The Waterfront War of 1889
A bitter corporate grudge between local railroads leads to claims of monopolies, coal famines, and the violent destruction of property on the Seattle shoreline.
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.
In the face of competition, the Shore Line railroad has been making an earnest effort to serve its patrons, the merchants and shippers of Puget Sound and Seattle in particular. We are anxious to complete the terminal facilities now being constructed. The character of these improvements will be fully appreciated by any person who sees them, and the fact that there has been expended upwards of $5,000 to bring them to their present state is testament to our commitment. The agreement with the transfer company provides that the demands of the business public shall be considered and all its interests carefully guarded. Before the agreement was executed, it was submitted to many of the prominent businessmen of Seattle, including George B. Adair, president of the Board of Trade, and was pronounced by each of them to be fair and just. When the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern railway were building their railroad along the water front of Seattle, the narrow gauge company did everything in their power to prevent them. Narrow gauge officials then, as now, stated under oath that their company was ready to build terminal buildings on their lots near the foot of Pike street; those blocks are today bare of any improvements. Their brutal and unlawful attack and destruction of the broad gauge property on December 29 last is already too well known to the people of Seattle. Happily, an injunction issued by Chief Justice Hanford on the 3rd instant brought their disgraceful attack to a close and rendered useless the crates of rifles hurriedly brought from Seattle to be used in cowing and driving away the workmen of the Puget Sound Shore Railroad Company.
“Those specious pretentions have been too often made... Their brutal and unlawful attack and destruction of the broad gauge property on December 29 last is already too well known.”
This 1889 conflict over waterfront access and terminal 'monopolies' echoes modern-day Seattle, where civic disputes over urban growth, private property, and corporate influence continue to shape our infrastructure. Just as the rail barons fought for control of the Pike Street waterfront, today's battles over land use and housing density reflect the same desire to define the city's future.
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