The Great Log Boom Break: 800,000 Feet of Timber Set Adrift
A catastrophic failure at Colman’s mill sent a massive raft of logs floating into Elliott Bay, threatening the territory's primary industry.
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 large log boom belonging to Colman’s mill broke during the forenoon. About 800,000 feet of logs went adrift.
Steamers and small boats were used in the recovery effort. Nearly all of the logs were saved.
This incident highlights the precarious nature of Seattle's early economy, which was entirely dependent on the volatile timber industry. The 'boom' (a floating barrier used to contain logs) was a critical piece of infrastructure; its failure represented not just a financial loss for Henry Colman, one of Seattle's founders, but a potential disruption to the supply chain that built the city's skyline.
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