Just before midnight on March 2, 1858, the S.S. Traveler, one of the first American steamships on Puget Sound, sinks near Port Gamble. Five people die.
The Traveler was built in Philadelphia as the Kangaroo and in October 1853 transported in pieces to Puget Sound, where it was assembled. The hull was of iron, but the technology of the day was such that the hull was sheathed in wood to keep it from leaking. She was one of the first American steamships on Puget Sound -- the Fairy was the first, beginning service in November 1853 -- and ran mail between the settlements of Olympia, Steilacoom, Port Gamble, and Port Townsend. During the Indian War of 1855-1856, she was chartered by the U.S. Army.
On March 2, 1858, at 11 p.m. off Foulweather Bluff at the entrance to Hood Canal, she ran into heavy weather. The captain headed toward shore to wait out the blow. About an hour later, the ship ran aground and began to break up. Of the crew of eight, only engineer Thomas Warren and two Native American crewmen were able to swim to shore.
The Traveler sank in about 30 feet of water. At low tide her smokestack was visible. Would-be salvagers tried to pull off the smokestack from shore using teams of horses. This only moved the wreck to the point that it slid into deeper water. In 1990, the wreck was located and investigated by members of the Argonaut Society.
