The Salvage of the Mystic
After months submerged in the Sound, a sunken tugboat is finally coaxed from the mud.
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 tug Mystic, which was sunk over four months ago in thirty-two fathoms of water off Schwabacher's wharf in a collision with the State of Washington, was raised so far yesterday that last evening she was towed into fourteen fathoms of water by the fireboat Snoqualmie. At first, Capt. Bryant, representing the insurance company, tried to raise her, but the method failed. Then the contract was let to Diver Christiansen, who lost his health, if not his life, by continued work at so great a depth. Then Capt. Paulson undertook the job, doing the work entirely from the surface. Lines were dragged against the hull at both bow and stern and held together over her by means of rings slipped down on them, forming a kind of cradle sling. Great difficulty was experienced in getting lines strong enough to hold the immense strain required to lift the Mystic out of the mud. Twice, when all ready to lift the tug, some passing boat fouled or broke the lines, requiring the work to be done over again. Yesterday afternoon, the tug Mayflower started the drive and the Mystic was raised. Last evening the fireboat Snoqualmie went to her assistance and towed the wreck into fourteen fathoms of water, and Capt. Paulson confidently expects to have the Mystic on the dry dock by tomorrow.
“Great difficulty was experienced in getting lines strong enough to hold the immense strain required to lift the Mystic out of the mud.”
Salvage operations have remained a constant, high-stakes endeavor on the Seattle waterfront for over a century. While the technology has shifted from fireboats and hand-rigged cradle slings to sophisticated cranes, the challenge of removing hazards from the deep, busy shipping lanes of Elliott Bay persists today.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.