that the loss to the company exceeded the amount received for delivering the freight. A local newspaper expressed dismay that these incidents were becoming more frequent, adding that "Salem [the location of the state penitentiary] has a proper retreat for such characters, and they should be forced to emigrate there and be properly attired." Mechanical problems Dispatch was out of service from the fall of 1907 to the spring of 1908 because of mechanical problems. On October 17, 1907, it was reported that Dispatch had been out of service "for some time" waiting for new boilers to arrive from San Francisco. The old boilers had been condemned by the steamboat inspectors. Dispatch had been kept at a dock pending delivery of the boilers, but the week before the October 17 report, it had been necessary to tow the boat upriver to free up the wharf space for active vessels. On March 28, 1908, it was reported that the new boiler had been placed into Dispatch, and the connections were in the process of being made. The boat was being repainted in white trimmed with red. The new boiler was larger than the old one, and was expected to drive the vessel at a greater speed. The boat was expected to be back in operation by April 1, 1908, or a few days later. By May 10, 1908, Dispatch was back in service, being scheduled that day to pick up a train-load of excursionists from Marshfield at Cedar Point, transport them to Bandon, arriving at 10:45 a.m., and then depart Bandon at 5:00 to return to Cedar Point to catch the train back to Marshfield. Late in the afternoon of Saturday November 7, 1908, near Prosper, Oregon, a shaft pin, which connected the sternwheel's driving arm to the wheel itself, broke while Dispatch was underway, causing severe damage, estimated at $1,000, before the machinery could be halted. No one was injured, which was reported to have been "almost miraculous." It was initially estimated that it would take at least six weeks to repair the damage. The sternwheel steamer Liberty was called on to take over Dispatchs run on the Coquille River, which resulted in a delay of Liberty then-scheduled transfer to Coos Bay service. Fire at shingle mill On the afternoon of the Wednesday before June 13, 1916, at about 4:00 pm, fire broke out in the boiler room of the