Riding the steamships on Okanagan Lake was not always smooth sailing. From collisions to freak weather events to homicide, the S.S. Okanagan saw it all!
On March 1, 1910, the S.S. Okanagan met with an unfortunate situation. Upon leaving Okanagan Landing, the lake was rough, and the wind was blowing, but those on the ship thought nothing of it. As the ship was passing Short’s Point (Fintry) a huge gust of wind came up. The gust was so powerful that it tore the smokestack clean off the ship! The vessel was unable to make it to shore on its own steam so drifted slowly in to await the rescue of the S.S. Aberdeen. The Aberdeen carried the passengers back to Okanagan Landing. The Okanagan waited out the storm then made its way back as well. It almost made it under its own steam but ultimately had to be towed in by the Aberdeen. (Orchard City Record March 3, 1910) A new smokestack was immediately ordered. In order to not hamper the passenger traffic too much a temporary solution was found. Since the S.S. York was out of commission at this time “it was decided to steal [her funnel], together with her whistle. The theft was committed in broad daylight.” The ship then surprised the people of the Okanagan by making her usually scheduled trips, though she “looked extremely odd with a diminutive smokestack and a whistle something akin to a boy’s penny trumpet.” (Orchard City Record March 10, 1910)
Collisions
Kelowna Courier December 5, 1907: “On leaving port the Aberdeen somehow got in the way of the Okanagan which was coming in and the latter struck her squarely on the starboard bow, about eight feet aft of the damaged stern (from an earlier collision with a barge), cutting through the guard and tearing a large hole in their hole in their hull almost to water level. The Okanagan escaped injury.”
Kelowna Courier July 18, 1907: “The Okanagan had a small explosion on Monday morning which blew out a stud of her boiler, and she did not reach her until nearly noon, returning on her southbound trip at 6:45 pm. No one was hurt in the accident, which was of little consequence.”
Vernon News January 26, 1911: Okanagan Centre: "The SS Okanagan colliding with the wharf last week tore out one of the piers, but the pier less corner was amply revenged a few mornings later by ripping up, like matchwood, half one side of the deck wall of the prow of the steamer."
Vernon News September 12, 1912: "The strong wind of last Monday was the cause of a little damage being done to some of the piles on the wharf; the SS Okanagan was driven against these and smashed two of them."
Kelowna Courier September 18, 1913: “The SS Okanagan landed at the dock this morning with a tremendous slam, being swept in by the small cyclone was blowing . Old planks on the wharf were buckled and torn up and several gaping holes in the floor testify to the force of the impact.”
Murder
Citizens of the Okanagan were given a surprise on March 19, 1912 when Provincial Constable Ashton of Penticton was discovered shot through the head in a stateroom of the Steamship Okanagan. Ashton was escorting two men suspected of holding up the South Okanagan Store a few days prior, Walter B. James and Frank Wilson, to the prison in Kelowna. Sometime on the voyage the prisoners managed to break free, the unfortunate constable being silenced by a shot in the progress. It is believed that the gun belonged to James: he was in the habit of concealing a small pistol underneath his left arm which had been missed when the men were searched. No one seems to have heard the shot, or if they did, did not suspect the cause. The men left the ship at Peachland. When nearing Gellatly’s, a crew member suspected that something was not quite right. When he checked the stateroom, he was greeted by the gruesome sight of Constable Ashton lying in a pool of his own blood, a bullet wound through his forehead. News of the injured man was sent ahead to Kelowna and upon landing the constable was rushed to the hospital. Constable Ashton died a week later from his injuries. A man hunt was quickly ordered for the criminals. They were captured on March twentieth outside of Wilson’s Landing with very little resistance and taken up to the prison at Kelowna tied to a post on the bow of the Okanagan. James confessed to shooting the constable, compelling Wilson to escape with him as well as holding up the store. He was sentenced to death by hanging in May of 1912 and executed on August 9, 1912. Wilson was only charged with escaping from lawful custody.
Sources
All information in this article is gathered from various issues of Okanagan Newspapers dating from 1904 - 1913: the Kelowna Courier*, Vernon News*, Penticton Herald* and the Orchard City Record**.
*Retrieved from: https://bcrdh.ca/islandora/object/news%3Aroot
**Retrieved from: https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcnewspapers/xkelownarec
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