The Siege of the City Engineer’s Office
When an incoming engineer faced a stubborn incumbent, it took a locksmith, a drill, and a policeman to settle the power struggle.
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 new city engineer, R. H. Thomson, was obliged to take forcible possession of the office yesterday. His predecessor, Edwin Hall Warner, refused to turn over the office, acting, as he said, under the advice of his attorneys. He had changed the combination on the vault and refused to unlock it, notified the employees that he still considered himself city engineer, and cautioned them not to take sides. He refused to give up the private office until a policeman requested him to leave. The vault and desk were opened by a locksmith acting under orders of Mr. Thomson and Commissioner Jackson. Mr. Thomson had previously visited the office after qualifying, but Warner insisted on remaining, forcing Thomson to summon a locksmith who drilled the vault door to manipulate the tumblers. Finally, a policeman was sent to the office to witness the obstruction of public business and remove Mr. Warner from the engineer's chair, which he did without further incident.
“The vault and desk were opened by a locksmith acting under orders of Mr. Thomson and Commissioner Jackson.”
This chaotic scene highlights the intense, often bitter, nature of civic transitions in 1890s Seattle. The 'muddle of officers' at City Hall reflects a period of deep instability where personal loyalties and political factionalism often trumped orderly administration.
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