The Great Northern Wheat Heist
A trusted yardmaster is arrested in a scheme involving wholesale cargo theft at the Seattle docks.
James C. Graves, a yardmaster for the Great Northern Railway, was arrested at his home in Interbay by Detective Lane and held in the city jail. He is charged with grand larceny for the theft of a carload of wheat that vanished in transit between the Great Northern and Northern Pacific yards. The wheat was eventually recovered in a warehouse at the Arlington Dock before it could be shipped to San Francisco. This case is linked to earlier charges against Herman Reinhart, manager of the Arlington Dock, and P. J. Flynn, a foreman in the Great Northern yards. Graves, who had served the company for six years with a high salary, was seen as a faithful servant, making his arrest a major surprise to the business community. Authorities suggest this was not an isolated incident but part of a systematic, wholesale theft operation that has cost the railroad thousands of dollars over several months.
“wholesale Stealing from both the Great Northern and Northern Pacific has been going on in Seattle for several months”
Logistical theft and corruption within major supply chains remains a recurring theme in modern Pacific Northwest commerce. The 'surprise' at Graves' arrest echoes current frustrations when internal employees are found to be running organized criminal operations.
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