The City’s New Fire Engine Takes a Dive
A brand new, expensive fire engine rolls off a wharf and sinks into the bay during a botched test run.
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.
By an extraordinary accident, the new Waterous fire engine yesterday broke away from its guardians and leaped from the Madison Street slip into the bay, where it now lies deep beneath the water. The city had contracted to buy the 5,000-pound engine at a cost of $4,325. Early yesterday morning, it was taken down to Madison Street and Railroad Avenue. Engineer Gibson, who was lame, could not assist, but Capt. Kelleher, Lieut. Lundgren and several other firemen were asked to help guide it down the incline onto the city wharf. Agent Scott took the brake, but as they backed down the steep incline, the engine swerved. Kelleher threw himself on the pole to guide it away, but the unwieldy monster rushed down the slope. Lundgren was struck by the tongue, and the engine turned a somersault into the bay, disappearing with a terrific splash. It now rests in the mud. Diver Benjamin was employed to check on the engine and reported that it was standing almost upright on its wheels. As the city has not accepted the engine yet, the loss falls upon the manufacturers.
“A scene ensued only equalled by that described by Dumas in the 'Toilers of the Sea' when the great gun broke loose.”
The intersection of Madison and the waterfront is now part of the bustling Ferry Terminal and Alaskan Way area. It is a recurring theme in Seattle civic history to see expensive, headline-grabbing infrastructure projects meet with immediate, humiliating physical disaster.
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