The All-Night Waterfront Watch That Recovered Forty Stolen Boom Chains
Police lay in wait at the foot of Vine Street after a boat loaded with chains appeared in North Seattle. The trail led back to a Port Townsend mill and a second-hand dealer.
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 CHAINS WERE ON HAND. Goods That Were Stolen at Port Townsend Found Here.
Owing to the vigilance of the police the owners of the Downes mill at Port Townsend will recover possession of forty boom chains that were stolen at Port Townsend day before yesterday. Early yesterday morning Templeton discovered that two men had landed a boat at the foot of Vine Street in North Seattle. In the boat were a lot of chains, which the sergeant surmised had been stolen. Officer Pierce watched the boat all night, and in the morning Officer Faucett took his place. After a long wait two men appeared from the southern part of the city, and soon were engaged in looking over the goods. Both men were taken to police headquarters, where it was learned that one of the two was a second-hand man to whom the other was offering the chains for sale. After the arrests had been made a telegram came from the chief of police of Port Townsend concerning the case and asking that the men be arrested. Late last evening A. Adams, of the sloop Francis, was arrested under circumstances which satisfied Chief Rogers he was implicated.
“Officer Pierce watched the boat all night, and in the morning Officer Faucett took his place.”
Cargo theft and waterfront stakeouts are not new to Seattle; this case shows the same mix of opportunistic thieves, second-hand fences and intercity police tips that modern port investigators still contend with. The old foot of Vine Street is now part of Seattle's central waterfront, where surveillance cameras have replaced all-night watches.
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