Echo (steam tug)


The steam tug Echo operated in the early 1900s on Puget Sound.

Construction

Echo was built at Tacoma in 1906 by Crawford and Reid for Captain O. G. Olson. Echo was propeller-driven and 66.5' long.

Operation

On August 16, 1906, the Foss gasoline-powered launch Lion caught fire in Commencement Bay, when a fuel valve mistakenly left open had spilled 30 gallons of gasoline into her bilges, which was ignited by the engine backfiring. Echo pumped water on board Lion until the fire was out, while a boat from the cutter Grant took off her crew and passengers.

Purchase by Foss Launch & Tug Co.

In 1916, Foss Launch and Tug Company bought Captain O.G. Olson's Tacoma towing business, including the steam tugs Echo, Elf, and Olympian. In 1921, Perry Moore became Echo ‘s chief engineer.

Historic images from the on-line collections of the University of Washington

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