The Night the Wasco Lost Power in Peavine Pass
Heavy seas swept the Bellingham Navigation Company steamer Wasco, broke her piston rod and blew out a cylinder head before the State of Washington rescued passengers and towed her into Anacortes.
On Tuesday evening the steamer Wasco, owned by the Bellingham Navigation Company of Whatcom, was caught by a heavy sea in Peavine Pass while on her way from Seattle to New Whatcom. High waves swept over the boat, and it was only by hard work that the fires were kept burning. When she got out of the pass and into Rosario Strait, the heavy strain broke her piston rod and blew out the cylinder head, leaving the steamer at the mercy of the wind and waves. Signals of distress were hoisted, and the steamer State of Washington, lying at Anacortes, steamed out to her relief. The passengers were transferred to the State of Washington, and the Wasco was towed into Anacortes, where she is being repaired. The repairs will occupy several days.
“The high waves swept over the boat and it was only by hard work that the fires were kept burning.”
Puget Sound's steamer network was the region's highway before roads, and a broken piston rod could strand passengers in dangerous water. The rescue by the State of Washington is a reminder that maritime weather and mechanical failure still shape travel on the Sound.
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