A Sudden Death at the Dereg Hotel
A cook collapses at his post, leaving his widow to face an uncertain future in Seattle.
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.
James Towers, a cook, dropped dead yesterday morning about 8:30 o'clock in the Dereg hotel restaurant, at the corner of South Third and Jackson streets, from the effects of heart disease. He had been stopping in the hotel with his wife for several months, and had offered his services to the proprietor of the restaurant. It so happened that he was needed and was consequently sent for. He had been in the room only a short time when he complained of feeling unwell, and a moment later fell from his chair. His wife was sent for immediately, but when she came he was too far gone for assistance. Coroner Horton was called and pronounced death due to heart trouble. Mr. Towers was a very large man, such as die suddenly. He was a native of Canada, but has lived in Seattle for nine years. His father died some time ago, leaving him some property. The remains are at Bonney & Stewart's, awaiting arrangements for burial.
“Mr. Towers was a very large man, such as die suddenly.”
The intersection of Third and Jackson is still a bustling hub in Pioneer Square, though the hotels and restaurants of 1893 have long since been replaced by modern urban infrastructure. This sudden passing captures the precarious nature of life for laborers in a growing city where a change in employment could be the last thing a person ever did.
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