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).
Liberty was built in 1903 at Bandon, Oregon by Carl Herman.[1][2][3]Liberty was 90.7ft (27.65m) long, with a beam of 20.8ft (6.34m) and depth of hold of 4.6ft (1.40m).[3] The steamer measured out at 176 gross and 120 net tons.[3] The required number of crew members was shown as four.[3] The official U.S. steamboat registry number was 200083.[3]
It was reported that on September 12, 1903, the U.S. steamboat inspectors Edwards and Fuller departed Portland, Oregon to inspect the steamers Dispatch and Liberty at Coquille City.[4] However, the official report of the inspection service states that Liberty's first inspection was earlier, on August 25, 1903.[5]
Operations on the Coquille river
Liberty's operations on the Coquille river included a variety of passenger and freight transport. On September 4, 1904, the steamers Liberty, Dispatch, and Favorite offered to deliver baled grass and clover hay to Bandon or Coquille City at a price of $11 per ton.[6] On July 29, 1905, Liberty was scheduled to carry an excursion party from Coquille City to Bandon.[7] On Sunday July 7, 1907, Liberty transported an excursion from Coquille City to Bandon of persons who had come to Coquille City by train to watch the Coos Bay area baseball teams play teams in the Coquille area.[8]
Liberty also filled in for other steamers. On August 24, 1905, the steamer Favorite was off its route for several days, and Liberty took Favorite's place.[9]
On April 19, 1907, when Liberty was tied up to a dock at Bandon, a water line had been run on to the boat to fill up the boat's water supply to generate steam for the boiler.[10] Someone left the water line running overnight, which swamped and sank the Liberty.[10] The boat remained on the bottom until April 23, when the Bandon life-saving crew was able to use barges to raise the vessel's deck above the surface of the water.[10] The hull was then pumped out, repairs were effected, and the steamer was able to return to service.[10]Liberty was back in running condition no later than July 7, 1907.[8]
Fire was a serious danger to wooden ships like Liberty, particularly steamers due to their use of fireboxes and boilers. On August 15, 1906, a fire at Parkersburgh destroyed the sawmill and almost all of the buildings in the town.[11] The schoonerOregon, tied at the dock and loading cargo, was damaged by the fire.[11]Oregon would have been completely destroyed, but Liberty came along and towed the schooner away from the fire.[11] On July 29, 1907, Liberty under the command of Captain Moomaw, held a fire drill which was praised in the press for its realism.[12]
Liberty was fueled by slab wood, and the loading of the fuel could be dangerous. On August 7, 1908, it was reported that the previous Monday, Liberty's captain, H.W. Dunham, sustained serious injury to his foot when the steamer was loading slab wood at Prosper.[13] A large piece of wood came down end-ways from the high dock, striking Dunham's foot and fracturing the bones in some of his toes.[13]
Merger of boat lines
Liberty at Coquille, far right. Steamer Echo is on left, with Dispatch in center.
On October 30, 1908, it was reported that the Coquille River Transportation Company was considering bringing Liberty to Coos Bay and put it on the Coos River run.[14] The decision depended on whether a proposed merger of the lines, went through, and if it did not, Liberty, might be transferred to the bay.[14]
On November 5, 1908, Captain C.E. Edwards, who was in charge of the steamers Alert and Alma, announced that there would be a merger, effective December 1, 1908, of the craft operating on the Coos River and the various inlets around Coos Bay.[15] A new corporation would be formed to take ownership of the boats.[15] Although precisely which boats would be acquired by the corporation had not yet been determined, those controlled by Captain Rogers, the boats of Captain Edwards, and the steamer Liberty would be included.[15]
A scheduled had not been set, but Captain Edwards stated that Marshfield and North Bend would be the terminals of all the lines, and that the schedules would be spread out more, rather than bunching up together to complete for business at the same time and place.[15]
Stock from the new corporation was to be issued in a value equal to the boats and the business brought into the corporation.[15] Managers of the Coquille Transportation Company, Stratton and C.J. McLean would come to Coos Bay and participate the management of the new company.[15]
Transfer to Coos Bay
Following the merger, Liberty was brought to Coos Bay. The vessel underwent an overhaul at North Bend, which was complete by January 18, 1909, when Liberty was brought north from the Coquille River to Marshfield.[16] It was thought that Liberty would soon be placed on a regular run, probably from Marshfield to Allegany on the north fork of the Coos River, in conjunction with the Alert.[16]
On May 5, 1909, it was reported that Liberty had been placed in service towing logs, and was to overhauled in preparation for being placed into passenger service.[17] As of July 19, 1909, Liberty was still towing logs, taking a large tow that day to the C.A. Smith mill.[18] By August 20, 1909, Liberty was able to carry passengers, having been designed that day to carry a party of excursionists.[19] And by November 14, 1909, Liberty was carrying parties for events such as funerals.[20]
Sale to Coos Bay Rapid Transit Company
On April 25, 1910, the owners of Liberty, McLain,[21] Stratton, and Smith, announced that they had sold the steamer to H.P. Campbell of the Coos Bay Rapid Transit Company for a price of $10,000.[22] At about that time the Coos Bay Rapid Transit Company, whose principal promoter was Lorenzo Dow Kinney (1855-1920), was soliciting bids for the construction of a street railway from its dock in North Bend to Marshfield.[23]
Kinney, who sometimes was referred to as "Major" Kinney, was a North Bay businessman who engaged in a variety of dubious schemes.[24][25] Eventually Kinney's rapid transit plans amounted only to "a horse-drawn wagon with a nickel fare and a boat on the bay." [26]
McLain, one of the three men who sold Liberty to the Coos Bay Rapid Transit Company, later sued Kinney over the sale.[27] McLain alleged that Kinney had issued him worthless "pool certificates" for the boat's value.[28] On January 27, 1913, Captain McLain arrived in Coos County from the Columbia River to give testimony in the trial[27]
The case was tried before Coos County Circuit Court Judge John S. Coke (b.1867).[29] The plaintiffs won, and were awarded a judgment of $20,000 against Kinney.[30] In 1914, the case was argued before the Oregon Supreme Court by lawyer Charles A. Sehlbrede (1852-1922).[31] The verdict for the plaintiff was reversed by the Oregon Supreme Court, which found that the evidence produced at trial was insufficient to support the plaintiff's formal allegations.[29]
Lawsuits and claims
In addition to the Kinney matter, Liberty became subject to a lot of claims and litigation.[28] In September, 1910 a lawsuit against Liberty filed by M.H. Prendergast was scheduled to be heard before the Coos County Circuit Court.[32] In October, 1910, it was reported that Liberty was to be sold by the Sheriff to satisfy the claims of various creditors, but there was a delay in the sale so that the sheriff could evaluate the legal priority of the claims.[33] J.C. Gray held a mortgage on the steamer but there were also competing labor claims, apparently for unpaid wages.[33] It was the notice given by J.C. Gray of his mortgage that caused the sheriff to delay the sale.[33] Eventually Liberty was bought at a sheriff's sale by the Smith-Powers Logging Company and converted into a tug.[28]
Conversion to tow boat
To prepare Liberty for conversion to a tow boat, the new owners, Smith-Powers Logging Company removed the boiler so that newer boilers could be installed.[34] The old boilers from Liberty were installed into the sternwheeler Alert.[34]
Following reconstruction, on September 21, 1911, steamboat inspectors Edwards and Fuller arrived in Coos Bay from Portland to examine Liberty.[35] The reconstruction involved the installation of new and more powerful engines and the removal of the cabin from the boat.[35] On October 13, 1911, it was reported that both Liberty and the steamer Maple, on the Coquille River, both passed an inspection carried out by steamboat inspectors Fuller and Ames.[36]
Later years
In 1915, Liberty was reported to be the same length and beam as originally built, and still in passenger service, but to be somewhat reduced in size, to 140 gross and 85 net tons.[37]
In January 1916, thieves stole about $1,000 in brass and other metal parts and tools from the Liberty, the sternwheel steamer Powers, and the gasoline launch Pacific.[38] The parts and tools were sold to foundries.[38] The extensive nature of the work needed to steal the machinery, as well as the heavy weight of some of the items taken, indicated a long term planned effort by a number of conspirators.[38]
Disposition and historical issue
The last disposition of Liberty is unclear. There may have been a transfer to Pprtland. In 1917, it was reported that a vessel named Liberty had been acquired by Hosford towing concern of the Columbia River, and was under repair In Portland.[39]
One historian reports that Liberty was transferred to the San Francisco Bay, and thereafter abandoned, in 1920, on a mudflat near Oakland, California.[40] Available evidence indicates that this was incorrect. There was an earlier vessel named Liberty (U.S. registry number 141917) built at Bandon, in 1889, and operating in San Francisco Bay as of 1918.[41] At 60 gross and 30 net tons, this propeller-driven vessel was much smaller than the 1903 Bandon-built sternwheeler Liberty.[41] Unlike the 1889 propeller Liberty, the 1903 sternwheeler Liberty (U.S. registry number 200083) does not appear in the 1918 annual merchant list.[41]
Another historian lists Liberty as being out of service in 1918, with no further details.[1] End of service in 1918 is consistent with Liberty's not being shown on the 1918 list of merchant vessels.
1 2 Mills, Randall V., Sternwheelers up Columbia -- A Century of Steamboating in the Oregon Country, University of Nebraska (1947), at page 196, ISBN0-8032-5874-7 .
↑ Newell, Gordon R. ed., H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, Superior Publishing, Seattle WA (1966)
↑ Timmen, Fritz, Blow for the Landing -- A Hundred Years of Steam Navigation on the Waters of the West, Caxton Printers, Caldwell, ID (1973), at page 201, ISBN0-87004-221-1.
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.
Welcome was a sternwheel steamboat that was operated on the Coquille River on the south Oregon coast from 1900 to 1907.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
