twin steam engines, horizontally mounted, each with a bore of 13 (or 15) inches and a stroke of 60 inches. The boiler generating the steam for these engines was wood-fired. Route The Lewis River emptied into the Columbia river at a point about 9 miles downriver fem the mouth of the Willamette River, and about 25 miles from Portland. In 1896 there was no railroad access to the towns along the river. All traffic in and out of the area either had to go by river or by the very poor roads then in existence. At a point 3.75 miles from the Columbia, the Lewis River splits into two branches, which were called the North Fork and the East Fork. The North Fork carried more water. The town of La Center was on the east fork, just over 3 miles from the junction of the East and North Forks. The Lewis River below the forks was generally 400 to 600 feet wide, narrowing to 200 feet at the forks. On the East Fork up to La Center, the river was 150 to 200 feet wide. Steamboats from Portland could run up the Lewis River and the East Fork as far as La Center except during low water. At low water it was necessary to transfer cargo and passengers to a smaller steamer above the forks, and at extreme low water rowboats had to be used. From 1892 to 1904, Mascot ran on the Lewis and Lake rivers under the ownership of Jacob Kamm with no opposition. Mascot stopped at about 25 landings between Portland and the head of navigation on the Lewis river. The main towns on the Lewis River were Woodland and La Center, Washington. The main town on the Lake River was Ridgefield, Washington. The route was reported to be a profitable one. Produce went from the landings on the river to the Portland markets, and better passenger traffic than on other steamboat routes. Early career Competition with Toledo In August 1891, Mascot was running against the steamer Toledo, a shallow-draft sternwheeler owned by a consortium of about 600 farmers who had pledged to use Toledo. According to one newspaper report, Toledo was cutting into Mascot’s business. At that time, August, 1891, Mascot was owned by the Lewis River Transportation Company. Shift to Rainier route In early March 1892 Mascot was expected to start making daily trips from