RIVERBOATS
Starting With
W
Page 1,
Wa's through We's
New Information Added 00/12/2007
To Riverboats Starting With The Initial "W" To Riverboats Starting With "WM. and WILLIAM" To Riverboats Starting With The Letter W, "Page 2 1. Name: WABASH VALLEY Type: Sidewheel, wooden hull packet. Size: 99 tons Launched: 1844, Pittsburgh, Pa Destroyed: 1848, off the lists Area: Wabash R., Miss. R., Ark. R. Captains: 1844, Larimer Comments: 1846, Mar. 23, Jefferson College, La.,sunk in collision with YORKTOWN 1850, Aground at Webbers Falls on Ark. R. Credit Name: WAKENDAH Type: Sternwheel wooden hull packet Size: 193 ton, 160' X 27' Launched: 1846, Elizabethtown, Pa.1 Destroyed: 1848, off lists Area: Mo. R. Owner: 1846 - '48, J.M. Convers, Thompkins, Kennett and White Captain 1846 -'48, J.M. Convers Comments: 1846, Apr 2, sank at mouth of Fishing River on Mo. R. Source: Way's Packet Directory, 1848 - 1994 Name: WAKE ROBIN Type: Sternwheeler Size: 182' Beam: 43' Draft: 5.5' Launched: 1926, by Davo Corporation, Neville Island Boat Yard, Pittsburgh, PA. Destroyed: Area: Owner: U. S. Lighthouse Service; U. S. Coast Guard; BB Riverboats, Inc. 1 Madison Ave. Covington, KY 41011, Phone: 606/261-8500 Captain and pilots: Capt. Comments:1926 - 1940: U.S. Lighthouse service 1940 - 1952: U.S. Coast Guard service 1952 - used as an excursion vessel dock and a warehouse, 1992: was converted into the USS Nightmare, Haunted Riverboat in Cincinatti, OH. U. S. Wake Robin:Pic and ad : Photo and much more info Name: WALK-IN-THE-WATER Type: Sidewheeler Size: 338 Ton Launched: 1813 or 1817 at Blackrock (Tonawanda), New York Destroyed: Area: Detroit to Buffalo/ Lake Erie Owner: 1817, Lake Erie Steamboat Co. Captain and pilots: Capt. Comments: Her machinery was designed by Robert Fulton. : Mentioned in this Article 1. Name: WALL CITY Type: Sternwheel wooden hull packet Size: 99 tons Launched: 1874, Ironton, Oh. Area: Daily, Ravenswood-Middleport on Ohio R. Owners: In part, Capt. J.C. Edwards Captains: 1874-80, Alf. Day 1881, J.C. Edwards, C.H. Crow and J.E. Wilkerson, clerks. Comments: Mentioned in this Document
Name: WALTER FORWARD
Type: Size:
Launched: 1840s?
Destroyed:
Area: Moss. R
Owner:
Captain and pilots: Capt. Bushnell, Daniel
Comments: 1845, pushed 3 coal flats. Became barge-boat.
1. Name: WAR EAGLE
Type: Side-wheel wooden hull packet Size: 152' X 24' X 4.5', 155 tons
Launched: 1845, Cincinnati, Oh. by Best and Co.
Destroyed: 1851, Dismantled. Hull used as barge.
Area: 1845-7, Galena-St. Peters; 1848, St. Louis-St. Peters;
1848, Fall, Louisville-St. Louis
Owner: 18??North Western Line?
Captain(s): 1845, Harris, Daniel Smith and Harris, Robert Scribe
Comments: Made run St. Louis - Alton, 0/1/35
A WAR EAGLE is mentioned several times in this Article, and in
this Article
1. Name: WAR EAGLE
Type: Side-wheeler wooden hull packet Size: 225' X 27', 296 tons
Power: 3 boilers
Launched: 1854, Fulton (Cincinnati), Oh. for Minnesota Packet Company
Destroyed: 1870, May 15, La Cross, Wiss, burned. 6 lives lost, property
damage of $215,000
Area: 1854-6, Galena-St. Paul;
1857-61, Dunleith - St. Paul;
1861, Dunleith-St. Paul
1862, a trip to Tenn. R. for U.S. Gov. Got a shot in one of her
stacks. (Ouch!)
1862, Summer, Dunleith-St.Paul
Owner: 1854-58, Minnesota Packet Company
1859, La Cross Line
Captains: 1854, Smith, Orrin
1854-6, Harris, Daniel Smith *Jones Worden. Mate.
1855 or 56, Mate, Jones Worden
1857, Kingman; 1858, Gabbert, W.H.
1859, Davis, J.B.;
1861, Mitchell, Alexander Beard; later, Stevenson, Charles L.
1862, Webb, N.F.
*Jones Worden's Steamboats and Steamboating Career by Frederick J. Worden
Comments: See letter from Union soldier
1. Name: WAR EAGLE
Type: Sidewheel, wooden hull packet. Size: 446 tons
Launched: 1858, Cincinnati, Oh. for H. L. White and others for $48,000.
Destroyed: 1869, Aug. 24, St. Louis, burned
Area: Mo. R. Designed for this river.
: 1st home port, St. Louis.
Owner: 1858, H. L. White and others.
18??, Thronburg
1867, Apr. 2, Sold to Capt. John B LaBarge for $20,000
Comments: 1861, Aug. Was sent to Boonville Mo. with troops commanded by
Col. W.H. Worthington of the 5th Iowa Volunteers. Got
there on the 26th and seized Confederate goods, took
prisoners, and returned to St. Louis with 11 skiffs and
a steam ferryboat.
1. Name: WAR EAGLE
Type: Sidewheel, wooden hulled packet. Size: 279.2' X 42' X 6.1'. 941 Tons.
Power: Engines, 26's - 8 ft., 4 boilers, each 45" X 28' 5 flues.
Launched: 1876, St. Louis, Mo.
Destroyed: 1894 or 95, dismantled.
Area: St. Louis-Keokuk at first
1891, St. Louis-Riverside Park trade.
Owners: Keokuk Northern Line Packet Co.
Later by St. Louis & St. Paul Packet Co.
1891, Oct, purcased by Capt. H.W. Brolaski and son who had
formed the Mississippi River Excursion Co.
1893, placed in Cairo-Memphis trade.
Captains: While with Keokuk Northern Line - T.L. Davidson.
1881, Nov. 4,, when hit Keokuk bridge, Jerry Wood, Master.
William R. Tibble, off watch Pilot.
Thomas Conners was mate.
1893, Milt R. Harry
Comments: 1881, Nov. 4, 9:30 PM while downbound hit Keokuk bridge
and sank. Capt. Hirram E. (Hi) Biddle was watch pilot.
Boat was raised and taken to Madison, Ind. for rebuild.
: 1891, The boiler deck was glassed in for excursions.
: 1893, Dec. 30, went to U.S. Marshals sale.
1. Name: WAR EAGLE/CAPE GIRARDEAU
Type: Sidewheel, wooden hull packet.
Size: after rebuild in 1901, 255' X 38' X 6.'
Power: after 1901 rebuild, 22's-6' 8". 4 boilers, ea. 42" X 20'.
Launched: 1899, Madison, Ind., Rebuilt, 1901, Carondelet ways, St. Louis.
Destroyed: 1910, mid-July, Turkey Island, some 50 mi. below St. Louis.
Area: St. Louis-Cape Commerce trade
Owners: Eagle Packet Company
Captains: William (Buck) Leyhe
Comments: renamed CAPE GIRARDEAU after rebuild in 1901.
Name: WARRIOR
Type: Sidewheeler
Size: 100 Tons, 111.5' X 19' 5". 1 deck. No mast.
Power: High pressure engine. 3 boilers.
Launched: 1832, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Area: 1840, U. Miss. R.
Owner(s): Joseph Throckmorton and William Hempstead of Galena, Ill.
Captain and pilots: Capt. Throckmorton, Joseph
Comments: A troop carrier during the Black Hawk War, she had a six
pound cannon mounted on her bow.
Towed a safety barge 111.8' X 19' 5".
Mentioned in William Petersen's book
"Steamboats on the Upper Mississippi".
Comments: Mentioned in this Article
Name: WARSAW
Launched: 1832, by either the Bell Yard or the Patton Yard, Wheeling,
W. Va..
Area: Ohio R.
Captain: 1841, McCourtney
Comments: Notes from WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA,
WHEELING NEWS-REGISTER, June 24, 1951
Name: WARSAW
Type: Size:
Launched: 1841, Boonville, Mo.
Destroyed:
Area: Ohio R.
Owner:
Captain(s): McCourtney
Comments: from the Boone’s Lick Heritage
1. Name: WARSAW
Type: Sternwheel wooden hull Packet Size: 457 tons
Launched: 1858, Madison, Ind.
Destroyed: 1866, Jan 12, lost to ice flow above Miller St., St Louis, Mo.
Area: 1859, St. Louis-Keokuk
Owner: Keokuk Packet Company.
Captain(s):1858, when launched, Malin, John W., also during Civil War.
See
1. Name: WARSAW
Type: Centerwheel wooden hull Ferry Size: 123' X 36' X 5.'
Launched: 1871, Madison, Ind.
Area: LaCross, Wis.
Captain: Capt. Day
Comments: 1880, Mar. 23, caught fire, was beached. Repaired and back in
service 50 days later.
1. Name: WARSAW
Type: Sternwheel, wooden hull ferry. Size;64.3' x 22' X 4.'
Launched: 1914, Keokuk, Io.
Owners: 1920s Quincy Steamboat Company, Quincy, Ill.
Sold to Valley Line Steamers, Memphis,Tenn.
1936, sold to Wolf River Traqnsportation Company, Memphis, Tenn.
Note on WARSAWs: I can not determine which of these boats, if any, was on the
Osage R.in Mo. One is mentioned in this article.
Also see GEORGE WASHINGTON
Name:WASHINGTON
Type: Size: 155' X 25' X 9'
Launched: 1813, Wheeling W. Va.
Area: Louisville-New Orlieans
Owner: Hudson River Steamboat Company
Comments: First boat to have boilers above deck.
Comments: See
: Also See
Comments: There is some debate about which of these next Washingtons
is which.
Some believe a boat sunk on the Missouri River near the mouth of the
Lamine R. is Shreve's Washington. Phil Chappell (History of the Missouri
River, 1906) and W.J. McDonald ("The Missouri River and Its Victims...,
Missouri Historical Review, Vol.21, No's 2-4, 1927) both mention a
steamboat GEORGE WASHINGTON that wrecked in the vicinity of Hardeman's
Island near the mouth of the Lamine (at the Missouri R.) in 1826.
The Lytle-Holdcamper list, however, says that a boat by this name,
built in 1825, burned at new Orleans in 1831.
Yet another article calls the boat the GEN.
WASHINGTON.
Name: WASHINGTON AKA GEN. WASHINGTON AND GEORGE WASHINGTON
Type: Stern-wheeler
Size: when built: 136 X 28? ft.
1820: Altered at Louieville, Ky. to 136', 8" X 21' 9" X 6' 8",
depth, 211 tons.
Launched: 1816, Wheeling, W. Virginia.
Destroyed: 18??, sunk
Area: Ohio R.
Owner: 1816: Niles Gillespie, Robert Clark, both of Brownsville, Pa.,
and Noah Zane and George White of Wheeling, W. Va.,
and Capt. Henry M. Shreeve.
1820: William and David Fowler of New Orleans, James Gray of
Louiville, Ky., H.W. Conway of Arkansas, William Taylor of
Baltimore, Md. and Capt. Henry M. Shreeve
Captain(s): Shreve, Henry M.
Comments: Notes from WHEELING NEWS-REGISTER, June 24, 1951
Comments: from Boone's Lick Heritage
Comments: First steamer with boiler on deck. Became the prototype
for all future Inland R. boats.
1817: Made run N.O. - Louisville, 25/0/0
Engines and machinery built Brownsville, Pa. by
T. Sweeney Foundry.
Comments: Notes from WHEELING
Comments: A little bit more on this boat.
Name: WASHINGTON previously SIDNEY
Picture and Credits
Type: Sternwheeler
Size: Length:221.3'; Width: 35.5'; Draft: 5.5'
1. Name: WASHINGTON
Type: Sidewheel, wooden hull ferryboat. Sizr: 90' X 19.', 53 tons.
Power: one cylinder, 12" -3 ft., 1 boiler, 40" X 20'.
Launched: 1867, Wellsville, Oh., hull built, Freedom, Pa.
Destroyed: 1880, Apr. 10, Herman, Mo., burned.
Area: Spent her career on Mo. R.
Owners: 1867, built for Capt. John Patton
Later, Capt. August Wohlt
1870s, A.S. Byran and others
Name:S. S. WASHINGTON
Type:
Size:
Launched:
Destroyed:
Area:
Captain(s):Mabrey, Edgar (Eddie) F.
Comments:Note from Ralph Mabrey
Name: WASHINGTON CITY
Type: Sidewheel, wooden hull packet. Size: 181' X 29' X 6.5', 282 tons.
Power: 18 3/4's- 6 ft., 3 boilers, each 40" X 26'.
Launched: 1852, Freedom Pa.
Destroyed: 1859, off the lists.
Area: primarilly Pittsburgh-St. Louis
: 1857, May 26, Diary of E.F. Beadle has her in Omaha throwing
a dance party for town people.
Name: WASHINGTON IRVING
Type: Side-wheeler
Size: 4 decker licensed to carry 6,000 people.
Launched:
Destroyed:
Area: Easteren rivers
Owner:
Captain and pilots: Capt.
Comments: Biggest passenger-carrying river boat of all time.
Name: WASHOE
Type: Size:
Launched:
Destroyed: 1865, Rio Vista, Calf., Exploded. 16 killed, 36 injured
Area: California Delta
Owner:
Captain(s):
Comments:
Name: WASP
Area: 1845, White R.
Captains: 1845, Thomas T. Tunstall. of Jacksonport
Comments: Source
Name: WASP
Type: towboat
Area: Monongahela R.
Comments: Notes from The Tribune Telegraph,
Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio, Wed. Aug. 18 1897
Name: WATOSSA
Area: 1857, June 11, The Diary of E.F. Beadle has arriving at Omaha.
June 19, same has her arriving Omaha, from St. Joseph, Mo.
June 27, back in Omaha, and again July 9 and July 16. Arrived
July 24, Arrived up from St. Joseph, Mo.
Aug 15, arrived Omaha.
Aug 24, 11 PM, arrived down to St. Joseph.
Comments: About conditions on this boat in 1857.
Name: WATER LILLY
Type: Side-wheeler, commuter-boat Size: Small
Launched: 1870s
Destroyed:
Area: Hudson R.
Owner:
Captain and pilots: Capt.
Comments:
Name: WATER QUEEN - Showboat - 1880-1915
Name: WATSON
Comments: From The Diary Of Joseph T. Anderson, shopkeeper,
Commerce Mo.
- Monday, August 19th 1861. "On Friday we moved our goods to
Santa Fe, Illinois and almost all the people in Commerce were
moving over at night. Every person was cared. It was
reported that the enemy was near and about dark a gunboat
stopped in the river opposite to Max. Island. Johnson got into
a skiff, went down to the boat and brought her into the city.
I went to Illinois to see Baker and while I was there the officers
of the gunboat moved all the women and children onto their boat
and over the river together. They took all that went on the boat
to Cape Giraideau. Took "Watson" prisoner but the next morning
she came back, released watson and brought all the families back. . . .
Name: WAUCASSA
Comments: 1857, May 31, The Diary of E.F. Beadle has a boat by this name
arriving Omaha.
1. Name: WAVE
Type: Sidewheel, wooden hull packet. Size:166' X 27' X 5.7', 231 tons.
Launched: 1844, New Albany, Ind.
Destroyed: 1845, off the lists.
Owners: equal, Capt. John F. Harris, Paducah, Ky. and William A. Violet, new Orleans.
1. Name: WAVE
Type: Sidewheel, wooden hull packet. Size: 114.1' X 22.2' X 3.3', 78 tons.
Launched: 1844, Louisville, Ky.
Destroyed: 1849, Mar. 7 St. James, La. stranded and lost.
Owners: 1845, in New Orleans, Jacques Larose
Captains: 1845, John C. Northrup
1. Name: WAVE
Type: Sidewheel, wooden hull packet. Size:
93 tons.
Launched: 1844, GreenLanding, Oh.
Destroyed: 1854, off the lists.
Area: 1851, possibly ran on Kaskaskia R. to St. Louis.
1852, spring, possibly went to Sangamon and ascended to Petersburg,
Ill.
1. Name: WAVE Originally the ARGOSY No. 2
1863-?64?
Name: WAVE
Comments: 1860, Sioux City Register, June, tells us the WAVE left
St. Paul, Minn. with a cargo for the Mo. and Big Sioux Rs. but her
captain fell overboard near Arrow Rock, on Mo. R., and was drowned.
Cargo was taken over by the MINNEHAHA and the WAVE returned to St.
Paul.
1. Name: WAVERLY
Area: Ark., White, and possibly Miss. Rs.
Captains: 1831, Philip Pennywitt
Comments: 1831, Jan., was first to Batesville
1. Name: WAVERLY
Type: Sternwheel, wooden hull packet Size: 200' X 34' X 5.5', 324 tons.
Power: 17's -5 ft., 2 boilers.
Launched: 1866, Metropolis, Ill. finished at St. Louis.
Destroyed: 1867, Nov. 24, downbound Omaha-St. Louis, snagged on Bowling
Green Bend, Glasgow, Mo.
Area: U. Mo. R.
Owner: 1867, John P. Kiser, Thomas Raigin and Capt. Thomas W. Rhea
Captains: 1867, Thomas W. Rhea
Comments: 1867, June 17, arrived St. Louis from Fort Benton, 13/02/00,
with 508 bales of buffalo robes, 43 wolf skins, 37 bundles
of elk skins and 5 packages of antelope skins.
: Machinery went to SILVER BOW
: Boat cost $50,000 and was said to have paid for herself on 1st
round trip to Fort Benton.
Name: WEARE
Type: Size:
Launched: 1898? Seattle, One of 12 built by Moran Bros.
Destroyed:
Area: Alaska
Owner:
Captain and pilots: Capt.
Comments:
Name: WEBFOOT
Type: Size:
Launched:
Destroyed:
Area:
Owner:
Captain and pilots: Capt.
Comments:
Name: WELCOME
Type: Size:
Launched:
Destroyed:
Area: 1879: Ran 3 trips a week from Wheeling, W. Va to St. Mary's.
Owner(s): 1882, July 5, Wheeling, Parkersville and Cincinnati
Transportation Co.
Captain(s): Davis
: 1882, July 5, Booth, C. H. Pres. of ownership company.
Comments: Notes from WHEELING NEWS-REGISTER,
June 24, 1951
Comments: 1882, July 5, Arrived at Wheeling to oversee salvage opperation of
sunken SCIOTO. Source
1. Name: WELCOME
Launched: Pre 1900
Area: 1900, Greenville-Sunnyside trade.
1901 or so, U. White R. Ark. (Source)
Owners: 1900, the Lyons of Greenville
Name: WELLS, see JOHN R. WELLS
Name: WEST NEWTON
Type: Sidewheel, wooden hull packet.
Launched: 1849
Area: U. Miss. R.
Captain(s): Harris
Comments: 1853, Apr. 11, Arrived at St Paul, Minn.
: Mentioned in this Article
33. Name: WEST POINT
Launched: 1850s? Early?
Area: 1851, Jan. 1, San Joaquin R, Calf.
Comments: 1851, Jan. 1, Ran into the MARIPOSA in Suisun Bay, Calf.
Name: WEST RAMBO
Type: Size:
Launched: 1880s?
Destroyed:
Area: Miss. R.; Gulf of Mex.
Owner:
Captain and pilots: Capt.
Comments: Freighted supplies to Key West rail road builders.
Became Raft-boat.
Name: WEST VIRGINIA
Launched: 1829, Wheeling W. Virg. by either the Bell Yard or the
Patton Yard.
Area: Ohio R.
Comments: Engine and machinery probably by T. Sweeney Foundry, Wheeling.
Comments: Notes from WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA,
WHEELING NEWS-REGISTER, June 24, 1951
1. Name: WEST VIRGINIA
Type: Sternwheel, wooden hull packet
Size: 111 tons
Launched: 1871, Brownsville, Pa.
Area: Built for Pittsburgh-Morgantown trade on Monongahela R.
1876, entered Gallipolis-Charleston trade
Owners: At one time the Kanawha Valley Packet Company
1878,Dec., sold to upper Ohio R.
Captains: At first, Peter Donaldson
1876, Capt. Martin
Later James B. Dudding
Comments:
Name: WEST WIND
Launched: 1860's?
Destroyed: 1864, Wrecked near Euphrase Bend, Mo. R.
Area: Mo. R.
Comments: from the Boone’s Lick Heritage
Name: WESTERN
Type: Sternwheel, wooden hull packet. Size: 212' X 34'., 475 tons.
Power: 16's-5 ft., 3 boilers.
Launched: 1872, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Destroyed: 1881, Near Yankton, SD in ice crush
Area: U. Mo.
Owner: Coulson Line
Captains: 1872, Apr. 6, Sallie B. Coulton, Pittsburgh-Ft. Benton
Comments: Boat split apart. The boilers were salvaged, but the engines
are probably under part of the inverted hull. As of 1998,
ribs and planking were still slightly above water level.
: All in all boat made 9 trips to Ft. Benton
Name: WESTERN BELL
Type:
Launched: 1840s, early
Destroyed:
Area: U. Miss. R.
Owner:
Captain and pilots:
Comments: Source
Name: WESTERN ENGINEER (became known as "Long's Dragon")
Type: Sternwheeler Size: 75' X 13' X 19"
Launched: 1819, near Pittsburgh
Destroyed: disappeared from history
Area: Upper Mo. R. and the Miss. River.
Owner: Johnson, James, leased to Army.
Captain(s):
Comments: 1819, June 21, Flagship of a government expidition with a
Major S. H. Long in charge, she started up Mo. R. decked
out like a serpent for Council Bluffs, Iowa. Got
only to Omaha--1,300 mi. Trip scrapped.
Comments: from Boone's Lick Heritage Quarterly.
: Also see
: Mentioned Here
Name: WESTERNER
Type: Size:
Launched:
Destroyed: 1856, late Feb, Torn from docks and swept downstream
in ice flow during Great Ice Gorge at St. Louis.
Crushed and sunk.
Area:
Owner:
Captain and pilots: Capt.
Comments:
Name: WESTFIELD
Type: 1863, Union Gunboat
Destroyed: 1863, Jan 1, Galveston Bay, Tex. Ran aground and blew up during fighting.
Area: 1863, Gulf of Mexico
Comments: Source
Name: WESTON
Comments: 1843. May 6 or 7, Pulled into Chouteau's landing on
Mo. river (Across from the Present Kansas City, Mo).
To Riverboats Starting With The Initial "W" To Riverboats Starting With "WM. and WILLIAM" To Riverboats Starting With The Letter W, "Page 2
1. Source: Way's Packet Directory, 1848 - 1994
3. Steamboats in the ValleyHERBS FOR HEALTH
Open The Alphabetical Index For Boats, Captains & Owners
Herbs, Vitimins and Minerals
Search this site Site map What's new on site