The Contractor Who Left a Trail of Debt
After securing $1,500 in contract payments, a local builder vanished in a rowboat, leaving his creditors behind in the dust.
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.
One Tomlinson, a contractor and builder, who located in this city some months since and who has had charge of the construction of a large number of the buildings that have been going up for some time past, absconded on Saturday night, leaving behind him numbers of mourners in the shape of creditors. The first intimation of his departure was the arrival of the Greek fishermen from Port Madison, who said they had taken him over to that place in a small boat. On inquiry, it was found that he had drawn about $1,500 due him on contracts and had taken with him all his baggage, so it was at once concluded that he had lit out. He leaves debts around town amounting to $2,000.
“The first intimation of his departure was the arrival of the Greek fishermen from Port Madison, who said they had taken him over to that place in a small boat.”
The story of an unaccountable developer leaving behind unpaid subcontractors and unfinished business is a perennial trope in Seattle's rapid boom cycles. From 1876 to the modern day, the 'absconding contractor' remains a shadow character in the city's built environment, reflecting the high-stakes risks of a frontier economy that has always prioritized growth over stability.
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