Tragedy in Tacoma: The Sudden Collapse of a New Building
A newly constructed building on Tacoma Avenue falls, leaving the community reeling and survivors in critical condition.
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 excitement over the collapse of the building on Tacoma Avenue last night has not yet died out, as at every street corner people congregated and talked of the misfortune which has befallen the stricken families of the injured and wounded. Today, large crowds of spectators congregated around the building and watched the firemen clear away the debris. Only two days ago, the structure was what was supposed to be one of the finest new buildings on Tacoma Avenue. The body of George M. Bell, who was mentioned last night as being missing, was recovered this morning about 5 o'clock. He leaves an aged widow and was 56 years old. Among the others wounded, not mentioned last night, were George Collins, Samuel Blackeder, and J. G. Eubank. The building was not at all substantial and was top-heavy. The fault appears to have been with the underpinning. The sills were 12x12 in size, but the lower uprights, though sufficiently heavy, are said not to have been braced at all. Coroner McCoy impaneled a jury this afternoon and held a secret session; no verdict was rendered, but the sitting will be held over until tomorrow morning.
“The building was not at all substantial and was top-heavy. The fault appears to have been with the underpinning.”
Building collapses and infrastructure safety remain persistent concerns in Seattle and Tacoma as the region undergoes rapid, often pressurized, densification. This 1889 report highlights the recurring tension between booming development and the structural oversight necessary to keep residents safe.
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