The Bailey Gatzert Goes Dark: Seattle’s Favorite Steamer Laid Up for Bankruptcy
Despite being a beloved fixture of Puget Sound travel, the steamer Bailey Gatzert has been suspended from service because passenger traffic cannot cover its operating costs. With $2,000 lost on its recent Tacoma run and no sleeping quarters to justify a northern route, the vessel sits idle while officials debate a new one-day round-trip to Victoria.
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.
It was learned yesterday that the steamer Bailey Gatzert is laid up because the traffic has not been sufficient to pay running expenses. As soon as the traffic will warrant it, she will be returned to her run between Tacoma and Seattle, which will probably be some time in April.
It was also learned that about $2,000 had been lost while she was running on the Tacoma route, and, as she has no sleeping accommodations, she cannot very well be put on a northern route.
There is some talk of a new route being established between Tacoma and Victoria, with one steamer put on making the round trip every twenty-four hours. Mr. Baldwin, agent of the Union Pacific line, yesterday told a POST-INTELLIGENCER reporter that he thought such a route would be a very good paying one from the fact that a fast steamer could leave Tacoma and take in Seattle, Port Townsend, Anacortes and Bellingham Bay, and stop long enough at Victoria to enable passengers to transact considerable business and return within the twenty-four hours. It would immediately secure a large patronage, as most people do not like to lose more than one day on
The Bailey Gatzert was more than just a boat; it was a cultural icon named after a popular local saloon owner and featured in children's literature. Its financial struggle highlights the precarious nature of early public transit, where even beloved community assets could be shuttered by simple economics—a tension that persists today with the closure of historic ferry routes or the privatization of public infrastructure.
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