A Heartfelt Seattle Send-Off
Friends and local musicians stage a surprise gathering to honor a departing resident with a diamond tribute.
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.
An unforeseen event gladdened Mr. W. V. Chase in the city. He had decided to seek his fortune in the prosperous city and had gone through the trouble attached to moving. By evening, he had shaken hands with all his friends to take the fast steamer Phantom to your busy streets. It had been but a few minutes when the welcome music of the band, conducted by Mr. Chillman, played in front of the house. It has been said by one of the band that he would rather be deprived of the pleasure of making a big noise than to have his lips attached to the mouth of a cornet when the thermometer is at zero. Mr. Chase, his lady, and his sister welcomed everybody to their dismantled quarters, where a warm fire was waiting. Pleasant remarks were made, songs were sung, and the band played music in honor of Mr. Chase. Mr. Win. Warren took the lead and spoke most eloquently, stating that the laborer, the logger, the business man, in fact, anybody that had had any dealings with Mr. Chase, had formed a high idea of his manliness, politeness, and ability. He further said that he was charged by them all to ask him to accept a solitaire diamond as a token of their high esteem and appreciation.
“It had been said by one of the band that he would rather be deprived of the pleasure of making a big noise than to have his lips attached to the mouth of a cornet when the thermometer is at zero.”
Community goodbyes and elaborate gift-giving were central to the social fabric of 1880s Seattle. Today, our mobile workforce leaves and arrives with far less ceremony, but the hunger for genuine connection in a city defined by transience remains unchanged.
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