The Perilous Plank at Front and Seneca
For months, Seattle residents braved a treacherous, unlit crossing near the waterfront, until a cook’s brutal fall finally forced a call for accountability.
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.
We have several times referred to the very dangerous place at the intersection of Front and Seneca streets, where the new bridge is being constructed. Those who have had occasion to pass there after dark have been exposed to great danger, as the slightest mis-step would have been sufficient to have precipitated them into a deep gulley among a pile of mud and roots, probably at the cost of their lives. But, strange to say, notwithstanding the fact that the crossing has been in this condition for the past six months, no accident of any consequence had occurred there until the second cook of the Dakota met with one on Friday night last. He was going to the steamship at the time, which was lying at the Seattle bunkers, and fell from the long foot plank into the deep excavation below. Just after his fall a number of gentlemen came along, including, luckily, Dr. Wheeler, the ship's surgeon, who, hearing his groans, went to his assistance. One of his hips was dislocated, and he was otherwise injured. He was removed to comfortable quarters and cared for until Saturday, when he was taken on board the ship, and will probably be left at the Marine Hospital at Port Townsend. Something should be done immediately by the city authorities in regard to this place. If this is not done other accidents are certain to follow, and probably of a more serious nature.
“Those who have had occasion to pass there after dark, have been exposed to great danger, as the slightest mis-step would have been sufficient to have precipitated them into a deep gulley.”
This 1877 report captures a classic 'frontier' urban hazard—a temporary, dangerous piece of infrastructure left to rot for months. It resonates with modern-day Seattle residents who navigate sidewalk closures, construction detours, and the perennial, frustrating lag between private development and city-mandated public safety.
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