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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 5 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1880 | 1 |
14 stories matching dock
- The Boiler That Killed Safety: How Neglect Nearly Sank the Oliver Walcott
A steamboat captain’s repeated warnings about a faulty boiler were ignored by department officials until the vessel burst into the dock at Port Townsend, leaving it stranded for repairs.
- The Man Who Mistook the Dock for a Bath
A intoxicated sawmill driver nearly drowned in Seattle’s harbor after mistaking the dark water of Yeager's Wharf for a swimming hole.
- The City That Couldn't Host Its Guests
As steamers bring hundreds of travelers to Seattle, local hotels are full and a new building sits empty in legal limbo, leaving strangers sleeping on docks.
- The Boom on Front and Columbia
As Seattle grew in the summer of 1878, new tenements began rising on the waterfront, promising modern conveniences in the shadow of the bustling docks.
- The Tragedy of the Seattle Coal Docks
A tragic industrial accident at the local coal incline leaves a community in mourning as safety standards remain a distant concern.
- The Steamer Fanny Gets Stuck on a Wharf
A routine docking in Seattle goes wrong when the tide turns, leaving a steamer mangled and its captain scrambling for repairs.
- A Daring Rescue at the Waterfront
A young boy pushed into the water from a wharf is saved by a quick-thinking mate from a nearby steamer.
- The Night Watchman's Dilemma: A Call for Safety on Seattle’s Dark Wharves
In September 1876, the Seattle City Council was urged to intervene after late-night passengers were forced to navigate dangerous docks alone, highlighting the precarious nature of early urban infrastructure.
- The Ghost of the Liverpool Run
A sailor vanishes from his ship during a squall, only to reappear in an English port, leaving his crew convinced they’ve been haunted by a stowaway.
- The Girl Who Danced on the Boom: A Seattle Near-Miss
In October 1876, a young girl’s reckless game on a floating log boom in Elliott Bay nearly ended in tragedy, sparking warnings about parental neglect and the dangers of Seattle’s waterfront.
- The Engineer Who Vanished Into the Sound
A respected steamboat captain’s sudden disappearance in October 1878 sparks a desperate search and a grim theory of accidental drowning.
- The Great Rancher's Fiasco: When Seattle Met the 'Eastern Immigrant'
A local farmer’s desperate search for farmhands on the docks of Pioneer Square ends in comedy of errors, revealing a cultural clash between Washington Territory agriculture and the influx of Eastern settlers.
- A Kingdom Waiting for Rails
In 1878, Eastern Washington farmers were literally building homes out of willow poles because the cost of shipping lumber across the Cascades was ruinous.
- An Indigenous Woman Left to Die at Seattle’s Mechanic Wharf
When five Indigenous people were rescued from a capsized canoe in Seattle’s harbor, a local resident threw one woman into the mud and left her to die.