Kruse shingle mill, on the river near Prosper. Dispatch had just left the dock at Prosper when the fire was observed. The boat came alongside the mill and fought the fire with the on-board fire fighting equipment. Although there was some damage from the fire, the prompt intervention of Dispatch prevented the fire from spreading throughout the mill. Collision with Telegraph On January 22, 1917, near Prosper, the sternwheeler Telegraph, under the command of Capt. Allan R. Panter, collided with Dispatch. Capt. Thomas O. White, of Dispatch, attributed the collision to "'pure cussedness'", apparently on the part of Captain Panter. As a result of this collision the license of Captain Panter was suspended for thirty days. About a year previously, Captain Panter's license had been suspended for 18 months, but the suspension time had been reduced following Panter's appeal. There had been a number of similar incidents on the river, and rivalry between the competing steamboat lines was thought to be the principal reason for the Coquille River cases being investigated by the steamboat inspectors. Loss of a crewman On March 22, 1920, the drowning of a Dispatch crewman was reported. D.A. Davis, age 19, fell off the boat while milk was being loaded at the Walstrom wharf. No one saw him fall into the water, and he was not noticed missing until someone saw him disappear below the water's surface, 100 feet away from the boat, having been washed there by the tide. Transfer to Coos Bay After 1920, Dispatch was transferred to Coos Bay and operated out of Marshfield under the name John Wildi. Modern cultural depiction Murals showing Dispatch, Coquille and other Coquille River steamboats were painted on the exterior walls of the Coquille City Hall in 1997. See also Steamboats of the Coquille River Notes References Historic Oregon Newspapers Newell, Gordon R. ed., H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, Superior Publishing, Seattle WA (1966) 1903 ships Coos County, Oregon Steamboats of Oregon Ships built in Oregon