A Steamship Runs Aground at West Point
The collier Mackinaw, heavily loaded with coal, became stranded on the sandbar near the lighthouse, providing a tense morning for the crew and local observers.
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 steam collier Mackinaw, which left Tacoma yesterday for Ocosta with 3,500 tons of coal, ran aground at West Point sand spit, five miles down the Sound from Seattle. Engineer G.W. Slater of the tug Hornet observed the ship struck fast on the long sandbar that runs from the lighthouse. The vessel, being flat-bottomed, is not expected to suffer permanent damage, though it remained stuck throughout the day as the tide ebbed. Other vessels in the area have been observing the situation, with the tug Tyee arriving to assist at high tide.
“She is flat bottomed and I don't think there will be any damage unless some strain should come on her.”
West Point, now the site of Discovery Park and a major wastewater treatment plant, remains a treacherous navigational point in the Puget Sound. This story highlights the constant maritime hazards faced by the industrial workhorses of 19th-century Seattle.
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