The River Giant: A Record-Breaking Log Boom
The steamer Beaver successfully navigated a massive log raft into the harbor, a logistical feat that left the waterfront stunned.
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 Beaver, Captain Jagers, arrived from Chemainus about 6:30 last evening, towing what was probably the largest boom of logs ever seen either here or on the Sound. It measured 100 feet in width and was 800 feet long. The reader can form some idea of this immense raft by the fact that the Beaver was opposite Yesler's wharf before the end of the boom had passed the Union House, the line connecting the steamer with the logs being only about 50 feet in length. The Beaver left Chemainus on Thursday morning last, but had to anchor two nights, owing to the thick and foggy weather. She reached the entrance to this harbor yesterday afternoon without a single mishap or the loss of a log. Some little difficulty was experienced in steering the mammoth raft into the harbor, two men being stationed on the structure for that purpose; but Captain Jagers succeeded in skillfully navigating his cumbersome tow and bringing it to its destination at Rock Bay, near Yesler's saw-mill.
“The reader can form some idea of this immense raft by the fact that the Beaver was opposite Yesler's wharf before the end of the boom had passed the Union House.”
Log rafting was the lifeblood of Seattle’s early economy, with massive booms like this one defining the geography of our waterfront. While the era of giant log rafts has vanished along with the old-growth forests, the legacy of the timber industry remains etched into the history of the Pioneer Square and waterfront areas.
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