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|---|---|
| Builder | W. & A. Curtis (Portland, ME) |
| Launched | 28 May 1864 |
| Completed | Aug 1864 |
| Fate | Unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger-cargo steamboat |
| Tonnage | 430 |
| Length | 153 ft (47 m) |
| Beam | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
| Draft | 5 ft (1.5 m) |
| Depth of hold | 8 ft (2.4 m) |
| Decks | 1 |
| Installed power | Steam engine |
| Propulsion | Sidewheels |
| Speed | Fast |
Construction and design
Regulator, a wooden-hulled, passenger-cargo sidewheel steamboat, was ordered by Massachusetts parties who planned to put the steamer in service between Boston and Gloucester, Massachusetts. She was built at Portland, Maine in the newly established shipyard of W. & A. Curtis, launched on 28 May 1864, and completed the following August.
Regulator was built of white oak and hackmatack with copper and iron fastenings. She was 153 feet (47 m) in length, with a beam of 26 feet (7.9 m), hold depth of 8 feet (2.4 m) and draft of 5 feet (1.5 m). Her tonnage was 430. She was powered by a steam engine of unknown type, built by the Portland Company of that city. The Portland Daily Press described her at the time as a "beautiful little craft".
Service history
Regulator entered service in August 1864, on her originally intended route between Boston and Gloucester. The following February, however, she was purchased by Spear, Lang & Delano of Portland, Maine, to replace their steamer Lady Lang on the Portland to Bangor route, after the latter vessel had been chartered to the government for use as a transport in the ongoing civil war.
Before returning her to service, Regulator's new owners improved and expanded her passenger accommodations, adding a new saloon with 18 staterooms on her after promenade deck, and an additional 32 berths to the gentlemen's cabin. The refreshment room was also converted to a forward cabin with additional berths. After these modifications, the main deck, where the saloon was located, was completely enclosed. The steamer was also thoroughly cleaned and repainted.
Regulator entered service for her new owners on March 15, 1865. Initially, the steamer was only able to travel as far as Winterport on the Penobscot River due to river ice. Her regular schedule at this time consisted of two trips per week, departing Portland on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 6 am and returning from Winterport Mondays and Thursdays with a departure time of 6 am; no mention of way-landings is made in company advertisements for this initial schedule.
Footnotes
- The vast majority of sidewheel steamboats built in the eastern United States at this time were powered by walking beam engines, but occasionally other types, such as inclined engines, were used.
References
- "Local and Other Items". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1865-03-08. p. 3.