The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-03-07
CAPTAIN MARY MILLER.
AND HOW SIZE HANDLES THE LITTLE
STEAMER SALINE.
A Reporter HAS n Pleasant Chat
With the First Feminine Captain
of the T,and.


river where it washes the big foot of
Canal street, peculiar, pert little
whistle, and a small, queer looking craft
comes with a steady, sturdy motion,
swinging into port. Alongside of the
big up-river boat this craft ties up, lying
like pigmy 'twiXt giants. The hind
part of the Saline is well boxed up in
front, there's room for much freight, aid
u pair of stairs as straight and as steep
as the path of the righteous lead to the
upper deck, and office and living cabins
of the boat. On top of the cabin deck
squats a pilot house, out of which many
and many a time jewellers on
Bayou Bpuf, Bayou Macon and along
the yellow Red river have seen the
smart, handsome, shrewd, but womanly
face of Captain Mary Miller pccring, as
she carefully, but with the air of CON
cious capability, pulled at her wooden
reins and guided the Saline in and out
and all around the torturcsome windings
of Louisiana waters The Saline was
built, is owned and run by Captain Mil
Ter, the husband of Captain Mary Mil
Ter. She makes Il round trip 1000 miles
in length, and does business mostly on
her own hook. The small cabin is the
floating home of the only woman steam
boat captain in America. One day
last week Picdyune reporter
crawled gingerly up the stairway
and got into the Saline's cabin.
First door on the inside opened into the
Office, then the passage was broadened
and expanded into the proportions of a
good sized room. On one side hunks
were ranged, with rcd chintz curtains
tucked away from them and suggesting
the possibility of semi privacy when night
came on and the tired passengers or crew
turned in. A big cannon stove, at that
moment red as aturkey gobbler's wattles,
stood roaring and grooming in the middle
of the floor; beyond it two doors evil
IDENTIFY shut off two ll-blown state
rooms. A sewing machine and some
dainty work nightly like child's dress
was in view, and by the stove in Il splint-
bottomed rocking-chair sat Mary Miller.
Mrs. Miller is a trim, bonny little wo-
man, whom nobody would credit with
years enough to be the mother, as she is,
of family of four children, two Of whom
are almost grown.
The reporter was made welcome with
the otf-hand hearty hospitality that seems
natural with almost all steamboat folks,
and being seated in another rocking
chair-surc evidence of womans man
agement, the talk naturally turned to
Mrs. Miller's unusual life.
81 come of steamboat family" said
the lady; my father was a steamboat man,
and after | married Captain Miller-that
was seventeen years ago-I of course spent
much of my time on the liver We have
f,,1 I i
little ones are all there now, but for the
past four years | have been living main
ly on boat. My husband used to do
nothing but pilot, and l spent much of
my time in the pilot house and learned to
manage boat and how to navigate GER
tain rivers in spite of myself. There is no
reason why a woman should not know or
learn how to manage a boat as we'll as
sewing machine"
"Women often lack confidence in their
own ability" hazardcd the reporter,
She stared a bit, and then said: "Yes,
that is true. They know what to do. but
prefer to stand by and tell some man how
to do it for them. But, as l was saying,
l learned to handle a boat as well as
any man on the river, and several years
ago | had occasion to test my ability.
Once my husband fell i'll with fever, and
we had a run of half hundred miles to
make, with several landings, in very
crooked bayou. | took the boats wheel
and got through all right, although YOU
would have laughed over the amazemcnt
OF the natives to see a woman pilot
ing. Several years ago we had to 90
and take off loaded barges from a large
boat stuck on the sandbar above Cairo.
My husband had to leave our boat to re-
main on the other, which was leaking
badly, and so | took the deck, had the
bargeS made fast to u.s. turned the boat
round and carried her down to Cairo.
Captain Cannon said then had as good
right to IL captains license as any man
on the river"
"What do you do with yourself all the
time, Mrs Miller" asked the reporter.
"Well, | manage all the money matters.
When we are up in the parishes, buy
and load the boat with cotton seed, which
| buy after inspecting samples, and bring
to New Orleans and sell out to merchants.
We carry other freight, of course and |
buy all the boats provisions, and pro-
visions, also to sell to the plantation hands
up the country. Then | do all the col
Letting and banking business. At first
the merchants thought it odd to see u
woman come in collecting, but | have
never yet been treated with anything but
courtesy and Kindness and, beside. they
never halloo out to me to call again, >
as they might to man."
Possessed of your captains license,
what do YOU mean to doI"
81 shall keep on just as l am moving,
except that | shall be oftener on deck
and looking after the boat when she
lands and puts freight off or on. ]
wanted a license because | had earned it
and wished to undertake, when necessary,
the free duties of a steamboat captain.
"Iou must not think my life has been
eventful. We have never had any acct
dents happen to us since we have been
on the river, and | am not afraid of any.
Ours is thousand mile trip, and | sew,
pp11 NVyitn IN tho rbil1ror