The Night Seattle’s Firemen Saved Ballard’s Mill
Seattle firefighters spent the night in Ballard after a mill fire endangered the main buildings; their engines were credited with saving the property.
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 firemen who were sent to Ballard last Saturday afternoon for the fire at Stimson’s mill returned yesterday morning at 7 o’clock, having been on duty all night. When they reached the mill in the afternoon the pumps had given out and the main buildings were in great danger. There is little doubt that the arrival of engine No. 2, hose wagon No. 2 and truck No. 1 were the main factors in saving the mill. This is the second time the local firemen have helped in saving the Stimson mill property.
“When they reached the mill in the afternoon the pumps had given out and the main buildings were in great danger.”
In 1894 Ballard was its own city, and Seattle’s fire engines crossing over to save a lumber mill were an early sign of the regional interdependence that would eventually annex Ballard to Seattle. The Stimson mill is long gone, but the episode preserves a moment when fire protection—not just land—drew the growing city together.
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