La Center (sternwheeler)

La Center at Timmens Landing, (La Center, Washington, moored by freight warehouse, circa 1920.
History
NameLa Center
OwnerBrothers & Moe 1912-1916); Arthur C Heston (1916- )
RouteLewis, Lake, lower Columbia and lower Willamette rivers
In service1912
Out of service1931
IdentificationU.S. #209642
FateAbandoned.
General characteristics
Typeinland all-purpose
Length65 ft (19.81 m) measured over hull
Beam16 ft (4.88 m) exclusive of guards
Draft12 in (304.8 mm)
Depth3.1 ft (0.94 m) depth of hold
Installed poweroriginally a gasoline engine, later replaced with twin steam engines, horizontally mounted, cylinder bore 5.5 in (139.7 mm) and stroke of 2.5 ft (0.76 m).
Propulsionsternwheel
Capacity45 tons of freight

La Center was a small stern-wheel steamboat that operated from 1912 to 1931, mostly on the Lewis and Lake rivers in southwest Washington, on a route to and from Portland, Oregon along the lower Columbia and lower Willamette rivers.

La Center was small compared to other sternwheelers of the Columbia River.[1] However, despite a number of accidents, including collisions and groundings, La Center earned a reputation as providing dependable transport for the Lewis River country to the Portland market.[1]

La Center was somewhat unusual in that it was originally fitted with a gasoline engine, and then about a year after construction, the gasoline engine was replaced with second-hand steam engines.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference GroundingLambs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).