The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1903-10-22
IN TROUBLE
MANY TIMES
llI.fated South Portland Had
Bad Record on the At.
Iantic Coast.
GOVERNMENT DETAINED HER
Vessel Was In FiIibustering
Business-Wrecked Soon
After Being Placed
In Commission.

Ling before the steamer South Port
land began humping into hidden rocks
along the Pacific coast she was In
trouble In the cast where she was
built. From the time she was launched
until she went down off Cape Blanco
Monday afternoon she was In constant
trouble. the hoodoo having remained
with her until the very last.
An Associated Press dispatch receiv-
ed yesterday from New York by The
Astorian contains an interesting story
Of her troubles on the Atlantic coast.
According to this dispatch the steamer
was formerly known as the Caroline
Miller. and her alleged filibuatering
prop.nslties got her into trouble with
the government. The dispatch follows:
known on this coast as the
Caroline Miller. the steamer South
Portland, just wrecked on the Pacific
coast was seized II years ago by the
federal authorities In this port on sus-
picion Of being a fillbuster. She was
boarded on the strength Of statement
that the cargo she carried was contra
band, consisting of munitions of war |
for insurgents in Venezuela headed by |
General Joaquin Crespo. The minister |
from Venezuela insisted that Francisco |
Gonzales. as agent for Crespo shipped
the war materials, but the government !
had to recede from its position, and in |
April 1891. a verdict of $500 was award
ed against the United States for ille-
gally detaining the ship.
Captain John o'Brien. known as
Dynamite. who achieved considerable !
fame as blockade runner in Cuban |
waters. commanded the Miller"
The South Portland commenced her
career as the British steamship Dawn.
She sailed to America and entered the |
fruit trade between New York and Bar
acua. On her first voyage. however.
she was wrecked on Hoksty reef on the
north coast of Cuba. She was after |
wards raised, repaired and purchased |
by a syndicate which secured for her
American register and changed her |
name to Caroline Miller. TIE Caroline |
Miller traded along the Atlantic coast |
for some time and was finally purchas-
ed by the Progreso Steamship Company
renamed South Portland and brought
out TO this coast. where she remained
ever since. A few weeks ago she again
changed owners. She had bumped on
the nigh places OF the ocean on various
occasions. Once she took fire while tied
at the sea wall and to save her, she had
t. be filled with water and foundered.
Captain Mcintyre has had an extern
sive matrimonial career. His first wife
was California girl, and when the
captain fell in love with the present |
Mrs. Mcintyre, the first wife instituted |
suit for damage for alleged alienation
OF her husbands affections. The sec
end wife is very wealthy and the jury |
that heard the case awarded the plain
tiff $4,000. Mrs. Mcintyre lives at
Oakland and she Is said by friends to
have repeatedly urged her husband to
quit the sea. His fondness for the life.
however. was too pronounced to be re-
sisted. Whether or not his recent ex-
perience will have the effect Of bring
ing him around TO his wife's way of
thinking Is problematical.
Captain McIntyre's father was lost
at sea in a disaster similar to the South
Portland wreck. AS captain of the
collier Bristol he ran on reef in Queen
Charles sound off the coast of Georgia.
The ship went down and the captain
and some OF the crew were lost with
her. Captain Mcintyre left considera-
BILE property at Port Townsend Wash.