The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-11-01
GOV. ROGERS vtNAl BOARD
OF PILOT commissioners.


Doth crews OF plots WorNnE fSru TOT
the business The sails OF an incoming
vessel far out az sea. would hardly be
sighted. before these rival pilot boats
would be racing for the prime Rates
were often cut. an excellent service and
quick dispatch rendered, all Of which
was daily commented upon by Portland
and Astoria papers.
Gov Rogers present board. composed
OF j. J. Brumhach. an attorney OF IL
waco, Wash: Nick Kofoed. saloon
keeper. OF the same place. and Charles
T. Smith tsaid TO be q resident of Ore
Eon). was appointed and assumed con-
troll about February ?. 1855. Then trouble
at once commenced. and the former ex-
celient pilot service was deliberately ru-
ined- The Washington pilot boat 'Jcs-
Sic was thrown out OF commission. the
business turned over TO the oregon pilot
ring. the pilot board OF the state OF
Washington made the tail end OF the
Oregon board and the state Of Washing
ton stultined and disgraced.
Such infamous and htgh-handed outrage
was more than Commissioner Smith
would stand. The law required that all
the commissioners should be residents and
citfsens OF Washington. Mr. Smith was
said to he a resident OF Astoria, Or. and
considerable criticism. facetious and 9TH
erwise. was at that time passed upon Gov.
Rogers for apparently not knowing that
ington. II Is not known whether any
proof sheets OF the Wagner geography
were current at that time or not. Never
theless, whether Mr. Smith was from
Washington. Oregon or Venezuela. he
would not stand the racket he COM
planned TO the governor and preferred
charges In writing against the other two
commissioners 10 Gov. Rogers, who there
upon appointed Fred L. Rice. of South
bend, ex-Populsst county attorney for
Pacific county. to investigate the charges
and report his findings TO him the gov
ernor. The result OF this investlRa ton
Is best told in an editorial article OF tho
Cathiamet Gazette, OF January ~ 1900
Following. This paper Is published at
cathlamet, Wahkiakum county. and IL
one OF the strongest and most able Demo-
cratic weekly newspapers published In
the state OF Washington. Under the head
lines The Pilot Board Mockery." the
paper said:
Com.sssioner c. r. sssssA's Charges.
This report Of Fred r. Rice, who was
appointed by Gov. Rogers to investigate
the charges preferred by Charles r Smith.
MEMBER q the washington pilot hoard. .
aeainst N G. Kofoed and J. J. Brumbach.
should be Immediately acted on.
First. the governor should remove c.
I. smith at once and put Washington
The. charges preferred by Mr.. Smith
were that the majority Of the board had
disseminated against Washington boats
and pilots; that Kofoed and Brumhach
bad received money unlawfully from the
oregon pilot board and had licensed
Oregon boats and pilots. The especial
70 license the schooner Jessie owned by
Robert Carruthers OF Astoria This boat
had been under commission by the pilots
sesa Washington ny SFsnshss and had
but the owner substituted scrap iron IN
ballast for the pig lead which had been
n her and sold the latter. The pilots then
declined to go into the boat claiming
that the scrap iron ballast would shift in
storm. and the board refused 10 re-
new her LICENSE. and licensed. instead,
cipally by the Oregon pfiots.
These charges are all rot. The incident
OF pig lead and scrap iron was simply
the Washington board an ostensiblc cause
Tor standing In The truth or falslty Of
the charges. Is not open to question. ns
every one knows who Is posted on the
machinery. absolute power and unnc-
sountabic acts and rulings Of both boards
that they are more liable to be true than
s. rsy ARE ins ns as'o sry
make no reports to the legislatures that
arc worth the paper they are written on.
Every word and figure In them = adrois-
~ placed so as TO deceive the public. and
material facts and necessary information
are omitted so the inside majority can
enlarge. secure and perpetuate the graft
The smith charges on their face, are the
strongest proofs OF these assertions.
They are the result Of fight over the
spoiis. From the time the schooner Jss-
ste poked her nose into the pilot pre-
serves there has been trouble over the
sack. when the Jessie had hold OF the
dug we beard no sauaking.
MIR Rice winds Of his report IN these
telling sentences:
" THE only evidence Of any money hav-
ing been used ilisraliy was IN the state.
ment % Mr.. Brumbach that he had found
$3.50 in his overcoat pocket after meet
inx with the Oregon pilot hoard. and had
turned u over 10 the secretary of said
THE report concludes with the state
mont that hut one thing stands out
clearly as the result ~ the Investigation.
Warrington board: furthermore, that
there are. In reality. no Washington pilots
and no Washington rilothcat and that
one Of IN. Washington board he COM
Of astoria, Or
don't know how Mr. Rlce could have
quantity and exposing hollow political
fpnckery. no boat, no pilots. ard NJ
Smith. who makes the kick. a resldent ~
Oregon. Anything more needed csst
board "a slrspiy ornamental tail fnr
The oregon kite For the majority of the
persons on IL. u looks, 20 = man up 4
tree ~ " these sinscurss might he made
exceedingly lucrative. II "a verv tesnp;-
Ing ia any mans virtue 20 nnA s1sa ~
uneaFnei Increment s'inpef into ~.
pocket This II this graft ~ n dividend
thereof wrun9 from the ~hirning over
the r0iurshln river bar, We understand
Mr. Rrurnbach turned the ssn nve- 20 the
secr~tprw ~ 80 nrswon hoard. WIN -
Rim what std the secretary ~ With n
Return 4. 20 Mr. rrnnshache We venture
10 remark TRAIT Secretary f'huttsr viii
MT rrgsntaon She fnrfdent In his three-rAF@
saa rerars 10 the Oregon legislature.
Thereby haner ere tale
'.fsov Rogers should remove Ag Smith
NJ once ard ~ ~ desires The frsie In
warsfneas ~ Tho rharwet ~ rrrrrrsfnn ~
~fii Ord X wsshtn the exclusive star
ree-rhpr - she flrprr- rifef h~erf
The Oregon rfrstfesl Pilot ninH.
The only result ~ this Investigation wss
that NJ Smith wns r@ynHyea frcsa M
commission ard n - English, hetsr ~
f.sne besrh Washington. srpetrsed IN
his stead. sra she commissioners are
neAin a '1ssppy ard united famiiy
n - peculiar thar the reT~rror dia nor
fisrnq0r fhe faes that Mr.. Smith VAS
resident ~ Ast0ria. Ore nrti that