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Bridges span era of ferries: Remembering the 'wiener boat' and the Highway Navy - The Astorian.Bridges span era of ferries: Remembering the ‘wiener boat’ and the Highway Navy Published 11:48 am Wednesday, May 20, 2026 EDITOR’S NOTE: I recently came across some of the old Astoria ferry items in my collection and think local readers will enjoy seeing them, along with this story from our 1973 centennial edition.— Matt Winters The majestic span of the Astoria Bridge over the Columbia River tends to make one forget the era when ferries plied the waters between Astoria and the Washington side of the river.Oldtimers like to relive history of the ferries and relish telling stories about the boats and the adventurous captains who piloted them.One of the most famous of the early pilots and one who made the ferries a viable operation on the Columbia was Fritz “Capt.” Elfving, a burly Swede who managed to weave himself into yarns a mile long told by men of the sea.There were others, too.Surprisingly, some accounts say the first ferry from Astoria to the Washington side began operating in 1840 when Solomon Smith hooked two canoes together, braved the weather and carried passengers and freight across.It wasn’t until 1921, however, that fairly reliable ferry service came to Astoria.Elfving built Tourist I in that year and began going back and forth.That first ferry carried 14 cars.Three years later, he built Tourist II, a boat able to carry 22 cars.Later, in 1931, Elfving placed in service a new ferry, Tourist III, a three-deck, yacht-like boat which dwarfed the previous two.Elfving’s story started in 1884 when he was born in Stockholm.Not much is known after that until he landed in Boston from Stockholm in 1907 at the age of 23, headed west and settled in Astoria.As roads opened up and cars came in increasing numbers, Elfving hit upon an idea: with the increasing tourist traffic and the demand to travel from Clatsop County to the Washington side, why not start a ferry service.That crazy Swede Many people branded Elfving a “crazy Swede” for banking his future on the belief that people and cars would want to cross the river.Elfving operated his ferry without competition until 1926 when Union Pacific built a boat called the North Beach to replace a boat which before carried only passengers.However, it lasted for only 2½ years.Union Pacific sold out to a group of Washington residents who called themselves the North Beach Transportation Co.That transaction signaled a bitter rivalry between North Beach and Elfving for control of the trans-Columbia service — a rivalry marked by attempts at sabotage and other tactics.Stories about the competition — perhaps too nice a word to describe it — stress Elfving’s determination to control the line against any and all odds.He was a large man, smoked a cigar, talked with a Swedish accent and appeared dominating and forceful, traits which lend credence to comments about his Viking appearance.One story — perhaps the most famous — goes like this: Late one night Tourist III, the third ferry in Elfving’s fleet, added to the route in 1931, was making its last run late one Saturday night in 1932.Approaching the Astoria side, Elfving, who was at the helm, noticed what he thought looked like a blockade of wooden pilings driven across the mouth of the ferrys’ berth.Typically, Elfving plowed right ahead, rang full ahead for the engine room, sounded the danger signal for the passengers and broke through the piling.The Tourist III, unscathed, eased into its berth.But the confrontation wasn’t over.Elfving believed it was the North Beach company trying to sabotage his operation and in the morning another attempt came.This time, manager Cal Stewart of the North Beach Transportation Company, ordered his pile-driving crew to sink two 12-pile dolphins in front of the Tourist III berth.News of the second round of the confrontation spread quickly that morning and a large crowd gathered on the shore to see what would happen.First, acting on a complaint from Elfving, the sheriff arrested Stewart and his crew and led them off to jail on a charge of failing to obtain a permit for driving the dolphins.Elfving, meanwhile, seemed determined to maintain his rigid schedule.There are conflicting accounts of what happened next.Some say Elfving was able to squeeze the Tourist II out of her berth, make the Columbia crossing and then return to ram the dolphins, splintering them for the second time.Accounts differ Others say the two dolphins were driven against the rub rail of the Tourist III and Elfving simply backed off as far as possible in the narrow berth and then rammed the dolphins repeatedly until they cracked under the pressure.Which account is accurate isn’t clear and perhaps it doesn’t really matter because those telling the stories emphasize the character of Elfving himself and how he reacted to a challenge.Score two rounds for Elfving.Actually, three, because the next day some of the piling used in the sabotage effort drifted to the spot where the North Beach landed.The captain struck the half-submerged piling, damaging the boat’s rudder and propeller.The competition — or rather the ferry war — lasted until 1934 when Elfving eliminated his opposition by buying out North Beach.After the war, Elfving operated the ferries for only a short time before selling out to the State Highway Commission in 1946.The Tourist II, Tourist III and the North Beach reverted to State ownership and Elfving reverted to a life of retirement in Astoria, watching cars cross a bridge where before they rode ferry boats.Under ownership of the State Highway Commission, Elfving’s former three-boat fleet became known as the “Highway Navy.” It operated for 20 more years until the bridge went up.Two years after taking over the service, the State realized the Tourist II, Tourist III and North Beach couldn’t handle the volume and so the M.R.Chessman was added to the fleet.It was named for the longtime editor and publisher of the Astorian-Budget.With a capacity of 44 cars, it was by far the largest of the ferries and immediately picked up the tag “Queen of the Line.” Later, to meet demands of the Seattle World’s Fair traffic, the Highway Commission added the Kitsap to the line in 1961.She became known as the “wiener boat” because the kitchen offered a one-item menu — hot dogs.During its 20-plus years in the ferry business, the Highway Commission carried 5½ million passengers and more than 2½ million vehicles across the Columbia, connecting the Oregon and Washington sections of Highway 101.Chessman sold In 1967, the Highway Commission finally sold the M.R.Chessman a year after the bridge took over the traffic.The transaction officially left only five small ferries operating in Oregon, including one at Westport, running across to Puget Island.