The Yorktown Stays Put
A diplomatic win for the Seattle Chamber of Commerce keeps a U.S. Navy steamer stationed in local waters.
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.
A telegram from Senator Squire, now in Washington City, was received by Secretary Whittlesey of the Chamber of Commerce yesterday, announcing that the United States steamship Yorktown had been ordered to remain in Seattle until ordered to join the Bering Sea fleet. The message was in answer to one forwarded the day previous to Senator Squire by direction of the Chamber. The above was confirmed last evening by the following press dispatch from Washington City: 'Secretary Herbert today ordered the Yorktown to remain at Seattle until the time of rendezvous of the Bering Sea fleet. By mutual request, Paymaster Webster of the Port Orchard drydock has been permitted to exchange places with Paymaster Marua of the Yorktown.' The Yorktown left the harbor early yesterday morning for a sixty-mile run on the Sound, making a test of Black Diamond coal.
“Secretary Herbert today ordered the Yorktown to remain at Seattle until the time of rendezvous of the Bering Sea fleet.”
The presence of military assets has always been a key part of Seattle’s booster identity, with civic leaders using political levers to keep ships anchored nearby to ensure they spent their budget locally. Today, the relationship between Seattle’s economy and the regional military-industrial complex remains deep, shifting from coal-fired steamers to high-tech naval support and aerospace logistics.
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