Vanished on the Sound
Two ranchers from Bainbridge Island fail to return home, sparking fears of a tragedy in the rough winter waters.
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.
It is feared that James Sivertson, postmaster at Rolling Bay on Bainbridge Island, and B. Johnson, also of the same place, were drowned while returning home from Seattle last Monday. They departed the city early Monday morning in a small, 18-foot schooner with the mail. They were last sighted by the captain of the steamer Detroit halfway across the Sound, but never reached their destination. Despite searches along the shores of both the city and the island, neither the men nor their boat have been found. Sivertson, aged 33, leaves a widow and three children; Johnson, 40, leaves a widow and five children.
“Nothing has been seen of the boat since, although searching parties have gone along the beach on both shores.”
While modern maritime safety and technology make such disappearances rare, the inherent danger of crossing the Sound in winter remains a persistent theme in Puget Sound history.
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