<span><span>City of
Tampa started life as the single-decked steam-powered packet Volunteer. It
was built in Mason City, West Virginia, in 1887 for the Bay Brothers, to run
on a line service operating on the Ohio River. Volunteer was 93 ft. long and
12.6 ft. in beam, with a draft of 2.6 ft.. The shallow draft and light build
made it ideal for travel on ever-changing inland waterways, which often were
unpredictable and had a tendency to shoal. Volunteer plied these waters until
being “sold south” in 1892 to move fruit on the Manatee River in central
Florida.<br>
<br>
In 1898, Captain Augustus Mason bought the vessel and renamed it City of
Tampa, which was his home port at the time. The newly christened City of
Tampa was brought to Milton, Florida, where it resumed duties as a packet
steamer moving cargo and people on a fixed schedule. In northwest Florida at
this time, the lumber business was booming and Pensacola in particular was
known around the world for its yellow pine industry. The popular steamer made
stops along the Blackwater River at the towns of Milton and Bagdad and at the
Bay Point Mill, as well as Pensacola daily. The vessel also provided special
day trips and leisure cruises, complete with a band and dancing, for
residents. The local newspapers, Milton Gazette and Pensacola Journal, ran
almost daily reports of the vessel’s travels, and whether or not it was
running on time. Tampa, as she was affectionately known, was highly regarded,
primarily for providing a direct link from the Port of Pensacola to Milton at
a time when there were no connecting roads. <br>
<br>
City of Tampa worked for the community for 23 years, which was well above
the average five-year lifespan for a packet steamer. This may be why local
people in northwest Florida still fondly remembered Tampa decades after the
vessel met her spectacular fiery end. City of Tampa was purchased by R.P.
Broxson and G.C. Harvell in 1919, both men having worked on the vessel in the
past. The new owners continued her regular route, and in 1921 she was brought
in for boiler replacement at Bay Point Shipyard. In the middle of the night
with Broxson aboard, Tampa caught fire and burned through her hawser and was
set adrift. The steamer floated ablaze southeast with the outgoing tide, where
she struck a sandbar at the mouth of the Yellow River, burnt to the
waterline, and sank in seven feet of water.<br>
<br>
City of Tampa was a total loss. Until Hurricane Fredrick in 1979, the
boiler and stack were still visible, making her a hazard to navigation.
However, the wreck of the steamer continued to be used by locals as a popular
fishing spot. Many years later, after she had long disappeared below the
surface, old local fisherman still knew of her general location.<br>
<br>
Article by: Andrew Derlikowski, RPA.</span></span><br><br><img alt="" src="https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/29744239_2084769441801641_3416463613929578706_o.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=7faaaf825cc7c224d69a28a4f621e95b&oe=5B68969F"><br><br><br><br>
iNaturalist Observations
