Same Streets
← All stories

The Ghost Caboose of Seattle

A high-wind storm sends a riderless train car hurtling down the tracks in a moment of unexpected local drama.

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.

During the wind storm yesterday, the caboose which was loading on the track commenced moving when a gust of wind struck her, and she ran at a rapid rate up the track about half a mile before she stopped. No harm was done, but the incident afforded those who witnessed it considerable amusement.

“The caboose which was loading on the track commenced moving when a gust of wind struck her, and she ran at a rapid rate up the track.”

— Printed in The Daily Intelligencer (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878
Then · 1878148 years apartNow · 2026

While a runaway caboose sounds like a folk tale, it serves as a reminder of Seattle's long history with high-wind events. Today, residents still contend with wind-related infrastructure issues—from fallen trees to power outages—much like the cottonwood tree that demolished a local Chinese camp during this same storm.

The original page

The Daily Intelligencer (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-08-06. Library of Congress, Chronicling America.

From readers

No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.

About this story

From
The Daily Intelligencer (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, AUG 6, 1878, Page 3
Rights
Public domain
Place
47.60323, -122.33028 · placed automatically
The paper in the Library of Congress catalog ↗