[2] North Pacific was driven by a single-cylinder walking beam engine, 40-inch-diameter (1,000 mm) piston, 120-inch (3,000 mm) stroke[1] When North Pacific arrived at Puget Sound in June 1871, the vessel was considered to be the finest (and was certainly one of the largest) vessels yet to operate in the area.

The great iron walking-beams blurred up and down while the thundering paddle-buckets churned the water at the ships' side into roaring waterfalls that tumbled astern to form broad white wakes on the blue straits.

& N returned North Pacific to Puget Sound, running the vessel on various routes and as a relief boat.

[3] In 1885, North Pacific made alternate runs with the large iron sidewheeler Olympian on the route from Puget Sound to Victoria.

In 1899, Cary W. Cook bought North Pacific to replace Ocean Wave on the routes he was running from Puget Sound into British Columbia.

In 1900, Cook formed the Western Steam Navigation Company at Tacoma, Washington to conduct the operations of North Pacific.

Smith heard the distress call of the old steamer (traditionally five blasts from the steam whistle[4]) and was able to rescue all her passengers and crew.

Coincidentally the running mate of the North Pacific, the steamboat Mainlander, was headed the opposite direction on the same route.