The Harbor Master's War with the Steamer E.W. Purdy
A standoff at the Commercial wharf leads to a municipal court battle over who truly controls the waterfront.
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.
W. K. Merwin, captain of the steamer E. W. Purdy, appeared in municipal court to answer the charge of violating the harbor ordinance on January 24 by refusing to move his boat at the order of Harbormaster B. Jelich. The trouble arose at the Commercial wharf, where the Purdy was tied up. The steamer Flyer, Captain John Jorgenson, arrived, and there was not room for her to land properly. Harbormaster Jelich gave orders for the captain of the Purdy to move, but he refused. Harbormaster Jelich stated: 'I ordered him to leave the wharf because it is a part of my duty. I want the case decided one way or the other, so I can know what power I have. Mr. Dobson, owner of the Commercial wharf, has granted all the privileges of the wharf to the Puget Sound and Columbia River Steamship Navigation Company, and when one of their boats comes to the dock no other boat has any right there.'
“I want the case decided one way or the other, so I can know what power I have.”
This dispute over dock priority and the power of harbor regulations mirrors modern conflicts in Seattle’s busy industrial waterfront, where private agreements and public authority often clash over limited berthing space.
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