The San Francisco call., 1913-08-24
LANDL UBbER HAS
STRENUOUS TRIP
Sidney Miller Finds False
Colors Hard to Fly on
Bel1orado
Announces Own Death, but
Resurrects Himself and
Goes to Work

When the British steamer Bellorado,
Captain Aagaard.s bound from Newport
News for San Francisco, called at Mon
tevideo for bunker fuel. Sidney Miller,
a young man in more or less distress
saw a chance to secure cheap transpor-
tation to California. There was a
shortage in the tramp's deck depart
ment. and Captain Aagaard very will
ingly shipped Miller as a seaman.
The BelIorado arrived yesterday with
s,417 tons OF coal for the United States
navy and tale, in which Miller was
the central figure, that illustrated the
folly of sailing under false colors.
Within a few hours after the steamer
left Montevideo Captain Aagaard dis
covered that Miller had not told the
truth in describing himself as a sea-
man. AS the captain was running q
ship and not training school he de-
cided that as long as Miller could not
do the work for which he had signed
he would be given work that he could
do
He was turned over to the chief en-
Eineer and put to work shoveling coal
into the Bellorado's furnaces. He dis
appeared July II. In his place he left
two letters. In one. addressed to the cap
tain, he told that cruel shellback what
he thought about him. You are try
ing to kill me-" he wrote, 80 / have
decided to save you further trouble by
drowning myself"
The letter to the chief engineer was
a request that the chief say goodby to
his shipnnates for him.
As Miller didn't look like a man with
enough nerve to drown himself the
skipper ordered the ship searched. For
three DAYS deck force and black squad
hunted through the dark places below
decks On the third day Miller, hungry
and thirsty. appeared on deck.
He had built an elaborate cave for
himself in one Of the coal bunkers.
AS the work involved in constructing
the hiding place had evidently required
greater physical effort than he had
been called upon to perform in the
stoke hold, the skipper ordered him
back to work. He refused to turn 70.
He was put in irons. short spell In
irons and he sent for the captain He
was willing to work, he said.
Before going to work the skipper
made him sign a letter in which II was
false pretenses and that the punish
ment he had suffered had been earned
by laziness. From that time on Miller
shoveled coal with will and when the
ship arrived here looked as If hard
work had done him more good than
OIL Fuel PIeases CoIonia1s
The new liner Niagara, which Is
being operated by the Union Steamship
company between the antipodes ana
Puget sound, IS the first Of the com
experience with liquid fuel on the
Niagara depended to some extent the
carrying out of the plans for the con-
version of all the company's ships from
coal to oil burners The Niagara has
just completed it's second trip to Puget
sound and the company officials report
that oil was burned exclusively on the
last trip and found to be great sue
cess. This means that the company's
ships running to this port viii all be
using the California product before
many months
Spokane to Take Lost Ships Plnce
The Pacific Coast Steamship company
has announced that the crack liner
Spokane will be placed on the Skagway
run on the completion OF its present
voyage in place of the i'll fated State
of California. This will permit a main
tenance without break of the south
eastern Alaska schedule. The Spokane,
now on an excursion cruise, is due back
in Seattle August 26. and will take up
the States schedule immediately, 1eav-
ing Seattle. August 81. The Spokane
is equipped with double bottoms and
has a number of watertight bulkheads,
and Is peculiarly fitted for work Id
northern waters.
water Front Notes
Receipts of lumber yesterday by sea
amounted to 10000 feet
The Pacific Mail liner China is due
tomorrow from the far east and is
expected to arrive about 2 o'clock p. m
The Pacific Coast Steamship COM
pany's President sailed yesterday for
Seattle with 467 passengers.
The steamer Homer. with a large
shipment of skins from the seal
islands, Is expected to arrive tomorrow
Change of Masters
Steamer Henrietta-T. G. Low. old