Picture or drawing of Steamer Belknap
 

Does anyone have a picture or drawing of the Belknap? I have searched high and low and came up empty except for its designation as being a scow.

96 feet long with a beam of about 30 feet-it was big.

Thanks.

I found this...

Attachment 6791

You can find more about the Belknap from this old thread from Rattlesnake Gal's post from October 2004.. here

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ead.php?t=1194

Some Video
 

from YouTube search

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0titnidSvs

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/n0titnidSvs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Holy moly.Pretty big water or imagination on the artists part!

It was a 96 foot flat bottom "scow" steamer with a 17 foot beam (30 foot beam at the paddle boxes.) For those not familiar with "scow", it's essentially a slab sided hull much like a barge...square across the front and rear. The current Winnipesaukee Belle working out of Wolfeboro is a scow.

The artists conception shown above seems to be just that..a conception. The boat in the picture has a conventional pointed bow and stern. :look: NB

PS: Other than the picture above, I was also unable to find any others. The Belknap sank in 1841.

The Belknap was built in 1833. This was VERY early in the History of Steamboats.

I am currently reading an OLD book I found in an "Old Book" store out on the Cape last weekend. British Paddle Steamers. Not particularly relevant to Winni...but little bits and pieces come together. :) NB

Was it scuttled or sank in an accident?

Ran aground, on what I think is now Steamboat Island. Story about construction and wreck here:

http://www.lwhs.us/steam-earlysteamboats.htm

The story of the demise of the Belknap has been told over and over for the past 170+ years. We all know how a story will change when repeated many times from person to person. I'm not suggesting we rewrite history...just a few thoughts.

I guess there was probably a story in the local newspaper of the time describing the incident. We all know how even today, the "media" get things wrong because they are not expert in any particular practice...in this case how a steamboat towing a raft of logs will get from one place to another.

A raft of logs is LARGE MASS of weight that barely breaks the surface, and doesn't offer any "windage" to the winds of a squall. There is nothing for the wind to impinge on in the raft. I suggest the raft was essentially a non factor in this story, acting more like a "Sea Anchor" than anything else.

Now you might suggest that the SEAS would have an effect on the raft...dragging it off down wind. I suggest this was also was not the case.

An Aside: There was an idea a few years ago that a raft of logs (retired telephone poles) could be chained together and be used as a "Breakwater" around a marina that otherwise had no protection from wave action. The idea was tried down here in Rhode Island. It worked. Waves would break on to the raft..harmlessly..which was anchored to the bottom, and chained to shore on the other end.

No waves got to the other side of the raft. There was ONE side effect that no one had thought of. Sea weed, barnicles, slime and other stuff started growing on the logs which just broke the surface. The result was a Smell like Perpetual Low Tide. The people who had boats inside the raft were not happy. On a hot day it was even worse.

Back to the Belknap. On the other hand, the Belknap itself offered plenty of "windage" with it's hull, paddle boxes, cabin and all the superstructure there was..Above the waterline. Certainly not an aerodynamic or streamlined shape presented to the wind.

I suggest the Belknap got broadside to the wind and blown ashore All By Herself. :look: :look: NB

LAST thought: When you aren't making Headway..you don't have steerage.

Thanks all. I have a reason for asking. If it pans out you'll see the results perhaps next summer.