The Hero of the Harbor
A young man who gave his life to rescue a child from Seattle's harbor is laid to rest by a grieving community.
The funeral of Robert R. King, the young man who was drowned in the harbor Saturday while rescuing a 12-year-old boy who had fallen into the water, took place yesterday afternoon at 2 o'clock from the undertaking rooms of Bonney & Stewart. The funeral sermon was preached by Rev. D. C. Garrett and the room in which the services were held was filled with friends of the unfortunate young man and others who, though they had not known him in life, were there out of respect for his bravery. The interment was made in Lake View Cemetery.
“The room in which the services were held was filled with friends of the unfortunate young man and others who, though they had not known him in life, were there out of respect for his bravery.”
Public mourning for an ordinary citizen lost in a heroic act highlights the close-knit nature of 1890s Seattle. Today, this kind of local tragedy is often aggregated into citywide crime or safety reporting, losing the individual story of bravery that once drew a crowd of strangers to a funeral home.
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