The Economic Chill on the Waterfront
Shipping faces a depression as crews are paid off and vessels are laid up in port.
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 crews of the tug boats Tacoma and Holyoke were paid off tonight, and the vessels will be laid up pending the present depression in shipping. The shipping market is dull, and consignments are slow, though a few vessels continue to load lumber for export. The steamer City of Topeka has been placed on the dry dock at Quartermaster Harbor after having the cargo taken off to be sent to Astoria.
“The crews of the tug boats Tacoma and Holyoke were paid off tonight, and the vessels will be laid up pending the present depression in shipping.”
Seattle’s identity has always been tied to its working waterfront. This report of tugs being docked due to economic depression is a stark reminder of the boom-and-bust cycles that have defined Puget Sound’s maritime economy for over a century.
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