The History of 'Alaska'
A part of Thaines History, 'Alaska' inaugurated the first Oxford to Kingston passenger run for Salter Brothers In 1888. She was built by J,&W. Horsham of Boume End in 1883 for W.H. Barbrook of Walton-on-Thames, and was the first of Salters Steamers to have a propefler,
Old records show that the first trip was on May 21 st 1888. The journey was from Oxford to Kingston and return, took 5 days and comprised 182 miles. The return fare was £ 1,1Os Od (£1.50 today), and passengers had to stay in hotels and boarding houses at the overnight stops,
In the period from launching to now, the engine and hull have remained the same, except for running repairs and the boiler, which has been renewed approximately five times. Apart from being employed as a passenger boat on a regular run, she was also used for fonctions and social events, very much as her modern counterparts do today, it seems life on the Thames has changed very little!
Salters sold her to the Jackson Brothers in August 1943 and she was laid up soon after, also disappearing from Lloyds Register of shipping. The hull, without her machiner which was taken out at Kingston, was bought by Dick Horton of the Medley Boat Station, Oxford, who is reputed to have poied her from Kingston to Oxford, where she was settled in shallow water, was crudely decked over, and used as a boat hire pontoon until 1974.
In 1974, Peter Freebody, whose enthusiasm for steam and steam boats has made him one of the leading authorities on this subject, came to hear of her whilst travelling on the 'Patricia' out of Southampton for Bilboa. Brian Crittenden, who had just taken over Medley Boat Station mentioned to Peter that he had round a partly submergea hull that looked extremely interesting and might be worth some research. This is how 'Alaska' was discovered, but it took the continued help of steam enthusiasts, Lloyds and Salters to establish the vessel's pedigree. It is difficult to describe the details of the research that was entered into at that time, but a chain reaction was started, especially after 'Alaska' reached Hurley, and was taken out of the water, where her identity was established beyond doubt. The research led us back to Kingston, and the engine that was still ashore, although it was in poor condition after sitting outside for many years.
It was at this stage that it dawned on everybody involved just how important this vessel was in the history of the River Thames, as well as that of passenger steamers in general and the project was attacked with renewed enthusiasm. To everyone's surprise, this enthusiasm was shared by the Board of Trade, who were approached in 1975, after she was slipped, with a view to granting a class 5 Certificate for her to carry passengers,
Alaska' is available for hire, accommodating a maximum of 36 guests.
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