The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1883-10-25
TWENTY YEARS AGO.
A Renaissance of the 'Shu-
buck"

/
geles, contributes the sketch following
to the Port Townsend Argus:
AS few of your readers ever heard
how the Collector of Customs, Victor
Smith, captured the Shubrick, then
revenue cutter in this district, from
the officers and crew, thought it
would interest them, as l can give the
fall particulars, having been on board
at the time.
In '63 or GA, after Victor Smith,
the then Collector of Customs, had
established the port of entry at Port
Angeles, he commenced erecting build
ings for custom house and marine hos
pital, and to carry out his idea of
economy. utilized the forces under his
control in their construction. In
spectOrs and revenue cutters were all
made to do their share of the work.
The Shubrick was then in command of
Capt. Pease, and was made TO do the
freighting of brick, lime and lumber,
greatly to the disgust Of the officers
and crew. She made several trips to
Port Madison and other places for
brick and lumber, and it was laugh
able to see old Collins, the boatswaln,
piping the men on board with lumber
on their shoulders growing and
stumbling at every step. This went
on for some time, Captain Pease re-
monstrating with the collector against
such humiliating work, which he said
was beneath the dignity of the service
which he represented, and had a de-
moralizing effect ON his officers and
crew: but the collector paid no atten-
ton to them. At length Captain
Pease and his officers could or would
stand it no longer, and concluded TO
leave this station and 60 to San Fran
cisco with the cutter, without asking
permission. and then lay their case
before the secretary of the treasury.
In the meantime, keeping their own
counsel, they got permission to coal
and wood up, which they dId with an
eye to their intended trip to San
Francisco; for it was found afterward
that she had Oh board eighty tons OF
coal and forty cords of wood. Whether
the collector was informed of their in
tention or not, l don't know; but GER
tain it was he had got wind of some.
thing and laid his plans accordingly,
which succeeded to his entire satisfac-
tion.
About that time there arrived al
) Port Angeles a special agent, ID. W.
Brown, to investigate the custom
house affairs, to whom the collector
, appealed, and got his sanction to dis
charge the officers and crew, it wa:
said, by charging the officers with
, secession proclivities, and he feared
| they were about to turn the Shubricl
: into rebel cruiser, strengthening hi
: suspicion by the extra fuel taken oil
:, board without his consent. How true
4 this was don't know, but subsequen
events which :ranspired led me to be
= lieve that something of the kind wa
suspected and told to Special Agen
. Brown to get his consent to what h
S was about to do without informing tn
!, officers of the Shubrick
s Our country was at that time bleed
u ing at every lore, and sanitary fund
were collected everywhere to alleyi
e ate the suferings of our soldiers i
the field. Victor Smith, the Co
lector, and p. ID. Moore, the deputy
! were very active collecting funds fo
l. that purpose. One morning the co
]. lector said to me.
IS "Do You want to go to Victorial"
'r "Hes, | said. p"
= "Well, said he, "give me three do
r lars for the sanitary fund and yo
l. can go over on the ShWbrisk."
This | willingly did, not having ii
least suspicion of what was going
transpire on land.
n When | got on. board I was astonisl
ed to see So many passengers, ar
said to myself, "the sanitary fund hi
made a nice raise, if all of these me
IT. have paid three dollars like me-" "
er got under way and steamed out of Il
at harbor, Capt. Pease and officers {
recting everything as usual. ! mott
ed the collector and special agent
close conversation all the time, al
the other passengers standing IN my
teriOus groups about the quarter-dec
After crossing the center Of the Strai
. Of Fuca into British waters the rev
rs nue. flag was hauled down and I
J national flag hoisted up. as is t
rt- custom. The collector called Capita
w Pease and his officers together, an
without any preliminaries, said:
al relieve you of ali further CO.
w, mand on board of this vessel,