The Freighting Business of T.D. Shorts Continues

From 1886 to 1892, T.D. Shorts operated another four steamboats. Each boat was a little bigger and better than the previous one. There was a rebuilt MVG, the City of Vernon, the Penticton, and the Jubilee. There were many interesting stories about the wood-burning Jubilee. For example, many times Shorts did not have enough wood for the whole trip. So, Shorts would take the boat ashore and have all the passengers get out to help cut down trees and chop more wood. The passengers were still expected to pay full fare even though they helped to provide the fuel. On another trip, the Jubilee was carrying a cargo of wood shakes. When Shorts ran out of fuel, he did not stop to chop more. Instead, he just burned the wood shakes. Captain Shorts’ boat service ended in 1892 shortly after the much larger Canadian Pacific Railway steamboat, the S.S. Aberdeen, was built and launched.