The Shingle Mill Fires of Buckley
A wave of suspicious midnight blazes targets the vital lumber infrastructure of Pierce County, leaving mill owners and workers on edge.
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 portion of Harry Morgan's mill at Buckley, containing 300,000 shingles, was destroyed by fire late last night. The loss is $600, with no insurance. The fire is said to have been of incendiary origin.
“The fire is said to have been of incendiary origin.”
In the late 19th century, timber mills were the literal backbone of Washington's economy, yet they were notoriously vulnerable to 'incendiary' fires—often a result of labor disputes or economic desperation. Today's industrial struggles in the region have shifted to digital and service sectors, but the vulnerability of our economic hubs remains a persistent local anxiety.
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