"The bay used to be full of them... They worked on the tide, they'd go up the cricks and riser's and lay on the flat until they got their cargo in and then out they'd go. Got, they were a busy outfit... What load they carried. - F.H. Wade, Scow Schoonerman
Alma is the last of some 400 locally built scow schooners. Designed to haul hay, salt , bricks, and other bulk products, scows were well suited for the shallow reaches of the bay and delta.
Alma was one of five scows owned by James Peterson. She was used in a number of local trades, but most often carried salt from Alviso to San Francisco.
In 1917 Alma was rigged down for use as an unpowered barge, and later was converted to a dredge. She came to this museum in 1939 and has been restored to active sailing condition.
BASIC FACTS:
Built: 1891 Hunters Point, San Francisco
Builder: Fred Seimer
Length on Deck - 59 feet
Beam - 22 feet, 6 inches
Gross Tonnage - 41
Draft - 3 feet, 6 inches
Comments 0 comments