The Rat Out of the Hole
A bitter public feud erupts between two of Seattle's major industrial firms over the construction of a city fireboat.
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.
Seattle, Dec. 31, 1890. To the Editor: Replying to the letter of the Washington Iron Works, which appeared in this morning's Post-Intelligencer, we have only this much to say at the present time: That we are glad to see that the rat has come out of his hole; that the nigger has come out of the woodpile. This is the gentleman whom we have long sought, in connection with the continued and persistent slanders which have been circulated in this city concerning the construction of the Snoqualmie by the Dry Dock Company. We fail to find a single statement of fact in the letter of the Washington Company, and here and now do brand their letter as a tissue of malicious lies, prompted and uttered by a low and depraved nature, eaten up by hate and jealousy. We are waiting to hear the report of Messrs. A. A. Denny, Judge Roger S. Greene and Thomas W. Prosch, the investigating committee, that has the fireboat matter in hand. The report, whatever it may be, will be satisfactory to us, and we think also to the citizens of Seattle. - Seattle Dry Dock and Ship Building Co.
Public infrastructure contracts have always been flashpoints for civic corruption accusations in Seattle. While the language used by the company in 1890 is jarring and reflects the casual bigotry of the period, the underlying struggle—private firms fighting over city-funded projects—remains a persistent feature of urban development.
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