The Woodin Mill Burns Down
A fire sparked by a friction belt destroys a major Fairhaven lumber mill, leaving forty-seven men jobless in an already struggling economy.
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 Fairhaven Lumber Company's lumber, shingle and planing mill, better known as the Woodin mill, was entirely destroyed by fire about 8 o'clock this morning, the fire catching from a spark produced by the friction of the big fly-wheel belt. The mill was built in 1889 and has since been operated more constantly than any other mill on Puget Sound. The loss is estimated at $20,000. There is only $3,000 unexpired insurance. Forty-seven men are thrown out of employment, most of whom have families. The mill was the only manufacturing industry in operation in the town, with the exception of the broom handle plant at the Heacock mill. It was located on the water front and on the Great Northern railroad, at the foot of Taylor avenue. The fire department responded quickly, but when the little spark first dropped from the fast-flying belt, the mill, which has long been the mainstay of many families, was doomed. The company let its insurance lapse because it could not pay the 10 per cent required. Wellington A. Woodin, principal proprietor, is a man of great energy and strength of purpose and no man in the county has a more enviable reputation for honesty and integrity.
“When the little spark first dropped from the fast-flying belt, the mill, which has long been the mainstay of many families, was doomed.”
Fairhaven, once a booming industrial rival to Seattle, was eventually absorbed into the city of Bellingham. Today, the site at the foot of Taylor Avenue has shifted from heavy timber production to recreation, part of a long-term transition from extractive industry to coastal gentrification.
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