The 'Crusher' Strikes Again
The steam collier San Pedro continues its destructive streak on Puget Sound.
The new steam collier, San Pedro, under Captain Wall, while outward bound for Tacoma yesterday, ran into the British ship Montgomery Castle, which was lying at anchor. The ship had her bowsprit and all her forward gear carried away. The San Pedro presumably remained uninjured as she continued on her journey. Shipping men have dubbed her 'the crusher' because several months ago she carried away a wharf in Seattle, and later an Oakland pier.
“She seems to have a strange faculty for knocking things about. Several months ago she carried away a Puget Sound wharf, and the next exploit was to carry away an Oakland pier. She is known among shipping men as 'the crusher.'”
Harbor accidents were common in a booming shipping port, but the characterization of a vessel as a recurring menace adds a touch of grim folklore to Seattle's maritime history.
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