Great Northern Secures Wharfage for Trans-Pacific Trade
A new contract at University Street promises to connect Seattle directly to the booming tea trade from the East.
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 Great Northern railroad yesterday closed a contract with Capt. David Gilmore, by which he agrees to furnish wharfage at Baker’s wharf, at the foot of University street, to the trans-Pacific steamers which are to be run in connection with the road. The wharf is 440 feet long, so that the steamers can load or unload at both hatches at the same time direct to the railroad tracks, which run along the end of the wharf. The first steamer of the line, the Crown of England, is due here about September 10, with a cargo consisting largely of tea.
“The steamers can load or unload at both hatches at the same time direct to the railroad tracks.”
The waterfront near University Street has been transformed from an industrial hub for steamship freight into the heart of Seattle's modern downtown and ferry terminal operations. The Great Northern's push to establish a trans-Pacific connection was a defining moment in Seattle's transition from a logging town to a global trade gateway.
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