The Unsinkable Cigar Barges of the Sound
Innovation in the Washington coal trade: will unique, cigar-shaped steel barges soon conquer the rough waters of the Pacific?
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 is generally believed that the large, whale-back steel barges, which are being talked of for the Coast coal trade, will be built at Tacoma and sent around the Horn loaded with merchandise. These barges are made something like a cigar in shape, so that when the hatches are closed, they can roll any way in the water with perfect safety. It is proposed to introduce these for the transportation of coal instead of shipping it in sailing vessels, as the bulk of it has heretofore been shipped.
“These barges are made something like a cigar in shape, so that when the hatches are closed, they can roll any way in the water with perfect safety.”
In 1891, the 'whale-back' barge represented the cutting edge of industrial maritime engineering. Today, while shipping methods have evolved, the Puget Sound region remains a site of constant logistical invention, from the electrification of maritime fleets to the ongoing debate over how to move goods through our busy waterways.
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