The Foss #12 caught in the act of fighting a waterfront fire. In 1914, the #12 was the first vessel designed and built for Foss exclusively for towing. The 43 foot #12 was used primarily as a steamer assist; it helped the large vessels turn about in the narrow City Waterway by tying up to their bow and pulling them to face the other way. The #12 achieved fame, however, as the City of Tacoma's fireboat. The city entered into an agreement to hire the vessel for $8.20 a day to be on call to fight fires. The ship was fitted with a pump that could throw 1200 - 1300 gallons of water per minute at a waterfront blaze. In 1929 Tacoma had a full-fledged fireboat built, the Fireboat #1; but for a number of years Foss #12 faithfully provided that service for the city. (Photograph courtesy of the William T. Case Collection) ("Foss: A Living Legend" by Bruce Johnson and Mike Skalley)

Foss Launch & Tug Co. (Tacoma); Fireboats;

ca. 1906. A small crowd scattered on the sidewalk pauses to admire a fleet of new Fords lined up outside the Washington Automobile Co., 710-12 Pacific Ave., circa 1906. The Washington Automobile Co. was the first car dealership in Tacoma. It was operated by car enthusiast and entrepreneur W.W. Pickerill. The brick building housing the dealership had previously been home to the Chas. W. Langert Liquor Co. and the Tacoma Athletic Club and later became the Odd Fellows Lodge. The Washington Automobile Co. was in business there from 1905-1909.

Ford automobile; Washington Automobile Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1916. Gersix truck manufacturing plant at 3011 South Fife in Tacoma. View of 6-cyclinder, structural steel framed trucks. The Gerlinger Motor Car Co. was the manufacturer of Gersix trucks; the firm was managed by Edward E. Gerlinger. The company was later sold to Edgar Worthington and Cpt. Frederick Kent who renamed it the Gersix Motor Co. After reincorporation in 1923, Ken-Worth (named after the two principal shareholders, Worthington and Frederick Kent's son, Harry) was created. Kenworth Motor Truck Co. established its headquarters in Seattle and became known for their custom trucks. Photograph provided by Robert (Bob) Hahn, whose father, J.E. (Ed) Hahn, worked for many years at Gerlinger Motor Car Co. and later Kenworth. (www.kenworth.com/7100_ken.asp)

Gerlinger Motor Car Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1910-1920;

A sleek Blue Line bus, operated by Peter Conlon and his brother John W. Conlon, is parked outside the 12-unit Electric Apartments, 2510 Fawcett Avenue, in the early 1930s. The Conlons owned the Sumner Tacoma Stage Co. which carried passengers between Sumner and Tacoma. A small American flag is jauntily attached to the hood perhaps in honor of a holiday. (Photograph courtesy of the Jack Conlon collection)

Buses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Buses--Sumner; Sumner Tacoma Stage Co. (Sumner); Electric Apartments (Tacoma); Apartment houses--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1921. This photograph taken in the early 1920's shows the arrival and tugboat assisted turn around of the steamship "Indianapolis" at the Tacoma terminal, the Municipal Dock, of the Seattle to Tacoma steamship passenger service. The Municipal Dock was on the City Waterway (now the Thea Foss Waterway) north of the Eleventh Street Bridge. The ships would arrive and dock with their bows headed up the channel. Due to the narrowness of the channel, the length of the ships and the proximity of the bridge, a tugboat was required to assist them in turning about for their return voyage to Seattle. The Foss #12, captained by William T. Case, would connect a line to the bow and turn the ships about twice a day. The steamships could then assume cruising speed and head for Seattle. (photograph courtesy of the collection of William T. Case)

Case, William T.--Associated objects; Foss Launch & Tug Co. (Tacoma); Tugboats; Steamboats--Tacoma--1920-1930; Puget Sound Navigation Co. (Tacoma); Ferries--Tacoma--1920-1930; Marine terminals--Tacoma;

ca. 1921. The "Tacoma," one of two steamboats used on the Seattle to Tacoma passenger service operated by the Puget Sound Navigation Co. The "Tacoma" can be identified by its two funnels. The Eleventh Street Bridge can be seen in the background. Due to the narrowness of the channel, the Foss #12 tug had to assist in turning the bow of the steamship about for its return trip to Seattle. Here, a line has been attached from the Foss #12 to the bow of the ship to turn it about. The "Tacoma" was launched on May 13, 1913 and it provided Puget Sound passenger service from 1913-1938. The vessel was manufactured at Robert Moran's Seattle Dry Dock & Construction Co. It could accomodate 1,000 passengers, who could travel in style from Seattle to Tacoma in 77 minutes. The passenger only line was defeated by the advent of automobiles and a combination of demand for car ferries and the opening for the Seattle Tacoma Highway in 1928. (photograph courtesy of the William T. Case collection) ("Puget Sound Ferries" by Carolyn Neal and Thomas Kilday Janus; "Ferryboats" by M.S. Kline and G.A. Bayless)

Steamboats--Tacoma--1920-1930; Puget Sound Navigation Co. (Tacoma); Ferries--Tacoma--1920-1930;

The steamboat "Tacoma" was severely damaged when she was rammed by the car ferry "Kitsap" in late October of 1926. The resulting impact tore a hole in the side of the "Tacoma" at the water line. Although the accident occurred when the ships were maneuvering through thick fog, it greatly increased the discord between the Puget Sound Navigation Company, which operated the "Tacoma," and the Kitsap County Transport Company (also known as the White Collar Line because of the wide white metal band, or collar, around the smoke stacks of the company's ships). The two companies had been in a bitter rate war for years. (Photograph courtesy of the William T. Case collection) ("Puget Sound Ferries" by Carolyn Neal & Thomas Kilday Janus)

Steamboats--Tacoma--1920-1930; Puget Sound Navigation Co. (Tacoma); Steamboat accidents; Marine accidents--Tacoma--1920-1930; Ferries--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Mooring mast built by the Navy in 1924 at Camp Lewis for the visit of the dirigible USS Shenandoah. The Shenandoah visited the Tacoma area October 18-19, 1924. The Shenandoah was one of four rigid airships constructed by the military during the 20's and 30's, after the design of the German Zeppelin. The Shenandoah was the first built in America. The 165 foot pole was built for the 1924 visit and dismantled 12 years later.

Mooring masts; Airships--Associated objects;

Ship name: Sooloo. Full-rigger. Built at East Boston in 1861 by John and Justin Taylor for the old Salem house of Sislbee, Pickman & Allen, who owned her until 1887. Portrait of a Port: Boston 1852-1914, by W. H. Bunting, p. 342.

Sailing ships;

Cedarbank. The four-masted steel barque 'Cedarbank', 2825 tons. 2825 tons, 326.0 x 43.0 x 24.5. Built 1892 Mackie and Thomson, Glasgow. Owners A Weir and Co. registered Glasgow, later Norwegian owners without change of name. Reported wrecked in 1917 although she remained in Lloyds for a few years after. (State Library of South Australia, B 3456, PRG 1218/3 or OH 456/1, Digital Collections, South Australiana Collection, Photographs, A. D. Edwardes Collection, https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+1373/18/76)

Sailing ships; Barques; Barks;

Barkentine Monitor Formerly a unit of the Nelson Line fleet, was sold to the Interstate Fish Reduction Co., organized by E. B. McGovern of Seattle, and converted to a fish reduction plant, one of the largest on the coast and capable of processing 40 tons of sardine, pilchard or herring per hour into fish oil and meal. Capt. W. C. Ansell was appointed master of the Monitor, which carried a complement of 40 crew members and plant workers. (Gordon Newell, Maritime events of 1936, H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest., p. 448.)

Sailing ships; Barques; Barks;

Unknown Bark

Sailing ships; barques; barks;

Snow & Burgess Built as a full-rigged ship at Thomaston, Maine in 1878 by Thomas Watts. Converted to a fiveΓÇômasted schooner on the West Coast in 1904. 1655 gross tons. Burned for junk in 1922 after arriving at Port Townsand from Manila with a broken back, a year earlier. (Gibbs, Jim. Pacific Square-Riggers : Pictorial History of the Great Windships of Yesteryear. 1987. Pg. 190.)

Sailing ships; Schooneers;

Snow & Burgess. Built as a full-rigged ship at Thomaston, Maine in 1878 by Thomas Watts. Converted to a fiveΓÇômasted schooner on the West Coast in 1904. 1655 gross tons. Burned for junk in 1922 after arriving at Port Townsand from Manila with a broken back, a year earlier. (Gibbs, Jim. Pacific Square-Riggers : Pictorial History of the Great Windships of Yesteryear. 1987. Pg. 190.)

Sailing ships; Schooneers;

A. J. Fuller. Built in 1881 in Bath, Maine, the 1849 ton, 229 foot, square rigged ship, A.J. Fuller was originally a notable Down east sky sail-yarder for the Flint & Company fleet. Purchased at the turn of the century by the California Shipping Company and subsequently by Capt- Dermot, she was engaged for several years in the Puget Sound-Australian timber trade. After the outbreak of World War I the A.J. Fuller sailed under the Northwestern Fisheries Company in the Alaskan salmon trade. On October 30, 1919 she arrived in Seattle with a full load of salmon and salt. While sitting at anchor in a dense fog, the steamship Mexico Maru entered the port on a regular trans-Pacific run and collided with the A.J. Fuller. The ten foot hole torn in the bow of the wooden ship caused her to rapidly sink. Although salvage was deemed possible the underwriters decided against it. The approximate position of the A.J. Fuller is 2000 ft offshore of Harbor Island at a depth of 240 feet. (Newell, Gordon

Sailing ships;

Vincent.

Sailing ships

Americana. Schooner built in 1892 om Grangemouth, Scotland. Vanished en route from Astoria to Sydney in 1913. (Pacific square-riggers; pictorial history of the great windships of yesteryear, by Jim Gibbs, p. 183)

Sailing ships;

Clipper Saint Paul (St. Paul). Built 1874 in Bath, ME, served briefly as a museum in the Seattle waterfront, was towed in 1942 to Oyster Bay, Vancouver Island to serve as part of a breakwater. (https://www.historylink.org/File/20184)

Sailing ships;

Abner Coburn. The 1,972-ton wooden ship Abner Coburn, built by William Rogers at Bath, Maine in 1882, was acquired from California Shipping Co. by Libby, McNeil & Libby, making annual voyages to Bristol Bay for the next 11 years. Gordon Newell, "Maritime events of 1912" H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest.,p. 201-202.

Sailing ships;

This is an undated photograph of the towboat, "Vigilant," prior to being purchased by the Foss Launch & Tug Co. and renamed the "Anna Foss." She was a wood two-deck boat with 75-hp steam engine with a 69-foot length and 18-foot beam when built in 1907 in Tacoma for the WallaceTowboat Co. The "Vigilant" put in thirteen years of hard work for Wallace before being sold to the Cascade Tugboat Co. in 1920. Cascade sold her two years later to the Gilky Bros. of Anacortes for log towing in northern Puget Sound and British Columbia. Once more ownership changed hands when Cpt. C.C. Croft traded his tug for her about 1925. Now part of the Vigilant Towing Co. of Seattle, she substituted her steam plant for a 200-hp 2-cycle Worthington diesel in 1926, enabling her to tow heavy gravel scows. In 1930 the "Vigilant" was sold to the Anchor Tugboat Co. of Portland for use on the Columbia River. The Foss Co. acquired her in 1933 for $5,300 at a U.S. Marshal's sale. Her primary job was to bring down millions of feet of Canadian logs for mills operating in Salmon Bay and Elliot Bay. In 1938 the "Vigilant" became the "Anna Foss" after the wife of Peter Foss, Andrew Foss' brother. She would complete more than 50 years of service before being retired on August 2, 1968. The boat would have one final owner, former Chief Engineer Everett Atkinson, who purchased her in May of 1969. Her name reverted back to the "Vigilant" and she was anchored in Colvos Passage in front of Mr. Atkinson's Vashon Island home. She sank in 40 feet of water on September 16, 1969 when her pump apparently failed. (Skalley, "Foss Ninety Years of Towboating," p. 90-92)

Tugboats;

ca. 1948. Three deep sea Foss tugs based out of Port Angeles, left to right, the Arthur Foss, Mathilda Foss and Foss No. 21. These three ships were used periodically for deep sea tows to Alaska, but after the end of World War II that duty was taken over by Miki class tugs purchased as surplus from the military. The three were then used for log tows out of Port Angeles. The Arthur Foss is probably the most famous Foss tugboat. It began its life in 1898 in Portland Oregon as the steam tug "Wallowa." The 110 foot tug became a star when it appeared in the 1933 motion picture classic "Tugboat Annie" as the "Narcissus." The movie was based on Saturday Evening Post short stories written by University of Washington writing teacher Norman Reilly Raine and loosely based on the Foss family business legend. The vessel was overhauled in 1934 and renamed the "Arthur Foss." It served in World War II, returned to Port Angeles in 1948 and was retired in 1968. Donated in 1970 to the nonprofit "Save Our Ships," it was lovingly restored. The "Mathilda Foss" was built in 1909 as a US Army passenger and freight vessel, the "Captain Gregory Barrett." The 91 foot vessel was retooled in 1937 as an ocean going tug and renamed the "Mathilda Foss." It also served in World War II and entered Port Angeles service in 1946. It was sold in 1963 and sunk in 1978 as an eyesore. The "Foss 21" began life as the Tacoma built "Fearless." Built in 1900, the 80 foot tug was one of the most powerful tugs at the turn of the century. It was based out of Port Angeles and used primarily for tows on the Quillayute River. (photograph courtesy of the William T. Case collection) ("Foss: A Living Legend" by Bruce Johnson and Mike Skalley)

Foss Launch & Tug Co. (Tacoma); Tugboats--Port Angeles--1940-1950;

ca. 1915. Sepia photograph of a man, possibly J. Frank Hickey, standing next to Tacoma Transit Co. bus parked outside the Donnelly Hotel, 9th & Pacific, ca. 1915. The small bus apparently had a Puyallup-Tacoma route. Tacoma Transit was the first bus line in Tacoma and was started by J. Frank Hickey in 1913. Mr. Hickey would also become the president of the elegant Tacoma Hotel.

Buses--Tacoma; Tacoma Transit Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1930s. Several of the Blue Lines buses that operated from Sumner in the 1930s. The bus company in Sumner, at this time, was owned by Peter Conlon. He sold the business in 1939. The buses are parked in front of the bus depot on Main St. and Ryan Ave. in Sumner. The men in this picture are: (l to r) John Kuss, Bob Parks, unknown, Bill Gill, Cliff Whitcomb, Moe Wilson, Buster Wilson, Gus Bordson, Ben Lemon, Frank Poch, Peter Conlon, and Ray Tuttle. From the collection of Jack Conlon.

Buses--Sumner; Bus drivers--Sumner; Conlon, Peter; Kuss, John; Parks, Bob; Gill, Bill; Whitcomb, Cliff; Wilson, Moe; Wilson, Buster, Bordson, Gus; Lemon, Ben; Poch, Frank; Tuttle, Ray;

Three drivers and four trucks in this undated photograph believed to have been taken post-1925 at the Sumner Garage. The trucks are part of the Conlon Bros. fleet of vehicles. The firm handled long distance moving and appeared based in Sumner. John W. Conlon and his brother Peter also operated the Sumner Tacoma Stage Co. in the 1920's and 1930's. John Conlon would pass away in March of 1935. (Photograph courtesy of the Jack Conlon collection)

Trucks--Sumner; Moving & storage trade--Sumner; Sumner Garage (Sumner);

Lord Templeton. Vessel Type: Sailing Ship. Built: Harland & Wolff Ltd. Belfast. Hull: Steel. Launch Date: 5 May 1886. Owner. Irish Shipowners Co. In 1924-1932 she was owned by Coastwise Steamship & Barge Co. Ltd., Vancouver BC. As a barge she carried ore from Anyox to Tacoma WA USA. (MacFarlane, John M. ΓÇ£The Nauticapedia.ΓÇ¥ Kisbee Ring Kisbey Ring, or Kisbie Ring, 2018, www.nauticapedia.ca/dbase/Query/Shiplist4.php?&name=Lord%2BTempleton&id=9365&Page=1&input=Lord%2BTempleton)

Sailing ships;

Susie M. Plummer. Four-masted schooner. Built 1890 in Thomaston, ME. Gross tonnage 920, net tonnage 808, length 181'6", breadth 37'6", depth 17'6". Home port San Francisco. (Department of Commerce and Labor, Bureau of Navigation. Merchant Vessels of the United States. 1907. Pg. 139)

Sailing ships; Schooners;

Meteor

Sailing ships;

Courtney Ford, Portluck, and Eric pulled by the tug Tacoma. The Courtney Ford (originally a skysail brig, but rerigged late in 1901 as a three -masted schooner) was wrecked September 7, 1902 on Glen Island, Izembek Bay, her hull being still fairly intact after more than 60 years on the beach. (Gordon Newell, Maritime Events of 1902, H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle : Superior Pub. Co., 1977, p. 84.) Eric, four-masted schooner of 574 tons and 750 M capacity, was built by Hall Bros. In 1917, the Eric was sold for $65,000 to Burns Philp Co., the Australian copra merchants, but retained U. S. registry. In December, 1923, she put into Honolulu, waterlogged, on a voyage from Clallam Bay, B. C., to Brisbane, Australia; but was repaired and completed the voyage. On her return to San Francisco, the Eric was sold to J. E. Shields of Seattle, and in January, 1925, was towed to that port. There she was sold to Sir Guy Gaunt, and went under British registry for a world cruise. John Lyman, "Pacific Coast-Built Sailers, 1850-1950" The Marine Digest. April 5, 1941, p. 2.

Sailing ships; Schooners;

Crown of Germany. The four masted steel barque 'Crown of Germany', 2241 tons, 284.4 x 41.9 x 24.5. Built 1892 Workman, Clark and Co. Belfast. Owners Crown SS Co. Ltd. (J Reid and Co) registered Belfast c.1902/3 Crown of Germany Ship Co. Potter Bros. registered London. In 1910 sold to Hamburg and renamed Fischbek. On her first voyage was wrecked in Le Maire Straits near Cape Horn, August 1910. (State Library of South Australia, B 3456, PRG 1218/3 or OH 456/1, Digital Collections, South Australiana Collection, Photographs, A. D. Edwardes Collection, https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+1373/5/90)

Sailing ships; barks; barques;

Benjamin F. Packard 244-foot square-rigged sailing ship launched in Bath on November 15, 1883. Originally built by Goss, Sawyer & Packard, Bath, Maine for transporting cargo between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans around Cape Horn. "BenjaminF.Packard.ΓÇ¥ BenjaminF.PackardHouse, 2018, benjaminfpackardhouse.com/history

Square-rigged sailing ships;