The Tragic Final Wages of John Smith
A deckhand on the steamer 'McNaught' met a mysterious and lonely end on the Seattle waterfront, leaving behind nothing but a tragic search for dignity.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
During the coroner's inquest over the remains of John Smith, who was found dead on the wharf Tuesday morning, it was learned that he was employed as a fireman on the tug McNaught. As there is much mystery surrounding the matter, a reporter boarded that steamer as soon as she struck the wharf to ascertain any additional facts. Captain Gilmore stated that Smith had worked for about a month. Monday evening about six o'clock, he said he wanted some money, and I saw him with a $20 gold piece and five dollars in silver. When I handed him the money, I said, 'Now I suppose you will go and get drunk and be broke tomorrow.' He declared he would not get drunk, but that he would go to the town and buy some clothes, as he had nothing decent to wear. That is the last I ever saw of him.
“He declared he would not get drunk, but that he would go to the town and buy some clothes, as he had nothing decent to wear.”
This 1887 story of a laborer seeking fresh clothes only to meet a solitary death on the docks resonates with the enduring vulnerability of transient workers in Seattle. It highlights a recurring theme in the city's history: the precarious life of the waterfront worker and the invisible human cost of a port town's rapid, industrial expansion.
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