Sarah Dixon (sternwheeler)

Sarah Dixon (on right) and G.W. Shaver (on left), at Washington Street dock, Portland, Oregon, 1897.
History
NameSarah Dixon
OwnerPeople’s Freighting Co.1892-1895; Shaver Transportation Co.(1895–1934)
OperatorOpen River Transportation Co. (1908 charter)
RouteColumbia and lower Willamette rivers.
BuilderJohnson & Olsen (1892 hull), Charles Bureau (1892 cabins); Portland Shipbuilding Co. (1906 reconstruction)
Cost$35,000 or $45,000
LaunchedFebruary 3, 1892
Maiden voyageApril 3, 1892
In service1892
Out of service1934
Identification
  • US registry #116470 (1894-1906)
  • #203009 (1906-1934)
FateConverted to floating machine shop in 1934, later abandoned circa 1950.
General characteristics
Typeinland multiple use
Tonnage
  • 369 gt; 278 rt (1892–1906)
  • 368 gt; 334 rt (1906–1934)
Length
  • 145 ft (44 m) (1892–1906)
  • 161 ft (49 m) (1906–1934)
Beam
  • 26 ft (8 m) (1892–1906)
  • 29.5 ft (9 m) (1906–1934)
Draft26 ft (8 m) (1892–1906)
Depth
  • 6.5 ft (2 m) (1892–1906)
  • 7.2 ft (2 m) (1906–1934)
Installed powertwin horizontally mounted high-pressure single-cylinder steam engines. 400 horsepower (1906)
Propulsionsternwheel
Speed17 to 18 miles per hour (estimated maximum)
Capacity200 passengers officially, carried as many as 300 on occasion.
Crew8 to 12 or more

Sarah Dixon was a wooden sternwheel-driven steamboat operated by the Shaver Transportation Company on the Columbia and lower Willamette rivers from 1892 to 1926. Originally Sarah Dixon was built as a mixed use passenger and freight vessel, and was considered a prestige vessel for the time.

Later, in 1906, Sarah Dixon was converted to become primarily a towing vessel. Sarah Dixon sustained a serious explosion in 1912, which killed the captain and the first mate. The steamboat was reconstructed, and served until 1926 when it was destroyed by fire while hauled out on a shipway for an additional reconstruction.

After the 1926 reconstruction, Sarah Dixon remained in service, primarily as a towing and freighting vessel, until 1934, when its machinery was removed and the vessel was converted to a floating machine shop.

The unpowered Sarah Dixon functioned in this capacity until 1949, when its wooden hull was becoming too weak to be relied upon. Sometime in 1950 or later, it was taken from Portland up the Columbia River to Paterson, Washington, where it eventually sank on its own.