The Unreliable Steamer Cricket
A local excursion boat breaks down twice in two days, leaving passengers stranded near Alki Point and Five-Mile Point.
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 steamer Cricket, in going over to Alki Point Sunday evening to bring back an excursion, broke down when near Duwamish Head and the steamer Greyhound had to tow her back to the city. Repairs were made and she started on her regular trip yesterday morning only to break down again when opposite Five-mile point. She was again repaired and went out on her afternoon trip.
“She was again repaired and went out on her afternoon trip.”
In 1894, Seattle relied on a chaotic network of private steamships to connect its waterfront districts. Today, we still grapple with the reliability of our transit infrastructure, though our modern ferries rarely require a tow from a competitor in the middle of a route.
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