AH-WR-0177

City of Kingston

Steamship · United States · Lost 1899 · Puget Sound & Discovery Bay

A mahogany-panelled Hudson River day liner reborn on Puget Sound was cut in two by a British liner in fog off Brown's Point in 1899, every soul aboard surviving her three-minute sinking.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

City of Kingston was built in 1884 by Harlan & Hollingsworth of Wilmington, Delaware, and ran as an elegant Hudson River day liner before the Puget Sound and Alaska Steamship Company brought her west. Fitted with mahogany panelling and hand-carved furniture, she was among the most refined vessels on the Sound. On April 23, 1899, she collided with the outward-bound British liner Glenogle in light fog off Brown's Point; her iron hull was cut in two and she sank in three minutes. All sixty people aboard were rescued, and her hull remains in deep water off Commencement Bay.

Vessel

Built: 1884
Builder: Harlan & Hollingsworth
Yard: Wilmington, Delaware
Material: Iron
Length: 246 ft
Beam: 33.5 ft
Tonnage: 1,117 tons
Propulsion: Steam, screw
Owners: Puget Sound and Alaska Steamship Company

Loss

Date: April 23, 1899
Cause: Collision
Location: Off Brown's Point
Water: Commencement Bay
Voyage: Victoria, British Columbia → Tacoma, Washington
Cargo: General passenger freight
Aboard: 60
Lives lost: 0
Master: E. P. Lord

The Wreck Today

Depth: About 280 to 300 feet
Condition: Hull remains on the bottom; the upper works floated for a time after the loss.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established