The Tragic End of Seattle's Favorite Streetcar Dog
For years, a dog named 'Shep' commuted on the city's streetcars like a local legend, until a fatal accident cut his run short.
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.
"Shep," the black and white dog that had been a regular traveler on the Union Trunk line since its completion, was killed yesterday at the corner of Houston and Barclay streets by a Rainier Heights car. "Shep" was formerly owned by John Glass, an electrician, but he developed such a fierce loyalty to the streetcar line that he would ride from the first car in the morning until the last at midnight, commuting to Beacon Hill, Lake Washington, and along Broadway. He was a master of jumping on and off moving streetcars. His death is mourned by the line's employees; Andy Johnson, a lineman, was seen crying while burying the animal.
“No matter how fast the cars were running he could get on and off. His death is sincerely mourned by the employes of the road.”
In an era of rapid transit expansion, mascots like Shep became the human face of industrial machinery. This story highlights the unique local culture that grew around Seattle’s early streetcar system.
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