The Collision in the Fog
When the passenger steamer Premier and the collier Willamette crashed off Whidbey Island, passengers were left trapped in a splintered, half-sunken wreck.
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.
Off the coast of Whidbey Island, in a dense fog, the passenger steamer Premier was struck by the collier Willamette. The prow of the massive coal ship tore through the Premier's smoking room, instantly killing several passengers and trapping others in a maze of timbers and debris. The Premier did not sink because its side plates became locked with the collier's bow, acting like a fork holding a piece of toast. Passengers were evacuated to the Willamette, though three were confirmed dead, including a young boy. The crew and passengers worked to extract the wounded from the wreckage before the tugs Goliah and Tacoma pulled the vessels apart, allowing the Willamette to limp back to Seattle.
“The sharp prow of the huge collier struck the passenger steamer at an angle of about fifty degrees... the huge wedge formed by the bow of the Willamette walked into the side of the Premier as though it had been made of paper instead of metal.”
Marine accidents in the foggy, crowded waters of Puget Sound were frequent in the late 19th century, serving as a grim reminder of the dangers inherent in the region's primary transit network. While today's ferry system is equipped with radar and advanced safety protocols, the anxiety of crossing the Sound remains a shared Seattle experience.
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