A Close Call on the Grant Street Bridge
A real estate agent’s commute turned chaotic when local duck hunters accidentally peppered his horse with birdshot.
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.
L. H. Rogers, a local real estate agent, reported to Officer Mike Powers that while driving into town over the Grant Street Bridge, he was caught in the crossfire of two duck hunters. As he reached the southern end of the bridge, a shot from a white boat on the water struck the bridge structure and the horse's side. The frightened animal shied and nearly bolted, forcing Rogers to struggle for control. Although a group of young people nearby were fortunately unharmed, the hunters managed to row away before authorities could arrive.
“The animal was thoroughly scared, and pawed the air, shied to one side and was calmed only after considerable exertion.”
The Grant Street Bridge was once a vital artery over the tideflats, connecting Seattle to industrial areas now largely filled in and developed. Today, the area is the site of modern infrastructure like the Spokane Street Viaduct, worlds away from the unregulated duck hunting of the 1890s.
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