The Dry Dock Dispute: How One Man Blocked Seattle's Homecoming Heroes
Seattle citizens are furious that Acting Secretary of War Meiklejohn refused to send the First Washington Volunteers directly from Manila to Port Orchard, citing Naval Constructor Endicott’s claim that the local dry dock was useless.
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 letter from Acting Secretary of War Meiklejohn declining to bring the First Washington volunteers direct from Manila to Seattle on a government transport will cause a profound feeling of disappointment throughout the community. It had been confidently expected that the war department would accede to the urgent request of the chamber of commerce and the citizens generally that the soldiers should come here instead of being sent to San Francisco. The thing desired seemed so entirely reasonable that scarcely anyone questioned the action that would be taken by the authorities in Washington.
It seems, however, that the hostile influence of Naval Constructor Endicott, who is strongly opposed to the development of the dry dock facilities at Port Orchard, has again made itself manifest. The Acting Secretary of War states that he referred the request from Seattle to the Quartermaster General of the army and the latter, judging from appearances, consulted Constructor Endicott, who declared that the Port Orchard dry dock, opposite Seattle, was good for nothing and that not even a transport could be properly prepared there for a return trip to Manila. Hence the adverse action taken by Secretary Meiklejohn.
Of course, the citizens of Seattle know that Endicott's hostility is not based upon any good reasons whatever, as the Port Orchard dry-dock has ample facilities for handling any transport that might be sent to this port with troops, but the unpleasant fact remains that Secretary Meiklejohn has not been made aware of the fact. It is possible that an immediate and energetic protest on the part of the city sent to the secretary, might have an effect despite the antagonism of Constructor Endicott, especially if reinforced by personal efforts on the part of United States senators and congressmen from this State.
In the meantime, however, there is no reason why the preparations to receive the soldiers should languish. The boys are entitled to a grand reception and they will get it. The thing to do is to arrange to have the regiment mustered out in Seattle.
This 1902 dispute highlights how early infrastructure decisions—specifically the neglect of Port Orchard's dry dock compared to San Francisco—shaped Seattle’s economic destiny. It mirrors modern debates over regional equity, where federal investment often bypasses smaller Washington communities in favor of larger hubs, leaving local leaders fighting for basic recognition and resources.
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