Falcon
FALCON
The Falcon was a wooden passenger and freight boat designed by Leigh H. Coolidge and built in Bellingham for the Island Transportation Company in 1908. She was 85 feet long, 16 feet wide, and had a draft of just under 5 feet. In this time period coal powered steam ships were being replaced by gas powered boats and the Falcon was no exception. Installed in her hull was a 100 horsepower Eastern Standard engine.
The Island Transportation Company was started around 1904 by the Lovejoy family together with James Esary, the Byers Brothers, and some others. Right away boats were built for the Seattle, Everett, Whidbey Island points, as well as the Seattle to Alki Point, but the Falcon was built originally for the Bellingham Anacortes service.
The vessels Camano, Calista, Whidbey, as well as the Falcon, and several other small boats were in their fleet. Most of them were built by Capt. Howard Bartlet Lovejoy.
Capt. Howard Bartlet Lovejoy’s son, Frank Edward Lovejoy, or Ed for short, worked with his family building up the ITC, but during summer break of 1904, at age 16, he started his nautical career working as a waiter on the sternwheeler Fairhaven, owned at the time by LaConner Trading and Transportation Co.
In 1906, and doing well, the Island Transportation Company bought the Fairhaven.
It seems from 1913 to 1919 the ITC, being in fierce competition with other companies, was having some hard times, and ended up selling some of their fleet. Ed Lovejoy, who was now himself a captain, began working for a new business, Sound Freight Lines, (later changed to Puget Sound Freight Lines) which he later bought out and incorporated in 1924.
The Falcon beached in Everett
At the time the Falcon was in service there were several companies in the business. To name a few, there was the Sound Freight Lines, Puget Sound Navigation Co., and Kitsap County Transportation Co. The Falcon, along with her sister ship the Camano were sold to the Kitsap County Transportation Co., in 1913.
The Falcons home port at that time was Port Townsend, and she thrived carrying passengers and cargo alike.
In 1929 there was a newcomer to the trading circle in Seattle, W.B. Foshay Co. of Minneapolis. With the Great Depression looming around the corner, Foshay made offers to buy out Puget Sound Freight Lines, Puget Sound Navigation Co., and the Falcons own, Kitsap County Transportation Co. KCTC agreed to sell, although at that time the Falcon was already sold.
The Falcon, too small for the Sound runs any longer was just perfect for smaller runs and Lake Washington would be the waterway. She would serve the rest of her days shuttling passengers and cargo on the now busy lake.
It is unknown how the Falcon sank, but she now lies on the bottom of the Lake in 190 feet of water off Kirkland.
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