The Great Mill Street Wagon Prank
A local hotel runner learns the hard way that the boys of Mill Street have a penchant for mechanical mischief.
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.
Some facetious youths down on Mill Street played a sharp trick last evening on Haley, the redoubtable runner for the Oriental Hotel. He left his team hitched in front of the Office Saloon while awaiting the arrival of the Alida, and while his attention was attracted elsewhere, the boys quietly reversed the wheels of the wagon, putting the hind wheels in front and the front wheels behind. When the steamer whistled, Haley rushed out, jumped into the vehicle and drove off at full speed, all unconscious of the trick that had been played on him, amid roars of laughter from the crowd. We can imagine the pleasure he must have had bouncing over the numerous crosswalks and into chuck holes, while the brake was rendered useless by reason of the change of wheels. He did not discover the trick until some time afterwards, and swears he will get even with them fellows.
“He did not discover the trick until some time afterwards, and swears he will get even with them fellows.”
This prank highlights the rowdy, tight-knit street culture of early Seattle's waterfront, a place defined by its hotels and saloons. Today, the location of the old Mill Street (now part of the footprint near Pioneer Square) remains a hub for downtown transit and, occasionally, similar displays of irreverent local humor.
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