What was the steamship used for?
Steamship
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships came into practical usage during the early 1800s; however, there were exceptions that came before. Steamships usually use the prefix designations of "PS" for "paddle steamer" or "SS" for "screw steamer" (using a propeller or screw). As paddle steamers became less common, "SS" is assumed by many to stand for "steam ship". Ships powered by internal combustion engines use a prefix such as "MV" for "motor vessel", so it is not correct to use "SS" for most modern vessels.
Steamboats of the upper Columbia and Kootenay Rivers
In 1902 "Duchess" was dismantled. In 1903 Captain Armstrong built a new steamer, "Ptarmigan", using the engines from "Duchess" which by then were over 60 years old. In 1911, the same engines were installed in the newly built steamer "Nowitka". With the construction of railroads, and economic dislocation caused by Canada's participation in the Great War, steamboat activity tapered off starting about 1915. Steamboat men from the route themselves went to war. Captain Armstrong supervised British river transport in the Middle East, on the Nile and Tigris river. Captain Blakey's son John Blakely (1889–1963), who had trained under his father and Captain Armstrong, went to Europe and was one of only six survivors when his ship was torpedoed in the English Channel.