ports further inland on the rivers Some ships were held in reserve to replace vessels that were due for maintenance or were damaged Some ships were used as storeships floating warehouses and offices Some vessels were anchored or moored and never used These were typically ships bought from competitors to keep them from competing or obsolete ships that the company would not sell for fear of them falling into the hands of potential competitors The company established a base for its unemployed ships in Oakland 30 Below is a partial list of the company s ships and barges with a focus on how they came to be part of and then left the fleet Ships Edit Active sidewheel steamer She was built for the Sacramento River route in 1849 She was purchased by the US Coast Survey in 1852 The government sold the ship for 30 000 in June 1862 After a variety of private charters the company acquired her no later than April 1866 The ship was in turn acquired from the company by the California Oregon and Mexico Steamship Company in 1867 20 31 32 She hit a rock and was wrecked south of Cape Mendocino in 1870 33 Ajax propeller steamer Built in Brooklyn New York in 1864 she was purchased by the company with California in 1865 for 250 000 34 The ship was acquired from the company by the California Oregon and Mexico Steamship Company in 1867 35 36 37 Amador sidewheel steamer She was built for the company and entered service in October 1869 She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 38 22 Amelia sidewheel steamer She was launched in 1863 originally as a San Francisco Bay ferry running between Alviso and San Francisco In 1868 Amelia was one of the first steamers in the Bay Area to convert from coal to oil for fuel 39 40 She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 22 American Eagle She was one of the original ships consolidated into the company in 1854 The ship was damaged in a boiler explosion and thereafter lay moored on the levee in Sacramento for several years In 1859 her topsides were removed and she was converted into a barge 41 42 43 44 Anna Abernethy sidewheel steamer She ran as a competitor to the company on the Marysville San Francisco route beginning in 1854 She was taken over by the company by 1856 She broke her drive shaft while on the Petaluma San Francisco run in 1857 45 46 30 47 Antelope sidewheel steamer The ship reached the Bay Area in 1851 by sailing around Cape Horn In California she sailed for the Independent Line and was one of the vessels consolidated into the California Steam Navigation Company when it was formed in 1854 The vessel was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 1 48 22 Banner sternwheel steamer She was a light draft vessel which began competing with the company on the upper reaches of the Sacramento River in May 1862 By December 1863 she had been acquired by the company The ship was burned and nearly destroyed by an arsonist in December 1864 She was repaired and returned to the river in May 1866 to compete with the company again She was back in the company s fleet no later than 1868 She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 By 1872 her machinery was removed and she was slated to be broken up 49 50 51 52 53 54 22 Belle She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 On February 5 1856 her boilers exploded killing about two dozen people The ship appears to have been repaired but renamed Swan see below so as to disassociate her with the disaster 55 56 57 Brother Jonathan sidewheel steamer She was purchased by the company and refit in 1861 She sank with the loss of perhaps 225 lives in 1865 58 C M Weber The ship entered service on the Stockton run in April 1851 and was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 59 46 California 60 She was acquired with Ajax for 250 000 from the New York shipping firm of Wakeman Gookin amp Dickinson in 1865 34 She was acquired from the company by the California Oregon and Mexico Steamship Company in 1867 61 Capital sidewheel steamer The ship was built for the company and launched on November 5 1865 She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 62 63 22 Captain Sutter sternwheel steamer The ship was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 She sank at her berth in October 1855 and was not repaired due to her poor condition 41 64 Chrysopolis sidewheel steamer The ship was built for the company at the cost of 200 000 1 in San Francisco and launched in June 1860 65 She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 22 Camanche She was built in the Bay Area and launched in 1851 The ship sank after a collision with J Bragdon in January 1853 Ten lives were lost She was repaired and returned to service becoming one of the ships that was consolidated into the company in 1854 56 66 67 68 It is likely that she was converted into a barge of the same name by 1858 69 Clara She was one of the original ships consolidated into the company and was used briefly as a ferry to Alameda The ship was sold in July 1854 for 9 000 and disappears from Bay Area press accounts 41 70 Cleopatra She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 Her machinery was removed and she was broken up in 1862 with her pilot house transferred to Goodman Castle 71 72 73 Confidence She was acquired in New York by John Bensley and sent to San Francisco in 1849 4 The ship was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 1 74 Cora sidewheel steamer She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 22 Cornelia sidewheel steamer She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 She was condemned as unseaworthy in 1872 75 76 22 Daniel Moore She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 1 41 Defiance sidewheel steamer She began competing with the company in July 1860 She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 1 22 Dover sternwheel steamer The ship was built for the company in San Francisco and launched in 1869 She was purchased by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 77 78 22 Eclipse She was launched in December 1854 as a competitor to the company By mid 1855 the company controlled the ship She was converted into a barge of the same name 46 79 80 Eliza Built in 1824 and sailed around Cape Horn in 1850 she was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 She was broken up in 1868 81 Enterprise She was built for the competitive Citizen s Steam Navigation Company for the Marysville to San Francisco run Her first trip with passengers aboard was made on July 27 1854 She was taken over by the company when it drove its competitor out of business in 1855 In 1863 her boilers and machinery were removed and installed in a new steamboat to be used in China 82 83 84 Express She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 85 The ship was owned by the company at least until 1856 41 In June 1870 the ship was owned by an independent operator that competed with the company on the San Francisco Oakland route 86 This venture failed and the ship was sold at auction for 1 200 on January 12 1872 87 Flora sternwheel steamer The ship was built for the company s trade with Marysville and thus had an exceptionally shallow draft of 11 inches She was launched in 1865 She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 88 22 Gaudeloupe She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 43 Gazelle She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 1 89 Gem sternwheel steamer She was sailing for the company in 1854 but after the original consolidation She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 71 90 22 Globe She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 The ship was used as the company s office for a time and as a storeship 56 Goodman Castle sternwheel steamer The ship was built in the Bay Area and began sailing as a competitor to the company in 1858 By February 1859 this venture had failed and the company owned the ship She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 and broken up in 1875 46 91 92 93 22 Governor Dana She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 1 71 Governor Dana III sternwheel steamship She was a shallow draft vessel built for the company s Sacramento Marysville route She was launched on October 29 1863 94 H T Clay The ship s frames were constructed in New Orleans and then sent to San Francisco where they were assembled in 1850 She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 43 95 Hartford The ship sailed from New York to San Francisco arriving January 24 1849 She was nearly destroyed in a fire in early 1851 but was rebuilt and became one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 She was dismantled in 1855 96 41 97 64 Helen Hensley sidewheel steamer The ship was built by Samuel J Hensley She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 She suffered a boiler explosion later that year She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 8 71 42 22 Henrietta sternwheel steamer She was built for 12 000 in 1857 to compete with the company but her owner died before she entered service 98 The company owned her before the end of the year Her engine was sold and exported to China in 1863 46 99 J Bragdon sidewheel steamer She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 Her machinery was removed and reinstalled in Paul Pry in 1864 Her hull was converted into a barge 1 22 100 James Blair sternwheel steamer She was built in the Bay Area to compete with the company and launched in 1857 This venture failed and by April 1858 the ship was owned by the company 46 101 102 Julia sidewheel steamer The ship was built for the company s Stockton route and launched on August 18 1864 She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 103 104 22 Kate Kearney She was listed as unemployed in 1856 The company appears to have sold the ship that year 30 105 Lark sternwheel Steamer She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 Lark was broken up in 1876 22 106 Marysville 41 New World 71 She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 The ship was sold to the Oregon Steam Navigation Company in May 1864 for 75 000 1 107 Orient She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 43 She sank in the Old River and her machinery was removed in 1858 She was converted into a barge 69 22 Orizaba sidewheel steamer The ship was purchased from the Pacific Mail Steamship Company in 1865 for 60 000 108 20 She was acquired from the company by the California Oregon and Mexico Steamship Company in 1867 61 Pacific side wheel steamer She was purchased from the Pacific Mail Steamship Company in 1860 She was acquired from the company by the California Oregon and Mexico Steamship Company in 1867 109 61 Paul Pry sidewheel steamer The ship was built in San Francisco in 1854 She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 110 103 22 Pike She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 She was broken up in 1860 41 111 Plumas sternwheel steamer She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 On July 11 1854 she hit a snag and sank on the Sacramento River Her machinery was salvaged but the rest of the ship was a total loss 57 112 Queen City The ship was built for the competitive Citizens Steam Navigation Company and launched in September 1854 She was taken over by the company when it drove its competitor out of business in 1855 83 Red Bluff sternwheel steamer She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 22 Reliance propeller steamer She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 80 22 Republic 113 Sam Soule 114 San Antonio She was converted into a barge 115 21 Senator The ship was built in New York originally for trade on the New England coast In response to the California gold rush she was sent around Cape Horn reaching San Francisco in 1849 116 She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 She was acquired from the company by the California Oregon and Mexico Steamship Company in 1867 1 117 118 Shasta She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 but it appears she was idled immediately and never sailed again 41 119 Sophie She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 43 Sophie McLean The ship was built for the company s San Francisco San Jose route She was launched on January 18 1859 120 The vessel blew up at the dock while getting up steam in October 1865 121 Surprise She was built in San Francisco and had her sea trial on April 2 1855 She ran in competition to the company but by November 1855 she had been sold to the company Unlike many of the California Steam Navigation Company s surplus vessels Surprise was sold but in a way that guaranteed she would never come back to compete with the company s ships Her new owners took her to China via Honolulu in May 1861 to carry freight on the Yangtze River She sailed into the middle of the Taiping rebellion was fired upon by shore batteries and eventually burned at Shanghai 122 46 123 124 125 126 Swallow sternwheel steamer She was built in San Francisco for the company and launched in November 1860 The ship s machinery was reused from Willamette 127 48 20 Swan The ship was originally named Belle see above but was renamed after a fatal boiler explosion She was refit at a shipyard on the American River and launched on December 15 1856 128 114 129 Thomas Hunt She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 130 She was not needed in the Bay Area after the consolidation and was sold to run on the Columbia River She returned to San Francisco briefly to refit for service on the coast of China 130 131 Urilda Built in 1851 she was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 She was converted into a barge in 1860 1 74 132 Victor sternwheel steamer She was built in the Bay Area and launched in 1859 to compete with the company on the San Francisco Marysville route She never made a competitive trip and by January 1860 was owned by the company She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 46 133 134 22 Willamette Beginning in late 1854 she competed for a time with the company s ships on the Sacramento River The company lowered prices making Willamette unprofitable Her owners were forced to sell the ship to the California Steam Navigation Company which chose to simply moor the ship and let it rot She was eventually broken up and her machinery used in Swallow 20 Wilson G Hunt sidewheel steamer She was acquired in New York by John Bensley and sent to San Francisco in 1849 4 She was one of the original vessels consolidated into the company in 1854 The ship was acquired from the company by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1871 1 74 Yosemite sidewheel steamer The ship was built for the company in San Francisco and launched in 1862 She was acquired from the company by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 103 22 Young America 48 Barges Edit 76 She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 135 22 Camanche Converted from steamer She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 69 22 Eclipse Converted from steamer She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 80 22 J Bragdon Converted from steamer She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 22 Little Giant 135 Orient Converted from steamer She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 22 Pardee 136 Rolla 137 San Antonio Converted from steamer She was acquired by the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1871 22 References Edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Inland Commerce Retrospective San Francisco Examiner June 17 1893 p 11 Jottings Around Town San Francisco Chronicle June 9 1871 p 3 Richard Chenery Gold Rush Pioneer FoundSF www foundsf org Retrieved 2019 01 29 a b c John Bensley Daily Alta California June 21 1889 Annexation of Hawaii Los Angeles Times April 1 1897 p 6 James Whitney jr Daily Evening Herald December 30 1865 p 3 California Steam Navigation Co Daily Alta California September 20 1855 p 1 a b Another Pioneer Gone Morning Union January 13 1866 More Feather River Oakland Tribune February 9 1964 p 156 Mr Norman s Anti Monopoly Bill Placer Herald February 21 1857 p 1 A New Plank Sonoma County Journal July 23 1858 p 2 For San Diego Daily Alta California November 2 1858 For Sanata Barbara Daily Alta California January 19 1866 For Victoria Daily Alta California February 15 1859 Victoria Vancouver Island San Francisco Examiner May 13 1866 p 4 The California Steam Navigation Company Marysville Daily Appeal January 7 1866 a b Wright E W 1895 Lewis amp Dryden s Marine History of the Pacific Northwest An Illustrated Review of the Growth and Development of the Maritime Industry from the Advent of the Earliest Navigators to the Present Time with Sketches and Portraits of a Number of Well Known Marine Men Lewis amp Dryden Printing Company California steam navigation The New Steamship Company San Francisco Examiner March 20 1869 p 3 At a Meeting of the Directors Santa Cruz Weekly Sentinel June 29 1867 p 1 a b c d e Wright E W 1895 Lewis Dryden s marine history of the Pacific Northwest Portland Oregon The Lewis and Dryden Printing Company ISBN 9785884013193 a b The California Steam Navigation Company Santa Cruz Weekly Sentinel April 1 1871 p 1 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad The River Steamboats Daily Alta California April 14 1871 The California Steam Navigation Company s Sale Philadelphia Inquirer March 29 1871 p 1 California Weekly Oregon Statesman March 29 1871 p 2 The California Steam Navigation Company Sacramento Daily Union September 27 1871 Lance Armstrong Capital City Fort Sutter were among river s most famous steamboats Valley Community Newspapers 10 June 2013 from valcomnews com accessed November 23 2013 Excerpt from a series about the history of the Sacramento River Maritimeheritage org The Maritime Heritage Project Shipping Lines in San Francisco Bay Area during the 1800s California Steam Navigation Company Pacific Rural Press cdnc ucr edu May 28 1887 Retrieved 2019 01 01 The New River Steamer Company Daily Alta California June 14 1889 a b c Steamer Depot at Oakland Sacramento Daily Union October 14 1856 Victoria Vancouver Island Marysville Daily Appeal April 7 1866 By Telegraph to the Union Sacramento Daily Union June 12 1862 Loss of the Steamer Active Santa Cruz Weekly June 25 1870 p 3 a b Sale Of Steamers San Francisco Examiner November 27 1865 p 3 Grandest Enterprise of the Day San Francisco Examiner January 8 1866 p 2 For Portland San Francisco Examiner March 5 1870 p 2 The Ajax Daily Alta California December 27 1865 From Stockton Sacramento Daily Union October 1 1869 Petroleum Folsom Telegraph May 23 1868 A Bran New Steam For San Jose Daily Alta California October 26 1863 a b c d e f g h i Senate California Legislature 1856 Journal of the Senate of the State of California State Printing Office p 520 a b Pioneer Steamboatmen Daily Alta California July 3 1882 a b c d e California Steam Navigation Company Daily Alta California April 30 1854 Barge American Eagle Sacramento Daily Union June 1 1859 Opposition Sacramento Daily Union September 20 1854 a b c d e f g h River and Tonnage Statistics Sacramento Daily Union January 1 1861 Accident to a Steamer Sacramento Daily Union August 24 1857 a b c California Steam Navigation Com y Placer Herald October 3 1863 p 3 Business on the Sacramento Weekly Colusa September 1 1866 Steamer Banner Marysville Daily Appeal May 17 1862 California Steam Navigation Company Sacramento Daily Union December 23 1863 Steamer Banner Burned Marysville Daily Appeal December 27 1865 Can t Be Moved Sacramento Daily Union December 18 1872 Sinking of the Victor Daily Alta California March 17 1868 Steamboat Explosion Los Angeles Star February 16 1856 a b c California Steam Navigation Company Sacramento Daily Union May 1 1854 a b California Steam Navigation Company Sacramento Daily Union March 4 1854 For Portland and Victoria San Francisco Examiner June 15 1865 p 1 For Stockton Daily Alta California April 23 1851 For Victoria San Francisco Examiner May 4 1866 p 1 a b c Freights Charters etc San Francisco Examiner October 3 1872 p 3 The Launch San Francisco Examiner November 6 1865 p 3 Steamboats Daily Evening Herald December 15 1865 p 3 a b Sinking of Steamer Sutter Daily Alta California October 13 1855 Size of the Chrysopolis Sonoma County Journal June 15 1860 p 2 Afflicting Disaster Daily Alta California January 7 1853 Trip of the Camanche Sacramento Daily Union November 14 1851 California Steam Navigation Company Sacramento Daily Union March 29 1854 a b c Steamer Orient Sacramento Daily Union June 30 1858 Sale of a Steamer Daily Alta California July 26 1854 a b c d e California Steam Navigation Company Granite Journal March 12 1856 p 4 California Steam Navigation Company Daily Alta California April 23 1854 Two Names Sacramento Daily Union December 19 1862 a b c Steamships Ship Passengers and Sea Captains San Francisco 1846 1900 www maritimeheritage org Retrieved 2018 12 25 California Steam Navigation Company Daily Alta California March 18 1854 Putnam John The California Steam Navigation Company Retrieved 2018 12 25 Steamer Dover Daily Evening Herald October 9 1869 p 3 From Stockton Sacramento Daily Union July 26 1869 p 2 Steamboating Sacramento Daily Union September 25 1856 a b c Reliance and Eclipse Sacramento Daily Union July 26 1869 Captain and His Craft Marysville Daily Appeal June 25 1868 The New Steamer Enterprise Daily Alta California August 2 1854 a b Launch of the Steamer Queen City Daily Alta California October 1 1854 For China Sacramento Daily Union May 11 1863 From San Jose Daily Alta California November 29 1851 Local Brevities June 25 1870 p 3 General Merchandise San Francisco Examiner January 12 1872 p 3 Steamer Flora Marysville Daily Appeal June 18 1865 Improvement of the Feather River Placer Herald May 30 1857 p 3 Commercial Sacramento Daily Union December 2 1872 The Steamer Goodman Castle Red Bluff Beacon January 27 1858 Brief Reference Sacramento Daily Union May 11 1875 Steamboat Accident Sacramento Daily Union February 28 1859 A Successful Launch Daily Alta California October 30 1863 Steamer H T Clay Daily Alta California November 17 1850 Arrived Daily Alta California January 7 1850 The Hartford Sacramento Transcript April 7 1851 New Steamer Sacramento Daily Union April 4 1857 Interior Items Daily Alta California July 2 1863 Repairing Daily Alta California October 24 1864 Opposition Boat Sacramento Daily Union August 21 1857 Steamboat Burned Sacramento Daily Union April 26 1858 a b c California Steam Navigation Co San Francisco Examiner December 12 1870 p 2 San Francisco Sacramento Daily Union August 19 1864 Notice Sonoma County Journal June 28 1856 Brief Reference Sacramento Daily Union September 21 1876 Pacific States Reports v 1 63 California Bancroft Whitney Company Law Publishers and Law Booksellers 1906 p 342 For Portland San Francisco Examiner October 12 1865 p 1 For Portland and Victoria San Francisco Examiner November 22 1865 p 1 Loss of the Steamer Paul Pry Daily Alta California December 23 1862 Steamer Pike Sacramento Daily Union August 15 1860 Loss of the Steamer Plumas Sacramento Daily Union July 15 1854 For The Southern Coast Daily Alta California January 28 1858 a b Two Trips a Week Placer Herald February 8 1862 p 3 Grand Excursion San Francisco Examiner November 2 1865 p 2 Sioli Paolo 1883 History of El Dorado County California Cedar Ridge Pub p 175 ISBN 9780965876322 For Santa Barbara San Francisco Examiner November 3 1865 p 1 Change of Time San Francisco Chronicle May 20 1871 p 4 Bought Off Sacramento Daily Union March 22 1854 New Steamboat Sacramento Daily Union January 18 1859 Heavy Damages Claimed Santa Cruz Weekly Sentinel August 25 1866 p 4 Trial Trip of the Steamer Surprise Daily Alta California April 3 1855 To The Public Sacramento Daily Union November 16 1855 Surprise For Chinadom Sonoma County Journal May 24 1861 p 2 Arrival of Steamer Surprise Polnesian June 15 1861 p 2 The Steamer Surprise Marysville Daily Appeal July 7 1863 San Francisco News Marysville Daily Appeal November 17 1860 Steamboating Sacramento Daily Union December 16 1856 Trial Trip Sacramento Daily Union July 1 1856 a b Third Dispatch Sacramento Daily Union October 4 1854 Return of the Steamer Thomas Hunt Daily Alta California June 11 1855 Fifty Years Ago Today Sacramento Union June 26 1910 Opposition Steamer Sacramento Daily Union August 15 1859 Steamboating Sacramento Daily Union January 25 1860 a b Launched and Hauled Out Sacramento Daily Union June 9 1870 For Red Bluffs Red Bluff Beacon July 1 1857 On The Ways Daily Evening Herald April 4 1868 p 3 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title California Steam Navigation Company amp oldid 1032261015, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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