The Day the Newspaper Landed in the Bay
A minor dockside mishap leaves the Herald's front page floating in the water.
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 Herald issued but half a sheet last evening. The cause of this was as follows: The man who wheels the forms from composing to the press room found a horse and wagon in his road. Instead of waiting or going around, he asked for the horses to be moved. The horses became frightened and walked right along, pushing the man and the first page of the Herald into the bay. The form has been recovered and but little damage sustained.
“The horses became frightened, and when moved a few steps they did not stop, but walked right along, thereby pushing the man and the first page of the Herald into the bay.”
This captures the chaotic, industrial reality of the Seattle waterfront in 1883, where printers, horses, and shipping logistics shared the same narrow, muddy spaces.
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