Passing of a Newcastle Coal Pioneer
P. H. Lewis, who arrived in Seattle in 1852 and struck it rich in the coal fields, has died at his Seneca Street home.
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.
P. H. Lewis, the well-known pioneer, large property owner and original proprietor of what is now the Newcastle coal mines, died at his home, 515 Seneca street, at an early hour this morning, of heart failure. He was 67 years old and had been suffering from rheumatism for some time. Mr. Lewis came to Seattle in 1852 and has resided here since that time. The development of the coal mining industry in King county owes its first impetus in a large degree to his efforts. He was a shrewd but conservative man in business affairs and amassed a fortune estimated at several hundred thousand dollars. Some time ago he offered to give his valuable home property to the Pioneer's Association for a home or building for the society, but the conditions of the offer were not complied with. The funeral will take place on Saturday afternoon from his late residence.
“The development of the coal mining industry in King county owes its first impetus in a large degree to his efforts.”
Coal mining built the infrastructure of early Seattle, yet the wealth it generated was heavily concentrated in the hands of a few. Lewis’s story reflects the 'pioneer' narrative often used to validate generational wealth and land ownership in the city’s founding years.
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