Fire Destroys Port Townsend’s Marine Hospital
A defect in a flue triggers a blaze that consumes the upper floor and roof of the government hospital, forcing the evacuation of eighteen patients.
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 United States marine hospital was partially destroyed by fire this afternoon. The roof and upper floor and a large part of the furniture was burned. The patients, numbering eighteen, were safely removed without any undue hardship. The origin of the fire was from a defective flue and was not discovered by the inmates until an alarm from an outside firebox had been turned in. Although a strong southeast wind prevailed the flames made very little headway. Dr. Cobb, the government surgeon, has secured temporary quarters for the patients pending the construction of the new hospital building.
“The patients, numbering eighteen, were safely removed without any undue hardship.”
Marine hospitals were a critical piece of the 19th-century public health infrastructure, serving mariners and the military. Today, the Port Townsend location is remembered as part of the town’s rich maritime history, which has transitioned into a hub for historic preservation and tourism.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.