Fatal Fire Consumes Seattle Dock
A spectacular inferno at Pier 11 kills a child and destroys $600,000 in property.
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.
Fire Friday night completely destroyed pier 11, known as the oriental dock, at Seattle. The pier is used by the United States army quartermaster department as the wharf for the cable steamer Burnside and frequent explosions shattered the burning building, scattering burning embers in all directions. An 11-year-old boy standing in front of the state armory, a block distant, watching the fire, was killed. The financial loss is estimated at $600,000.
“Frequent explosions shattered the burning building, scattering burning embers in all directions.”
While Seattle’s waterfront remains a hub of activity, the wooden structures and coal-powered steamers of 1916 have been replaced by modern container terminals. The loss of a child in such an event serves as a grim reminder of the high stakes of industrial activity in early 20th-century urban environments.
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