The Waterfront Fire That Nearly Leveled Seattle
A dangerous cargo of dynamite on the schooner Idaho risked total catastrophe after a kerosene fire broke out at the Ocean Dock.
About 3 o'clock this morning the fire alarm bells began to peal forth their accustomed clamor and the streets were immediately crowded with an anxious throng, who became more and more excited when it was learned that the fire was on board the schooner Idaho, lying at the Ocean Dock. It was known that she had cases of dynamite on board, which she was to take for the cannery on Deer Island, in Alaska. The fire originated in the engine room, through a can of kerosene oil being upset and taking fire. All hands were at once turned out and set to work to subdue the fire before it spread to where the explosives were stored. Fortunately for Seattle, they succeeded in putting out the fire without the aid of the fire brigade, which was promptly on hand. What the consequences might have been had the fire reached the dynamite, it is impossible to say, but there is no doubt that at least a million dollars' worth of property would have been destroyed. This should be a lesson to the authorities not to allow any vessel containing such an amount of dangerous explosives to remain at any dock in the city.
“What the consequences might have been had the fire reached the dynamite, it is impossible to say, but there is no doubt that at least a million dollars' worth of property would have been destroyed.”
This 1884 near-miss highlights Seattle's long history as a dangerous transit point for industrial cargo. Today, the city grapples with similar risks regarding rail shipments of crude oil through densely populated urban corridors, mirroring the same civic anxiety about corporate negligence near public space.
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