The Ghost Ship in the Harbor: A Legal Drama of Unpaid Labor
A US Marshal’s notice reveals the desperate struggle for wages aboard the vessel 'Clipper,' abandoned in the waters of Puget Sound in 1880.
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.
In the District Court for the Third Judicial District of Washington Territory, sitting at Seattle, in King County. Whereas, a libel has been filed in the said District Court for the Third Judicial District of Washington Territory, against the said schooner 'Clipper,' her tackle, apparel and furniture, alleging that on the 14th day of January last and since, the said vessel was employed in the coasting service and upon the waters of Puget Sound. And whereas, there is now due for labor performed upon the said vessel, the sum of four hundred dollars and sixty-six cents, and praying that the said vessel, tackle, apparel and furniture, may be condemned and sold to pay the said wages. Now, therefore, in pursuance of the monition, under the seal of said Court, to me directed and delivered, I do hereby give Public Notice, to all persons claiming the said vessel, her tackle, apparel and furniture, or in any manner interested therein, that they be and appear before the said Court to be held at the City of Seattle, in said District, on the First Monday of June next, the same being the Seventh Day of said Month, at Ten o’clock, in the forenoon of the same day, then and there to interpose their claims and make their allegations in that behalf. Dated the 17th day of April, A. D. 1880.
“Praying that the said vessel, tackle, apparel and furniture, may be condemned and sold to pay the said wages.”
This 1880 legal notice highlights a perennial maritime and labor issue in Seattle: the vulnerability of workers when vessels are abandoned or owners go silent. Much like today’s struggles for wage security in the gig economy or seasonal fishing industries, the crew of the 'Clipper' had to rely on the courts to force a sale of the vessel just to recoup their earned living.
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