Navigational Neglect at Shoalwater Bay
Local mariners demand better buoy systems to avoid future shipwrecks on the treacherous bar.
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 bar at the entrance of Shoalwater Bay is in need of an adequate buoy system. There is much dissatisfaction among the pilots who are forced to go in and out frequently with the way the buoys are laid. The outside buoy is three miles out of the way, and it would not be surprising for a stranger following it to meet the fate of the Lamertaw. Captains consider this bar superior to others for its straight channel and depth, but without proper marking, it remains hazardous. If the department does not act, local tugs are prepared to mark the channels themselves to prevent further catastrophe.
“The department should see that its officers paid to look after the interests of its merchant marine do their duty.”
The transition of Shoalwater Bay to Willapa Bay saw many similar struggles over maritime safety and federal oversight. This story captures the timeless tension between local knowledge and distant bureaucratic failure.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.