The Great Log Boom Break at Ebey Slough
A river disaster threatens the livelihoods of local loggers as timber worth thousands breaks free from the Snohomish County river system.
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 boom at Ebey Slough was reported broken this past week. It was said to contain over $30,000 worth of logs. Men here felt very blue over the prospect. Only a few logs, compared with the number in the boom, escaped. The loss will be divided among a number of owners, so it will not be seriously felt.
“Men here felt very blue over the prospect.”
Log transport via the river was the lifeblood of Snohomish in the 1870s, making these 'boom breaks' akin to modern supply chain disruptions or port congestion. While $30,000 was a staggering amount in 1875, it reflects how the entire economy of the region was tethered to the river's temperamental flow.
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