The Salmon King of the Mediterranean
An Eastern businessman is shipping hundreds of tons of Alaska salmon to Europe, arguing that Seattle's future lies in industrializing its natural bounty.
The largest shipment of fish ever made from the United States will leave this city within a few days, destined for the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It will require three full trains of cars to carry it, totaling twenty-five cars. The actual net weight amounts to upwards of 500,000 pounds. This shipment is consigned by Fischer Brothers of this city to J. Berghoff of New York City, and consists of salt salmon from Alaska streams. Mr. Berghoff, who is staying at the Hotel Butler, has been quietly operating on this coast for some time. In an interview, he explained that in the Latin states, salt salmon is a common staple for the poor and a luxury for the wealthy. He ships some by sailing vessels down the Asiatic coast and through the Suez Canal, but for quick dispatch, he sends them overland to New York and across the Atlantic. Mr. Berghoff believes the fisheries alone will make Seattle a great commercial center, but warns that locals are too focused on quick speculation rather than the perseverance required to build a mammoth industry.
“The people here do not pause to study or think of the question. They want to speculate and get rich in a year or two, and are not willing to stop and develop the country by that perseverance which has characterized the upbuilding of all great enterprises.”
This story captures the early transition of Seattle from a frontier town to a global export hub. While the specific trade routes have shifted, the tension between 'quick-buck' speculation and the need for long-term industrial infrastructure remains a central theme in Seattle's economic identity.
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