rains fell in the region. The Lewis River rose rapidly, and Mascot was able to reach Woodland for the first time that fall on November 2, 1909. Mascot’s associated steamer, Etna, had been running for the previous week on the upper Lewis, providing service to the lumber mills and logging camps. The steamboat business was reported to have been better than it had been for two previous years. 1910 low water The water was low on the upper Lewis river in late July, 1910, as it usually was. With Mascot unable to reach La Center, Spiellei and a barge were employed to transport freight to the frocks of the Lewis. As Spiellei was towing the barge, loaded with 15 tons of freight, the wind caught the barge, causing it to tilt, and the cabin to give way. Feed, machinery, and other items were toppled into the river, causing a loss of about $200 in damage. The water level had fallen again by October 1910, and by October 9, Mascot was no longer able to reach Woodland. On its last trip to Woodland, Mascot had to line over shallow places in the river. By this time, there were 15 trains a day serving the Lewis River area on the Northern Pacific Railway and the Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company lines, With Mascot unable to reach Woodland due to low water on the river, the rail competition was growing increasingly strong. Later business rivals Competition with Leona In late October 1904, the farmers in the area of La Center were reported to be negotiating with the Oregon City Transportation Co. for the purchase of the sternwheeler Leona, to run in opposition to Mascot. Captain Graham, president of Oregon City Transportation Co., said Leona was "for sale at a reasonable price." The Lewis River ranchers were so confident that they could acquire Leona that they were simultaneously looking into acquiring the usage of a dock in Portland, probably the one at the foot of Washington street, also known as the Hosford dock, to operate the boat from. If an independent line could be established, the newspaper speculation was that "one of the biggest rate wars in the history of navigation on the Columbia will result." On the afternoon of November 23, 1904, the Oregon City Transportation Company sold Leona to Capt. Newt Graham, William Marshall, and Fred Brauer, who intended to place Leona