The Unsung Heroes of the Fire Line
When the flames rose, a small team of steamboat captains rushed into the fray to save Seattle's firefighting equipment, a vital act of civic solidarity in the 1870s.
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.
The officers and members of Seattle Fire Co. No. 1 hereby tender their thanks to Captain J. O. Brittain, James Nugent of the steamer Success, and William Smith of the Comet for their timely and valuable assistance in removing the engine to and from the scene of the late fire.
“The officers and members of Seattle Fire Co. No. 1 hereby tender their thanks to Captain J. O. Brittain, James Nugent of the steamer Success, and William Smith of the Comet for their timely and valuable assistance.”
In 1878, Seattle was a small, precarious frontier town where fire was a constant existential threat. This public 'card' of thanks captures the hyper-local interdependence required for survival, mirroring how modern neighborhoods still rely on community-led mutual aid during our own city's recurring crises.
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