The Mayor’s New Crown: Port Warden’s Gold-Braided Cap Causes a Stir
Seattle's Port Warden E.L. Bonner has adopted a navy blue 'peaked cap' with gold braid to mark his official capacity, but finds the uniform too 'formal' for daily duties.
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.
Port Warden Adopts Distinguishing Feature.
E. L. Bonner, the port warden of Seattle, has recently provided himself with a fitting emblem of his official capacity in the nature of a navy blue "peaked cap" of the quality obtainable. The cap is of the kind commonly worn by the masters of ocean steamers. When Mr. Bonner donned the article, it was encircled with a band of gold braid, with buttons of the same metal on the sides.
The worthy port warden, however, considered the distinguishing feature of his new article of headgear as being too "formal," so the gold braid and buttons have been removed. Mr. Bonner will wear the cap when performing the duties of his office.
In an era before standardized police or municipal uniforms, local officials often relied on personal flair to denote authority. This small detail highlights the informal nature of early Seattle governance, where a port warden’s identity was as much about personal choice as it was about civic duty—a stark contrast to today's highly regulated and uniformed public safety sectors.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.