The Senate Picks Port Orchard for New Naval Dry Dock
Senator Squire secures a legislative victory for Washington, outmaneuvering Oregon representatives to establish the naval site.
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.
Washington, D.C., Feb 11—The brilliant parliamentary victory won by Senator Squire over the Oregon senators today in the consideration of the Puget Sound dry dock appropriation is the talk of the town tonight. The case was managed with much address; this is the most important piece of legislation secured for Washington from the present congress. Senator Squire canvassed the Senate early in the session, trading his support for Eastern measures in return for pledges to vote for the Puget Sound dry dock, eventually carrying an appropriation of $725,000. After a spirited three-hour debate against Senators Dolph and Mitchell of Oregon, the Senate voted 35 to 12 in favor of the amendment, which directs the secretary of the navy to acquire a site at Port Orchard on Puget Sound for a dry dock at a cost not to exceed $700,000.
“The proceedings occupied the greater part of today's session... Senators Squire and Allen were, of course, conspicuous in support of the amendment.”
The Port Orchard Dry Dock (later the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard) became a cornerstone of the regional economy and military infrastructure. While the 1891 debate centered on regional competition with the Columbia River, the site remains a major employer and federal presence in Kitsap County over 130 years later.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.