When the Mill Went Dry: How a Railroad’s Pipes Put 57 Seattle Men Back to Work
Stetson & Post’s mill went dry, idling 57 workers—until a water company and a railroad improvised a pipe connection to get the saws running again.
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.
A GENEROUS ACT.—Yesterday morning Stetson & Post were compelled to shut down their mill, owing to the scarcity of water, and thereby fifty-seven men were thrown out of employment. Mr. Stetson at once reported this state of affairs to John Leary, Esq., one of the prime movers in the enterprise to supply this city with an abundance of fresh water, and one of the principal stockholders in the Spring Hill Water Company, which corporation owns a large number of springs near the head of the bay. The gentlemen together went to see Mr. Weymouth, assistant superintendent of the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Company, which corporation has pipes leading from the head of the bay to their works in this city. Mr. Weymouth kindly volunteered the use of these pipes, provided the Spring Hill Water Company would furnish the additional water required. This was agreed to, and men were at once set to work making the necessary connections, and the chances are Messrs. Stetson & Post will start up again this morning. This generous act on the part of Mr. Weymouth demonstrates a noble spirit that cannot be too highly commended.
“Stetson & Post were compelled to shut down their mill, owing to the scarcity of water, and thereby fifty-seven men were thrown out of employment.”
The 1883 mill shutdown is a reminder that Seattle’s boom has always depended on pipes, water rights and utility decisions made far from the sawdust. Modern infrastructure failures still translate almost instantly into lost shifts and idled workers.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.