Dispatch was a sternwheel steamboat that was operated on the Coquille River on the southern Oregon coast from 1903 to 1920. The name of this vessel is sometimes seen spelled Despatch. This sternwheeler should not be confused with an earlier and somewhat smaller sternwheeler, also named Dispatch, that was built at Bandon, Oregon, in 1890, for which the 1903 Dispatch was a replacement.[1][2]
Dispatch was built in 1903 at Parkersburg, Oregon by Charles Trigg.[3]Dispatch was 111.4ft (33.95m) long, with a beam of 24.5ft (7.47m) and depth of hold of 4.7ft (1.43m).[4] The overall size of the vessel was 250 gross and 167 net tons.[4] The official registry number was 200081 and the required number of crew was five.[4]
Dispatch was reported to have cost $18,000 to construct and was said to have been "one of the finest river steamers ever built in this part of Oregon".[5]
Owners
For twenty-four years (1903 to 1927), Dispatch operated on the route on the Coquille River from Bandon to Coquille City.[2] During this time, Dispatch was owned by the Coquille River Steamboat Company, the Farmers Transportation Company, and the Coquille River Transportation Company.[2]
On July 18, 1907, it was announced that the five steamers then operating on the Coquille River were to come under new management.[6] A new corporation was to be formed with a capital stock of $50,000.[6] C.J. McLean and H.G. Stratton, of Portland, and F.A. Smith, of St. Johns, were among those interested in the corporation.[6]Liberty and Dispatch were to have new boilers, and Antelope would be overhauled.[6]
On July 17, 1914, Dispatch was owned by the Coquille River Transportation Company.[7] On that date, Dispatch was advertised as departing Bandon daily at 7:00a.m.[7]
Operations
Echo (left), Liberty (right), and Dispatch (center-right) at Coquille circa 1910
In 1903, Dispatch became one of a number of steamboats competing for freight and, especially, passenger business on the Coquille River.[8] Three boats, Dispatch, Liberty, and Reta were then leaving Bandon each morning.[8]Favorite left Coquille City in the morning for Bandon and returned to Coquille City in the evening.[8] It was anticipated that Antelope, once fishing season ended, would be put on the Bandon-Coquille City run, making a total of five steamers daily operating on the route.[8]Reta carried the mail so as to allow Dispatch to make better time.[8]
As of March 17, 1904, Dispatch, under Captain Thomas White, departed Bandon every morning except Sunday at 7:30 a.m., bound for Coquille City.[9] Passengers could make connections at Coquille City at 10:30 a.m., either with the train or with the steamer Myrl.[9]Dispatch then left Coquille City at 12:30 p.m., returning to Bandon at 4:30 p.m.[9] This same schedule was still in effect on May 18, 1905.[10]
With the fall harvest in 1904, the owners of the steamers decided to take advantage of the need for fodder in the towns along the river. On September 1, 1904, Dispatch, and the steamers Liberty and Favorite offered to deliver baled hay (grass and clover) to Bandon or Coquille City at a price of $11 per ton.[11]
In October 1908, Dispatch, under F.D. White, master, departed Bandon daily at 7:00 a.m. arrived at Coquille City at 9:30 a.m., then departed Coquille City at 1:00 p.m. and returned to Bandon at 3:30 p.m.[12]Dispatch advertised "all kinds of steamboat work done at reasonable prices."[12]
Large numbers of people were sometimes transported on the small steamers on the Coquille River. For one baseball game at Bandon, Dispatch came downriver from Coquille with about 400 people aboard, and Telegraph arrived with 150 more.[13]
Vessels like Dispatch typically did not run regular schedules on Sundays. They were however available for Sunday excursion trips, which were a popular means of recreation in those times. In one example, on Sunday, June 23, 1907, Dispatch, along with two other steamers owned by the Coquille River Steamboat company, Liberty and Favorite, were chartered for an excursion to Bandon.[14] This excursion, which was billed as "the finest observation train excursion ever seen on the Pacific Coast", was organized by the Coos Bay, Roseburg and Eastern Railway, would be run on the rail line's tracks south from Marshfield to Coquille City, where transfer would be made to the steamers for the water portion of the excursion downriver to Bandon.[14]
Groundings and accidents
Dispatch somewhere on the Coos River
On Friday, January 15, 1904, Dispatch, then owned by the Coquille River Steamboat Company, ran into a snag which tore a hole in the bow.[5] A hard wind was blowing on the steamer's high superstructure, which made the vessel unmanageable.[5] The only course of action was to beach the vessel.[5]
After Dispatch was beached, the tide went out, causing the steamer to settle, breaking the hog chains, an important structural component, which could cause severe damage to the boat.[5] The initial report was that Dispatch's hull had split in two, with the damage so great that the cost of repair would exceed the value of the vessel.[5] However, a later report, indicated that Dispatch was quickly running again, with "the report of the accident having been much exaggerated."[15]
On October 26, 1904, Dispatch was unloading a cargo of 2,000 cases of canned salmon at Cedar Point, Oregon.[16] These goods were to be shipped by train to Marshfield and thereafter, likely by steamer, to Portland.[16] A tram car was being used to aid in the unloading. The cable for the tram car became unhooked and its load of salmon cases fell into the river.[16] Some of the goods were recovered, but it was necessary to relabel the cans.[16]
On Monday, November 29, 1909, Dispatch was operating near the town of Bandon with a large number of passengers on board, when, in turning around, the vessel was caught by the fast current of the river and carried downriver into the jetty.[17] One of the railings on the Dispatch was broken, and the Bandon life-saving crew had to take off the passengers.[17] Sea conditions on the Coquille River bar were very rough.[17] One witness thought that had the Dispatch not been caught on the jetty, it would likely have been washed out to sea and swamped.[17]
On the morning of April 27, 1910, a small fire was discovered in the hold of Dispatch while the steamer was en route from Bandon to Coquille City.[18] The fire had not progressed far, and was extinguished with the only damage being to a few life preservers.[18]
On the early morning of Saturday, November 29, 1913, Dispatch was blown ashore on the Timmons mud flats just upriver from Moore's mill.[19] The Coquille River life-saving crew and the tug Klyhyam went to the assistance of Dispatch.[19] They took off the passengers and the vessel was refloated at the next high tide.[19]
Thieves and pilferage
Dispatch had a barber shop concession on board, which also sold tobacco. On July 21, 1904, it was reported that the previous Friday night, thieves had broken into the on-board barber shop, by breaking the latch between the shop room and the forward cabin, and taking $18 worth of cigars.[20] The next Sunday night a quantity of tobacco was reported to have been removed from a package.[20]
Freight pilferage was also a problem. On the next to the last trip prior to July 21, 1904, so much freight was stolen off Dispatch that the loss to the company exceeded the amount received for delivering the freight.[20] A local newspaper expressed dismay that these incidents were becoming more frequent, adding that "Salem [the location of the state penitentiary] has a proper retreat for such characters, and they should be forced to emigrate there and be properly attired."[20]
Dispatch was out of service from the fall of 1907 to the spring of 1908 because of mechanical problems. On October 17, 1907, it was reported that Dispatch had been out of service "for some time" waiting for new boilers to arrive from San Francisco.[21] The old boilers had been condemned by the steamboat inspectors.[21]Dispatch had been kept at a dock pending delivery of the boilers, but the week before the October 17 report, it had been necessary to tow the boat upriver to free up the wharf space for active vessels.[21]
On March 28, 1908, it was reported that the new boiler had been placed into Dispatch, and the connections were in the process of being made.[22] The boat was being repainted in white trimmed with red.[22] The new boiler was larger than the old one, and was expected to drive the vessel at a greater speed.[22] The boat was expected to be back in operation by April 1, 1908, or a few days later.[22]
By May 10, 1908, Dispatch was back in service, being scheduled that day to pick up a train-load of excursionists from Marshfield at Cedar Point, transport them to Bandon, arriving at 10:45a.m., and then depart Bandon at 5:00 to return to Cedar Point to catch the train back to Marshfield.[23]
Late in the afternoon of Saturday November 7, 1908, near Prosper, Oregon, a shaft pin, which connected the sternwheel's driving arm to the wheel itself, broke while Dispatch was underway, causing severe damage, estimated at $1,000, before the machinery could be halted.[24] No one was injured, which was reported to have been "almost miraculous."[24] It was initially estimated that it would take at least six weeks to repair the damage.[25] The sternwheel steamer Liberty was called on to take over Dispatch's run on the Coquille River, which resulted in a delay of Liberty's then-scheduled transfer to Coos Bay service.[25]
Fire at shingle mill
On the afternoon of the Wednesday before June 13, 1916, at about 4:00 pm, fire broke out in the boiler room of the Kruse shingle mill, on the river near Prosper.[26]Dispatch had just left the dock at Prosper when the fire was observed. The boat came alongside the mill and fought the fire with the on-board fire fighting equipment.[26] Although there was some damage from the fire, the prompt intervention of Dispatch prevented the fire from spreading throughout the mill.[26]
Collision with Telegraph
On January 22, 1917, near Prosper, the sternwheeler Telegraph, under the command of Capt. Allan R. Panter, collided with Dispatch.[27] Capt. Thomas O. White, of Dispatch, attributed the collision to "'pure cussedness'", apparently on the part of Captain Panter.[27] As a result of this collision the license of Captain Panter was suspended for thirty days.[27] About a year previously, Captain Panter's license had been suspended for 18 months, but the suspension time had been reduced following Panter's appeal.[27] There had been a number of similar incidents on the river, and rivalry between the competing steamboat lines was thought to be the principal reason for the Coquille River cases being investigated by the steamboat inspectors.[27]
Loss of a crewman
On March 22, 1920, the drowning of a Dispatch crewman was reported.[28] D.A. Davis, age 19, fell off the boat while milk was being loaded at the Walstrom wharf.[28] No one saw him fall into the water, and he was not noticed missing until someone saw him disappear below the water's surface, 100 feet away from the boat, having been washed there by the tide.[28]
Transfer to Coos Bay
After 1920, Dispatch was transferred to Coos Bay and operated out of Marshfield under the name John Wildi.[2]
Modern cultural depiction
Murals showing Dispatch, Coquille and other Coquille River steamboats were painted on the exterior walls of the Coquille City Hall in 1997.[29]
1 2 3 4 Timmen, Fritz, Blow for the Landing -- A Hundred Years of Steam Navigation on the Waters of the West, Caxton, Caldwell, ID (1973), at page 204.
↑ Newell, Gordon R., ed. H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, Superior (1966), at page 89.
↑ Panter, William, "Early River Traffic on the Coquille," Glancing Back (Pioneer Lore), at 16–19, Vol. I, No. 1, Coos-Curry Pioneer and Historical Association, 1971
The history of steamboats on the Oregon Coast begins in the late 19th century. Before the development of modern road and rail networks, transportation on the coast of Oregon was largely water-borne. This article focuses on inland steamboats and similar craft operating in, from south to north on the coast: Rogue River, Coquille River, Coos Bay, Umpqua River, Siuslaw Bay, Yaquina Bay, Siletz River, and Tillamook Bay. The boats were all very small, nothing like the big sternwheelers and propeller boats that ran on the Columbia River or Puget Sound. There were many of them, however, and they came to be known as the "mosquito fleet."
The Coquille River starts in the Siskiyou National Forest and flows hundreds of miles through the Coquille Valley on its way to the Pacific Ocean. Bandon, Oregon, sits at the mouth of the Coquille River on the Pacific Ocean. Before the era of railroads and later, automobiles, the steamboats on the Coquille River were the major mode of transportation from Bandon to Coquille and Myrtle Point in southern Coos County, Oregon, United States.
The Coos Bay Mosquito Fleet comprised numerous small steamboats and motor vessels which operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries on Coos Bay, a large and mostly shallow harbor on the southwest coast of the U.S. state of Oregon, to the north of the Coquille River valley. Coos Bay is the major harbor on the west coast of the United States between San Francisco and the mouth of the Columbia River.
Washington was an early steamboat operated in the states of California and Oregon. Washington was built in California and was initially operated on the Sacramento River. In 1851, the steamer was purchased and brought on a ship to the Oregon Territory, where it was operated on the Willamette River until the summer of 1853. Washington was sold again, and then transferred to the Oregon coast, where it operated on the Umpqua River, on the Coquille River and on Coos Bay. Washington was able to operate for shorter distances over the open ocean along the Oregon coast. The steamer was wrecked by a boiler explosion in December 1857, near Scottsburg, O.T., on the Umpqua river.
Rainbow was a sternwheel steamboat that was operated in the Coos Bay region of Oregon from 1912 to 1923. Rainbow is sometimes referred to as a "launch", meaning a small steamboat. This vessel's name is sometimes seen as Rain-Bow.
Dora was a sternwheel steamboat that was operated on the Coquille River on the southern coast of Oregon from 1912 to 1923. This vessel should not be confused with a number of other craft of the same name operating at the same time in other parts of North America.
Myrtle was a steamboat built in 1909 for service on the Coquille River and its tributaries, in Oregon. The ability of this small vessel to reach remote locations on the river system was cited many years later as evidence in support of the important legal concept of navigability.
Coquille was a steamboat built in 1908 for service on the Coquille River and its tributaries. Coquille served as a passenger vessel from 1908 to 1916, when the boat was transferred to the lower Columbia River. Coquille was reconstructed into a log boom towing boat, and served in this capacity from 1916 to 1935 or later.
Echo was a sternwheel steamboat that was operated on the Coquille River on the Southern Oregon Coast from 1901 to 1910.
Liberty was a sternwheel steamboat that was operated on the Coquille River and then on Coos Bay from 1903 to 1918. Liberty was notable for having its ownership entangled in various legal claims in the early 1910s, including some involving a colorful North Bend, Oregon business promoter Lorenzo Dow "Major" Kinney (1855-1920).
Antelope was a steamboat that was operated on the Coquille River and on Coos Bay on the southern Oregon coast from 1886 to about 1908. Antelope was a versatile boat, which served in various roles, including passenger transport, barge towing, and as a fisheries tender.
Telegraph was a sternwheel steamboat that was operated on the Coquille River on the southern Oregon coast from 1914 to 1927. Telegraph is perhaps best known for having been in involved in collisions with rival steamboats, apparently as a result of fierce competition for business on the Coquille River.
Eva was a sternwheel steamboat that was operated on the Umpqua River on the Oregon coast in the early part of the 1900s. Eva was notable for long service on a short route of about 20 miles. Eva was also notable for having been used by one of its owners to illegally transport dynamite on a passenger-carrying vessel, by the ruse of labeling the dynamite boxes as "bacon."
Favorite was a small steamboat that was operated on the Coquille River, Coos Bay and on the Siuslaw River, in the southern Oregon coast region from 1900 to 1918.
Wolverine was a launch powered by a gasoline engine that operated on the Coquille River on the southern coast of Oregon, United States, from 1908 to the 1920s. Later the boat operated on Coos Bay, and, in the mid-1930s, was transferred to Eureka, California. Wolverine is principally known for its early service as a high-speed passenger vessel.
Montesano was a steamboat that was operated from 1882 to about 1903 in the coastal regions of Oregon and southwest Washington, including Astoria, Willapa Bay, Grays Harbor, the Chehalis River, Yaquina Bay and Coos Bay. The Montesano of 1882, built in Astoria, should not be confused with another, larger sternwheeler, also named Montesano, built-in Cosmopolis, Washington, in 1889.
Little Annie was a sternwheel-driven steamboat that operated on the Coquille River on the Southern Oregon Coast from 1876 to 1890. This steamer should not be confused with a number of other vessels with the same name operating at about the same time in various parts of the United States.
Winema was the largest steamboat ever to operate on Upper Klamath Lake in the U.S. state of Oregon. The steamer ran from 1905 to 1919, when it was hauled out of the water permanently. Winema was sunk by a sudden squall in August 1907. The vessel was raised, rebuilt and returned to service. The steamer remained out of the water for a number of years in the 1920, until it caught fire in 1925 or 1927 and was destroyed.
Gazelle was a gasoline powered launch that operated on the Willamette and Columbia river from 1905 to 1911. For short periods of time Gazelle was operated on the Oregon Coast, on Yaquina Bay and also as an off-shore fishing vessel, in the Coos Bay area.
The Callendar Navigation Company, sometimes seen as the Callendar Transportation Company, started in business in the early 1900s. Callendar was formed in the early 1900s, and was based in Astoria, Oregon. Callender was to become one of six large towing companies of the Columbia and Willamette rivers in the early decades of the 1900s, the others being Shaver Transportation, Smith Transportation, Hosford, Knappton Towing Co., and Willamette and Columbia River Towing Co. In 1922, Callendar Navigation merged with Knappton Towboat Co., which existed, with a name change in 1990, and which became part of Foss Marine in 1993.
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