The Pride of the Sound Lost to Fire
Seattle’s fastest steamer, the Flyer, is reduced to a charred hull in a spectacular midnight harbor blaze.
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.
At midnight the steamer Flyer was burned at the Commercial wharf in full view of thousands. Blazes broke forth from the interior of the boat and the whole harbor was lighted by a lurid glare. A fire was discovered by a worker loading wood who saw flames bursting from the ventilators. Within five minutes the steamer was wrapped in flames. First Mate Nixon had a narrow escape, nearly suffocated by smoke. While the fire department was quickly on the scene, the fireboat was criticized for being slow and ineffective in its initial maneuvers. The Flyer, designed by Captain U. B. Scott and built in Portland, was considered the speediest boat on the Sound. While damage estimates range from $5,000 to $20,000, it is hoped the machinery can be salvaged and the boat rebuilt.
“A moment after the alarm had been turned in blazes broke forth from all parts of the boat and, as they leaped skyward, the whole harbor was lighted up with a lurid glare.”
The Flyer was a marvel of the 1890s maritime transit, connecting Seattle and Tacoma in a race for speed. Today, the location of the Commercial wharf corresponds to the bustling waterfront near Colman Dock, where high-speed ferries still define the rhythm of the city.
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