The Strange and True Story of the Stolen Steamboat

While researching the subject of steamboats and the people who piloted them, I came across a very strange, amusing and unique story. The story actually has it's tragic elements while at the same time is somewhat comical. It's the story of a steamboat that eluded it's eastern creditors and a sheriff and managed to have a long and illustrious life on the busy Sacramento River. Obviously, a steamboat is not the easiest thing to make off with, and when caught, it's not the easiest thing to hold on to. How was this new vessel able to sneak out of New York harbor without being stopped by the sheriff who just happened to be one of the boat's financial partners? What did the sheriff, who was on the boat, think when the boilers were fired up?The skipper simply replied to the sheriff..."To wear the rust off the bearings and see that the engine worked well". After riding around in the New York harbor for awhile, the crew forced the outnumbered sheriff and deputies off the vessel and headed out to the open sea.

This is one of those tales I just had to share.

The Voyage of the "New World"

The steamboat "New World" was a 530 ton, 320 foot long sidewheeler. A fairly large vessel, the New World was actually built to steam from New York to San Francisco via Cape Horn. As I mentioned in other articles, several of the steamboats on the western rivers were originally from New York and since there was no Panama Canal in 1851, going around the tip of South America was how it was done. In the year 1850, at the beginning of the great California Gold Rush, there were some twenty-eight steamboats operating on the Sacramento River. In future years this would only increase.

A Close Call in Rio

Like many of her sister steamers, the New World endured her share of Atlantic storms. Weather forecasting was non existent and the ocean storms were expected.The storms however were not her major problem on the first leg down to South America. While on the way, the crew and passengers picked up yellow fever. The story down to Rio de Janiero gets even better. While approaching Rio the New World was chased into the harbor by a British frigate since she had no legal paperwork. Apparently, the paperwork was with the boat's creditors who allegedly were owed a lot of money by it's owner, William A. Brown. The creditors and the harbor police would not find out until after the fact that the vessel was steaming to Clifornia.

The skipper of the New World was a man by the name of Ed Wakeman. Wakeman worked for Brown. It was under Brown's instructions that Ed Wakeman was to take the vessel to San Francisco. With the British in pursuit and nothing to show the authorities at Rio de Janeiro, Wakeman came up with an idea to fall overboard. When he was retrieved from the sea soaking wet he explained to the authorities that the papers had been with him in the water and were lost. He convinced the American consul of this in Rio and was given the clearance to depart.

The Much Shortened Quarantine in Valparaiso

Ed Wakeman departed Rio de Janeiro but with eighteen less crewmen who died from the yellow fever. All went well and the New World successfully rounded Cape Horn and steamed up to Valparaiso Chile. When he reached the coastal city the authorities there demanded that the vessel be quarantined for twenty days. This of course didn't suit Wakeman. The story is that he argued continuously with the authorities there and many believe he was pretty liberal handing out cash to the right people. It's not sure which did the trick, the arguing or the cash, but nevertheless, he departed from Valparaiso after only eight days.

Captain Ed Wakeman also picked up some useful information while handing out money in Chile. He learned that New York authorities, on behalf of the vessel owners creditors, were waiting for him in Panama to make an arrest. They also had extradition papers already signed. All they needed was Wakeman in person along with the vessel. A man who had already thrown himself overboard to escape trouble in Rio was not going to steam all the way up to Panama just to get himself arrested. He had another plan.

Making New Friends in Panama

Panama was a must stop for any vessel heading up the Pacific coast to San Francisco. Ed Wakeman knew it and so did the New York authorities. But skipper Wakeman had a plan. Instead of steaming right into Panama he went to an island offshore and parked the vessel on the far side of the island. He then was crafty enough to make his way onshore in Panama. Panama City was filled with gold seekers trying desperately to find passage to San Francisco and ultimately to the California gold fields. These were men who had spent days if not weeks trekking through the malaria filled Panama jungle to make it from the eastern shore to the western side. Being stranded in Panama City waiting for passage was not pleasant.

After coming ashore in Panama, Ed Wakeman looked for several hundred Americans desiring to get themselves to San Francisco. They weren't hard to find. Captain Wakeman offered them passage on the New World for $300 per man if, and this was a big if, they would intimidate the two deputies from New York and about a ten man guard unit assigned them. After spending a long time in Panama waiting to find a vessel heading north, it didn't take much convincing. The New Yrk deputies and the guards were threatened by the mob to such an extent that they tore up the extradition papers and fled the country. It was then that Wakeman could bring the New World into Panama and pick up his unexpected paying passengers. The ship left for San Francisco without incident.

Two things that worked well in Wakeman's favor was that in 1850-51, there was no railroad to California where New York authorities could simply send people directly there to retrieve the boat. Secondly, there was no transcontinental telegraph system for over another ten years. Thirdly, Wakeman was lucky that a California Gold Rush had just begun where large groups of men were willing to do just about anything to get there. The route through the jungles of Panama, despite the jungle, was more popular than the Cape Horn route or the overland Oregon Trail route. It wasn't so many years since the ill fated Donner party tragedy in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

A New Life on the West Coast

After reaching San Francisco, the New World found work on the booming Sacramento River. This was the river heading into gold country. The New World ended up spending fourteen years going up and down the Sacramento under the operations of the California Steam Navigation Company. There is no information as to what action, if any, the New York creditors took to get the vessel back. It appears that the boat was sold prior to any action they could have taken in later years.

The New World was sold in the 1860's to the Oregon Steam Navigation Company which had a monopoly at the time on the northwest rivers. As fate would have it, the New World returned to California after several years and was put in service as the Vallejo Ferry on San Francisco Bay.

In regards to Captain Ed Wakeman, the only information I could find was that he apparently lived out his years as a resident of San Francisco. I think we can assume that he didn't have the urge to visit back east. It's unknown what money, if any, the vessel's questionable owner, William A. Brown, received after the boat was sold in California. Please let me know if you do.

There is a great deal of information about the Sacramento River steamboats, including the New World, at the Maritime Museum-San Francisco located at Fisherman's Wharf.

(Photos from author's private collection)