The Great Northern's Rate War and the Seattle Boom
A fierce transcontinental rate war brings economic turbulence but potential windfall for Seattle wholesalers.
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.
The action of the Great Northern in making heavy reductions in its class rates on west-bound traffic from West Superior has not yet been met by similar action on the part of the Northern Pacific and Union Pacific, but it is thought that they cannot stay out of the fight. The Northern Pacific will be forced very soon to meet the Great Northern cut to Seattle and Tacoma. The Great Northern proposes to take advantage of this opportunity by invading the territory of the enemy, appointing J. M. Smith as its general agent in San Francisco. It proposes to compete for the California haul, absorbing the cost between Seattle and San Francisco. While no one can foretell when the war will end, so long as it lasts the war will be a good thing for Seattle, for many lines of goods will be shipped from here to California points, and her wholesale houses will reap a large benefit.
“Acting on the well-founded maxim of war, it will invade the territory of the enemy.”
This 1893 rate war shows the volatility of Seattle's early growth as a terminal city. Today, our 'economic wars' are fought over tech infrastructure and zoning, yet the city's role as a gateway—whether for rail freight or digital packets—remains the core of the local economic identity.
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