Richland Ferry Sinks in River Accident
The local crossing between Richland and Pasco is out of commission after an unexplained mid-week sinking.
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.
Timmerman’s ferry, which plies between the Richland side of the river and the Pasco side, about two miles south of Richland, sank to the bottom of the river last Wednesday evening. It was unloaded at the time and Mr. Timmerman is not exactly sure of the cause of the accident. A crew of men with pumps are busily engaged in trying to pump the boat out and float her, but at this writing she is still out of commission, causing quite a serious loss financially to the ferry-master.
“A crew of men with pumps, etc., are busily engaged in trying to pump the boat out and float her, but at this writing she is still out of commission.”
Before the sprawling bridges that connect the Tri-Cities today, river life was defined by the precariousness of private ferries. The loss of a ferry was not just a minor boat accident, but a significant disruption to regional transit and commerce.
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