The Salvation Army's Seattle Winter Relief
As the harsh winter of 1893 wears on, the Salvation Army reports on the surge of local charity required to feed and clothe the city’s unemployed workers.
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.
Since the last report of the Salvation Army food and shelter depot, the baths have been put in working order and have been in constant use. December 18, fifty men were called for to work on the Great Northern, and as so many lacked proper clothing or shoes, only thirty-five or forty were accepted of the seventy-five who presented themselves. Since the departure of the laborers for the Great Northern, the number of those sleeping here has decreased, averaging during the last week seventy-four nightly. Eighteen hundred and nine meals were served during the past week, of which about 1,000 were furnished free. We are trying to find a suitable vacant lot for a wood yard, and are in hopes to have the yard in operation by New Year's.
“Since so many lacked proper clothing or shoes, only thirty-five or forty were accepted of the seventy-five who presented themselves.”
Seattle’s struggle to provide adequate shelter and basic resources for its displaced or unemployed population is a persistent theme in city history. This 1893 report details the exact mechanics of mutual aid—donations of coal, clothing, and labor—that continue to define the city's approach to its crises.
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