There were a number of men who Captained this ship, but the longest serving was Joseph Weeks.
The SS Sicamous left Penticton about 6:20 A.M.and travelled to the head of the Lake at Okanagan Landing. The return trip would bring them back to Penticton about 7:30 P.M.....if the winds were favourable....the lake free from ice....the train from Sicamous, B.C. on time!
If the winds were strong, sometimes it would require two men at the wheel to control the ship.
"Some round trips in the winter took as long as twenty-three hours.
The flat curved steel bow and shallow draught of the Sicamous made it possible to run her up on shore to unload cargo and passengers. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays the Sicamous made mail stops at all the stops along its northbound route.
They could be 'flagged' ashore by hoisting a flag, or by building two side-by-side fires on the beach."
(From interview recordings of William Edgar Walker by his son Harvie Walker)
Not only did the Captain have to remember all the stops along the way, he had to understand the depth changes to be certain he kept the proper channel when approaching shore or dock.
It took well co-ordinated efforts between all the crew to keep the ship moving and the passengers happy.
There were jingle and gong communications between the Captain and Engineer, as well as voice tube communications between Captain, Engineer, and Purser.
The Captain was required to keep a log of daily activity including the cargo carried, fuel taken on, and times stopped at each Landing. To do this he would have to compile information from the Purser as well as the Cargo deck crew, and the Engineer.
The Captain was also ultimately responsible for all the crew and passengers - not only for their safety but also for their actions. For the crew this meant no gambling for money, no tardiness, and following CPR crew regulations and protocol to give a good impression to passengers.
From the "Canadian Pacific Railway Company - Rules and Regulations for the Government of Officers and Employees of the B.C. Lake and River Steamers - December 1st, 1916"
"Duties of the Captain
20. The Captain is responsible for the safety of the vessel and passengers, and must see that all departments are properly run and that all rules and regulations are obeyed. It will be his duty to make an inspection once a week of the steamer, and a report of such inspection is to be made on the log. On these inspections he is to be accompanied by the head of each department.
21. He is to see that the steamer is in charge of a Captain, Pilot or Mate. He must be in the pilot-house or near it and must also make provision when the steamer is running after dark that two competent qualified men must be in the pilot-house. As long as the vessel is under steam, an engineer and an officer qualified to handle the vessel must at all times be aboard or near the steamer so that it may be moved quickly in case of necessity.
22. A log must be kept of each trip with record of date, names of places, time, wind and weather, and all other information required.
23. He will see that a boat and fire drill is practiced once a week and that boat and fire station lists are properly made and posted up. Reports of drills to be reported in log. He should know that the life boats and life-saving appliances are in good condition.
24. When steamer is running he will cause watchman to make a round of the vessel each hour during the night and report to the deck officer on watch.
25. He must see that no risks are taken in the navigating of steamer, bearing in mind that the safety of life and property entrusted to his care is the rule principally by which he must be governed in handling his steamer, as well as the safety of passengers coming aboard or going ashore. No saving of time is to be considered at the risk of accident. Should, through circumstances of weather, he consider it unsafe to land at a regular port of call for which he may have a passenger, that passenger will either be landed at the next port of call, if so desired, or be taken to the end of the trip and brought back without any additional expense. "
The insignias for the various employees to denote level of service would be worn on the uniforms of workers. In the early years of the ship thre were apparently up to 40 crew under the Captain's command. These included stewrds to take care of the passengers, Crew to handle stoking the fire and loading coal, Engineers to keep her running properly, the Purser to keep track of everything and everyone that came on the ship, Carpenters when needed, and of course the Chefs for the Galley to keep Crew and passengers fed. Some of the crew members interviewed have recalled having more than one duty, and working on more than one ship in their careers.
Comentarios