The Rusting Box Factory
A Seattle entrepreneur's attempt to reclaim machinery from a failed East Clallam factory is thwarted by the local sheriff.
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.
EAST CLALLAM, Jan. 4. — [Special.] — The steamer Wilmington called here Sunday morning on her way from Portland to take a lot of machinery to Seattle. She did not get it because the sheriff has charge of it at present. The machinery was shipped here a year ago by D. R. Bigelow, of Seattle, to be used in a box factory. It was formerly used in the old Seattle barrel factory. The box factory was never built, and after lying rusting on the wharf many months, it goes back to Seattle again. Bigelow replevied it about two weeks ago and subsequently sent the Wilmington to take it away, but the deputy sheriff here refused to give it up without an order from court.
“The box factory was never built, and after lying rusting on the wharf many months, it goes back to Seattle again.”
Business ventures in the Pacific Northwest frequently faced boom-and-bust cycles that left behind 'industrial ghosts'—abandoned equipment and unbuilt factories. Like modern commercial disputes, this case highlights the complexities of salvage and legal possession when speculative investments go sour.
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