The Fire That Starved a City: How a Burning Lime Ship Stalled Seattle’s Building Boom
When the steamer *Yquina* exploded in flames at Pacific Dock, it didn't just destroy $35,000 worth of cargo—it left 600 mechanics without work and halted the construction of a growing metropolis.
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.
The lime cargo of the steamer *Yquina* took fire this morning, about one hour after the vessel had cast off at Pacific dock. The deck load had been discharged. A blue flame burst from the hatchway, which was quickly battened down. Efforts were made to extinguish the fire with carbolic acid gas, but no appliances could be obtained to generate sufficient gas.
The owners were getting ready to bore holes in the deck and smother the fire with sand when the flames burst out in the engine room, and enveloped the after cabin. This was about 3 o'clock. The lines were cut loose and the steamer drifted down stream. Capt. Denny, the mate and crew, stayed aboard. A line was cast to the steamer *Lurline*, and the *Yquina* was towed to mid-stream, and thence to the East Portland shore, and scuttled.
The Jefferson street ferryboat steamed alongside, and is now pouring on a good stream of water. The upper works are gone, the hull may be saved. The masts are still standing. She was valued at $35,000, three-fourths being owned by Z. J. Hatch, and one-fourth by D. S. Tutbill. No insurance. Loss to cargo $4,000, which falls on the San Juan Lime Co.
On account of the great building boom this spring, the market was bare of lime, and 600 mechanics were out of work waiting for this shipment, so that work could be resumed.
LATER—The steamer has burned to the water's edge, and will be nearly a total loss.
This incident highlights how fragile urban infrastructure was in the late 19th century; a single uninsured cargo fire didn't just mean financial loss for owners like Z.J. Hatch, but immediate economic paralysis for hundreds of local laborers. It mirrors modern supply chain vulnerabilities where a disruption in key materials can stall entire construction sectors and leave workers idle.
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