Fireboat Failure at the Waterfront
Public outcry mounts after Seattle's fireboat fails to save the burning steamer Flyer, leading to a command shake-up.
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.
The inefficient work of the fireboat during the burning of the steamer Flyer at Commercial dock has caused Chief Kellogg to appoint Captain M. F. Kelleher as fire captain of the boat. On Monday night, while the fireboat was meant to be fighting the blaze on the Flyer, observers noted the boat circled erratically and eventually backed into the West Seattle ferry slip, essentially rendering it useless. Critics argue that had the boat stayed in its slip and maintained a steady stream, the steamer would have suffered only nominal damage. Commissioner Foster defended the crew, citing the difficulty of handling heavy hoses with only two men on board.
“The fireboat kept dodging around, now playing on the blaze for a moment and then backing off.”
Disputes over the efficacy of public emergency infrastructure—and the politicized investigations that follow—remain a familiar feature of Seattle's civic governance.
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