Even so , the '' T.J. Potter '' was one of the fastest steamboats on Puget Sound , and is reported in 1890 to have bested the famous sternwheeler '' Bailey Gatzert '' in a race . The '' Potter '' was also reported to have set a record time of 82 minutes on the run from Seattle to Tacoma . While operating out of Puget Sound , the '' Potter '' , along with many other local steamboats , helped fight the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 : Eventually the '' Potter '' was transferred back to the Columbia River for good . She was placed on the Portland-Astoria run , where she competed with steamboats owned by the Shaver Transportation Company . The '' Potter '' 's owners , Oregon Railway and Navigation Company , struck an anti-competitive deal with Shaver Transportation , whereby the Shaver boats , including the '' Sarah Dixon '' , would stay off the Portland-Astoria route in return for a monthly subsidy from Oregon Railway and Navigation Company . Other competitors of the '' Potter '' on the Portland-Astoria run included '' Lurline '' and '' Georgiana ''
Great Seattle Fire
Great Seattle Fire
T. J. Potter