Steamer Grounded on Wharf Debris
A steamship ran aground on a pile of ballast at the foot of Pike Street, highlighting the dangers of dumping refuse into the harbor.
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.
Steamship Mexico went aground yesterday on the ballast pile where formerly stood the wharf of the old Seattle Coal and Transportation Company at the foot of Pike Street. She went on at 1 o'clock and stayed for three hours, notwithstanding the most strenuous efforts of the steamer to get off. Finally, with the assistance of the Gipsy, she slid off at high tide. This mishap shows the evil of permitting such matter to be dumped into the bay, the injury to which must inevitably follow.
“This mishap shows the evil of permitting such matter to be dumped into the bay.”
Harbor safety and pollution management were major civic concerns in 1884, much like the modern environmental management of Elliott Bay. The 'ballast pile' mentioned is a reminder of how the physical geography of the waterfront was altered by early industry.
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