Sternwheel Steamer Snagboats on British Columbia’s Rivers

As water-borne traffic increased in Canada throughout the 19^th century, the federal government endeavoured to uphold its responsibility to open up and maintain Canadian waterways and to make them safe for all travelers. To that end, the federal Department of Public Works financed the building of a vessel specifically designed to clear waterways in Western Canada by removing hazardous “snags” and obstructions and to maintain and repair marine structures. And so it was that the first Dominion Government Service snagboat – Samson – was built in 1883 at the W.G. Bolen Shipyard in Victoria. Over the next eight decades, at least eight vessels would be used as snagboats, and five of those vessels would carry the name Samson.

In their maintenance of some of British Columbia’s more important rivers for navigation, fishing and logging, sternwheel steamer snagboats performed a crucial function in the commercial and navigational history of the province.

Sternwheel steamer snagboats, such as Samson V, the last representative example of such a vessel in Canada, were used on the West Coast because of their design, which evolved during the 19^th century. These latter vessels had a shallow draft and a paddle wheel which was located in the stern as opposed to a side paddle wheel. They also had a large carrying capacity and working surface and were highly maneuverable vessels well-suited to perform a variety of functions, while operating on relatively shallow, fast flowing rivers.

The use of sternwheel steamer snagboats was, for the most part, a British Columbia phenomenon. The use of sternwheel steamer snagboats lasted quite late into the 20^th century, when their function was taken over by more contemporary vessels. The use of sternwheel steamer snagboats on British Columbia’s rivers is, therefore, unique in Canada.

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