SWPS D A Thomas (Canada)

[Roderick Smith]

From www.calverley.ca/Part12-Enterprises/12-20.htm
HISTORY OF THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY IN THE SOUTH PEACE
An address to the Oil and Gas Conference 2003, Dawson Creek, BC, 30.9.2003
By Gerald Clare, President South Peace Historical Society

...Between 1913 and 1916 Lord Rhondda, a Welsh coal magnate, spent a small fortune on surveys in the Peace, looking for both coal and petroleum. His luxurious paddlesteamer, D A Thomas, plied Peace River from Hudson Hope to Peace River town for many years. Its huge boilers were fired by cordwood, but the boat was built with tanks for crude oil – just in case one of his survey ventures was successful. None of them were, and D A Thomas operated with wood-fired boilers until being scrapped in 1931 after going over Vermilion Chutes and losing half of the huge paddlewheel. When the D A Thomas pulled in to Rolla Landing every week or so to let homesteaders off with their animals and equipment, the stern-wheeler was anchored less than 20 miles from oil, unaware of just how close it was...

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor