The Looming Strike Threatens the Harvest
Railroads impose an embargo on perishable shipments in Kennewick as a national strike deadline looms for Labor Day.
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 full significance of the impending railway strike was brought forcibly home to the people of Kennewick yesterday morning when the three railroads operating out of here placed an embargo on all perishable shipments and livestock which cannot reach their destinations by Saturday, September 2. Fortunately, the order does not hit this section as hard as it might, because the pears have mostly been shipped and the early peaches and apples are cleaned up. C. D. Crichton, local steamboat agent, said his company is making preparations to put three steamers on the run to help handle the traffic should the rail tie-up continue.
“If the railway strike comes, Kennewick's location on the Columbia River and the advantages of waterway transportation is going to be very forcibly emphasized.”
This story highlights Kennewick's historical dependence on the Columbia River as a vital 'plan B' for commerce, a role the river continues to play in the region's infrastructure today, even as the mode of transport has shifted from steamboats to modern logistics.
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