, 1884-03-05
CAPT. MARY L L
The Benny Little Woman Who
Wanted n Steamboat Captains LII
renae.

New Orleans Picayune.1
Mrs. Miller is a trim, bonny little woman,
whom nobody would credit with years
enough to be tho mother, as she is, of a fam
lily Of four children, two of whom arc almost
grown.
81 came of a steamboat family said the
lady; "my father was a steamboatman, and
after 1 married Capt. Miler-that was sew
enteen years ago-I of course spent much of
my time on tine river. We have u beautiful
homo at Louisville, and my little ones are all
there now, but for the past four years l nave
been living mainly on u boat My husband
used to do nothing but pilot, and | spent much
Of my time in the pilot-house, and learned to
manage a boat and how to navigate certain
rivers in spite of myself. There is no reason
why a woman should not know or learn how
TO manage a boat as well as a sewing ma
chine"
"Women often lack confidence In their
own ability" hazarded the reporter.
She stared Il bit, and then said: ayes, that
is true. They know what to do, but prefer
to stand by and tell some man how to do it
for them. But asI was saying, | learned TO
handle a boat as well as any man on the
river, and several years ago | had occasion
to test my ability. Since my husband fell
III with fever, and we had n run of half a
hundred miles to make with several land
ings, in a very crooked bayou, l took the
boats wheel and got through all right, al
though you would have laughed over the
amazement Of the natives to see n woman
plotting. Several years ago we had to go
and take Off loaded barges from large boat
stuck on a sand bar above Cairo. My hus-
band had to leave our boat TO remain on the
other, which was leaking badly and 50 | took
the deck, and the barge made fast to us,
turned the boat around, and carried her
down to Cairo. Capt. Cannon said l had as
good a right to a captains license as any
man on the river"
what do you do with yourself all the
time, Mrs. Millcrl" ask d the reporter.
"Well, l manage all the money matters.
When we are up in the parishes l buy and
load the boat with cotton-seed, which l buy
after inspecting samples, and bring to New
Orleans and sell out to merchants. We carry
other freight. of course, and l buy oil the
boats provisions, and provisions also to sell
to the plantation hands up tho country.
Then l do all the collecting and banking
business. At first the merchants thought Il
odd to see n woman come in collecting, but J
have never yet been treated with anything
but courtesy and kindness; and, besides they
never halloo out to mo to call again. as they
might to q man"
Possessed of your captains license, what
uO gOu III " NOt
II shall keep on just as I am moving, ex,
cept that l shall be oftener OH deck and look,
ing after the boat when she lands and puts
| freight off or on. ! wanted IL license because
l had earned it, and wished to undertake
when necessary the free duties of a steamboat
captain.
"You must not think my life has been
eventful. We have never had any accidents
happen to us since we have been on the river,
and l am not afraid of any. Ours is "a thou
sahd-mile trip, and 1 sew, read, write to the
children, make out bills and take the deck
when necessary. Not many boats take our
route. 1t is through a beautiful billy coun-
try, and the people we meet at landings all
know me. Most of them call me Capt Miller
already"
"Do you think steamboating would be a
good profession for n womanf'
Certainly not, unless 1t had come to her,
not she to it-as in my own case. Steam.
boating was forced on me, and the happiest
thing 1t has taught me is that whatever a
man may learn TO do, n woman may also,
provided it is not a question of muscle"
Somebody poked an inquiring head in at
the door and asked Mrs. Miller IL she had
taken on that circular saw for the "wilder.
ness"
Mrs. Miller donued her business air and the
reporter withdrew.