Fatal Slip at the City Dock
A tragic accident at the Seattle waterfront claims the life of a popular steamboat steward.
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.
Jack McGillis, steward of the steamer Fairhaven, was drowned this morning at 1:30 o'clock while boarding the steamer at the City dock. Fifteen minutes before the alarm of "man overboard" was given, Officer Laabscher saw McGillis and a woman named Mrs. Annie Chapman walking down the dock toward the boat. McGillis walked unsteadily and the officer thought him under the influence of liquor. McGillis and his companion reached the steps on the south end of the dock, and the woman stayed at the entrance while he went down the steep and slippery incline to get out a plank to board. When he was half way down, he slipped and plunged headlong, striking his head against either a pile or the side of the boat, and splashed into the water. Night Watchman William Greene heard the noise and rushed out on deck. Mrs. Chapman, who was later identified at the Famous House, stated that McGillis did not say a word or make a cry and likely was stunned by the impact. As of press time, the body had not been recovered.
“The steward has killed himself.”
The waterfront of the 1890s was a hazardous industrial edge where liquor, steep docks, and minimal lighting made simple boarding a life-or-death risk. Today, the modern piers of downtown Seattle are high-traffic tourist zones, but they still retain that same precarious relationship between the solid city and the deep, cold water of the Sound.
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