Cottage City

In 1899; after seven years carrying passengers between New York and Portland Maine; the Cottage City was purchased by the Pacific Coast Steamship Company and put into service carrying gold miners between Seattle and Skagway; Alaska. On April 26, 1908 while transiting Seymour Narrows and bucking a strong tide this vessel hit bottom and went aground list heavily to starboard. Her false keel, wedged in the rocks broke off as this vessel continued to list. This allowed her to slide off the rock into deeper water. Panicking passenegers rushed to don life preservers but the vessel was able to proceed to Vancouver and then on to drydock in Seattle. On January 26, 1911 the steamer Cottage City foundered on the reef at Cape Mudge under Captain A.C. Jansen. This vessel was caught in a blinding snowstorm and heavy fog and went on a reef off Quadra Island, North British Columbia. This vessel was enroute from Seattle WA to Skagway. The 38 passengers and the crew were taken in small boats to Campbell River BC by the tug Salvor. The ship was equipped with radio telegraph equipment so an S.O.S. call brought help from Victoria, British Columbia, and Port Townsend, Washington.