Seven Tons of Banking Disaster
A construction accident at the Dr. Horton & Co. bank building left a heavy stone facade in ruins on the sidewalk after a derrick bolt sheared off.
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.
One of the derricks being used to hoist a huge stone over the front arch on the Dr. Horton & Co. bank building gave way about 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon. As the stone went down with a jerk, the other derrick also gave way, letting it fall to the sidewalk. The stone was broken into three pieces, and three workmen who stood close by were slightly hurt. Aside from the breaking of the stone and one derrick, no damage was done. The stone cost about $750 and weighed seven tons. The accident was caused by the breaking of a bolt which ran through a piece of iron forming the drum into the shaft of the winding gear. When the bolt broke, the gaspipe slipped around on the shaft, letting the rope unwind.
“As the stone went down with a jerk, the other derrick also gave way, letting it fall to the sidewalk.”
The 'Dr. Horton & Co. bank' refers to the Dexter Horton Bank, a cornerstone of early Seattle finance. While the construction methods of the 1890s relied on heavy derricks and exposed iron bolts, modern Seattle downtown construction continues to navigate the precarious balance of building upward while keeping the bustling sidewalks below safe.
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