The Sea-Faring Buck of Blaine
A steamship crew takes a detour five miles offshore to rescue a exhausted deer lost at sea.
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 crew of the steamer Seattle, of Blaine, enjoyed a queer sight yesterday five miles from land. The steamer runs in connection with Wadham's cannery at Point Roberts and was carrying a load of freight from Blaine to the cannery when the head and antlers of a handsome buck were espied directly ahead, the distance from land at the time being fully five miles. The deer was making for the Blaine side, and on getting close to the steamer, sheered to the right. The steamer's nose was turned in the same direction, and the 'antlered monarch of the woods' was soon overhauled. The mate made a lasso out of a casting line and dropped it neatly over the animal's head. It was in a very weak condition when hauled aboard, but recovered both strength and spirits after being turned into a corral at Blaine.
“The mate made a lasso out of a casting line and dropped it neatly over the animal's head.”
While wildlife in Puget Sound is more commonly seen as marine mammals today, sightings of deer and other land animals crossing or swimming in local waters remain a peculiar and recurring part of regional lore. The survival of this buck reflects the rugged, semi-wild nature of the San Juan Islands and North Sound borderlands in the 1890s.
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