TheGeorge W. Elder offSitka, Alaska.
History
United States
Name	George W. Elder
Owner	Old Dominion Steamship Company 1874–1876 Oregon Steamship Company 1876–? Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company ?–1904 San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company 1904–1905 North Pacific Steamship Company 1905–1918
Operator	Old Dominion Steamship Company 1874–1876 Oregon Steamship Company 1876–1879 Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company 1879–1899 United States Army 1899 Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company 1899–1904 San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company 1904–1905 North Pacific Steamship Company 1905–1918
Route	Chesapeake Bay toNew York City 1874–1876 San Francisco, California toPortland, Oregon 1876–?
Builder	Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding and Engine Works (Chester, PA)
Launched	1874
In service	1874–1918
Out of service	1918
Fate	Sold in 1918
Notes	RenamedAmerica
Chile
Name	America
Owner	Artigas Riolrio Compania 1918–1935
Operator	Artigas Riolrio Compania 1918–1935
Route	Chilean coastal service
Out of service	1935
Fate	Scrapped in 1935
General characteristics
Type	Coastal passenger/cargo liner
Length	250 ft (76 m)
Beam	38 ft (12 m)
Draft	16 ft (5 m)
Installed power	SingleTriple expansion engine
Propulsion	Single screw

SSGeorge W. Elder (1874–1935) was a passenger/cargo ship. Originally a U.S. east coast steamer, she was built byJohn Roach & Sons inChester, Pennsylvania. TheGeorge W. Elder became a west coast steamer in 1876 and served with theOregon Steamship Company,Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company,San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company and theNorth Pacific Steamship Company. In 1907, theGeorge W. Elder helped to rescue the survivors of her former running mateColumbia. The last owners of theGeorge W. Elder were a Chilean firm which operated her under the nameAmerica. Chilean Coast was finally scrapped. The location

TheGeorge W. Elder was launched in 1874 at theDelaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works ofJohn Roach & Sons inChester, Pennsylvania and first served as a nightboat for theOld Dominion Steamship Company on theNew York City toChesapeake Bay route. She was equipped with brigantine-rig sail configuration and a triple-expansion steam engine rated between 900 hp (671 kW) and 1,000 hp (746 kW). TheGeorge W. Elder drew 16 ft (5 m) of water, was 250 ft (76 m) long, had a beam of 38 ft (12 m) and measured 1,709 gross tons. Due to her design, theGeorge W. Elder was able to visit several different ports.

In 1876, theGeorge W. Elder was sold to theOregon Steamship Company, which brought the ship aroundCape Horn and placed her on theSan Francisco, California toPortland, Oregon route. TheGeorge W. Elder became part of theOregon Railroad and Navigation Company fleet after O.R. & N purchased the Oregon Steamship Company.^[1] In O.R. & N service, theGeorge W. Elder served alongside the innovativeColumbia, which was the first structure to use theincandescent light bulb outsideThomas Edison's laboratory inMenlo Park, New Jersey.^[2][3] O.R. & N was bought out by theUnion Pacific Railroad in 1898.^[4]

On May 31, 1899, theGeorge W. Elder set out ofSeattle, Washington on a scientific exploration voyage toRussia, viaBritish Columbia andAlaska. Although her stopovers were brief, the actions and nature of research done on theGeorge W. Elder followed tradition. The voyage, called theHarriman Expedition, was over 9,000 mi (14,484,096 m) long. TheGeorge W. Elder was captained by Peter A. Doran during this expedition.

After the Harriman Expedition, theUnited States Army drafted theGeorge W. Elder in November 1899 for use as a troopship in thePhilippines during theSpanish–American War. Strangely during this time, the owners of theGeorge W. Elder were listed asGoodall, Perkins & Company, the agents of thePacific Coast Steamship Company who were the owners of the ill-fatedPacific back in 1875.^[4] In December of the same year, she was returned to O.R. & N.

In 1904, theGeorge W. Elder was transferred to the newly formedSan Francisco and Portland Steamship Company along with theColumbia. During this time, theGeorge W. Elder continued to build on its reputation for being a safe vessel. In 1905 however, this reputation vanished, when theGeorge W. Elder, now 31 years old, struck a rock along theColumbia River and sank under 16 ft (5 m) of water. She was raised in May, 1906.^[5] After being salvaged, the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company abandoned her and she was sold in Auction to Captain J.H. Peterson. In 1906, theGeorge W. Elder was sold to theNorth Pacific Steamship Company, who would be her last American owners. In a chance of coincidence, theGeorge W. Elder was paired the SSRoanoke, which had also been built as a nightboat for the Old Dominion Steamship Company.

On July 21, 1907, the former running mate to theGeorge W. Elder, theColumbia collided with the lumber schoonerSan Pedro offShelter Cove, California, causing theColumbia to sink, killing 88 people. Among the dead was Captain Peter A. Doran, who had commanded theGeorge W. Elder on her 1899 Harriman Expedition. Both theGeorge W. Elder andRoanoke arrived at the site of the disaster and picked upColumbia's survivors from the badly damagedSan Pedro. TheGeorge W. Elder returned some of the survivors toAstoria, Oregon.^[4] TheGeorge W. Elder also towed theSan Pedro to shore, following the disaster.^[6]

By 1915, theNorth Pacific Steamship Company was struggling, due to the loss of their steamerSanta Clara on the bar ofCoos Bay, Oregon, in 1914. The management considered closing the company's doors. Thankfully, relief came when theCalifornia South Seas Navigation Company chartered bothRoanoke andGeorge W. Elder. Neither were used for passenger service under this charter. Unfortunately, theRoanoke capsized and sank off the California coastline, on her second voyage under the charter. Only three people survived. DuringWorld War I, theGeorge W. Elder was leased by thePacific Mail Steamship Company, which was at the time owned by theGrace Line. TheGeorge W. Elder was used during this time as part of a four ship feeder service for Central American and Mexican ports.

At war's end, now 44 years old, theGeorge W. Elder was sold toArtigas Riolrio Compania, based inValparaiso, Chile, they were to be her last operators. TheGeorge W. Elder was renamedAmerica and served the Chilean coastline until 1935. On 7 December 1928, the Chileancargo shipSS Quintero collided withAmerica and sank.^[7]

America survived the collision and was reported scrapped in 1935, but it remains uncertain whether the job was done inJapan or Valparaiso. Either way,America had reached an outstanding age of 61 years.

• SS Parthia (1870)
• SS Columbia (1880)

• Kelley House Museum Archives – Search results for George Elder – Includes many photographs of theGeorge W. Elder.
• Photograph of the George W. Elder – Dated circa 1898. This photograph however, shows the ship partially sunk, suggesting that this may be after her 1905 sinking.

• Steamships of the United States
• Maritime incidents in 1905
• Shipwrecks in rivers
• Maritime incidents in 1928
• 1874 ships
• Passenger ships of the United States
• Ships built by the Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works
• Spanish–American War auxiliary ships of the United States