A Gold-Headed Cane for the Mill Superintendent
Workers in Whatcom (modern-day Bellingham) threw a New Year's ball to honor their boss, celebrating the tight-knit community of the Pacific Northwest milling towns.
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.
On New Year's evening, a large party of Whatcom people assembled at the Town Hall to participate in a grand ball which had been gotten up in the well-known and justly celebrated style of the 'boys' of that busy milling town. The ball was opened by a grand march to the enchanting airs of O'Connor's band, and after having 'tripped the light fantastic' for about an hour, the committee in charge dispatched a messenger for Mr. J. T. Williamson, mechanical superintendent of the Puget Mill Company's mill, and an old and respected resident of the Sound. Having made his appearance in the ballroom in a short time, an intermission in the 'giddy waltz' was announced, and all being seated, Mr. Belyea rose, stated that the object of the present party was to celebrate the presentation of a gold-headed cane to Mr. J. T. Williamson from his many friends in Whatcom, and after a few well-chosen remarks, handed that gentleman a finely engraved and finished gold-headed cane. Mr. Williamson seemed very much surprised, but replied in a neat and befitting speech, then all engaged in dancing again, which they kept up until about midnight, all proceeding to their homes with the unanimous assertion that it had been a very pleasant affair and eclipsed anything they had ever been the participants of at Whatcom. The cane is a superb effort of the jeweler's art, particularly designed for the occasion. The three initials of the recipient's name and date of the presentation are uniquely engraved on the crook.
“all proceeding to their homes with the unanimous assertion that it had been a very pleasant affair and eclipsed anything they had ever been the participants of at Whatcom.”
In the 1880s, Bellingham (then called Whatcom) was a bustling timber camp where labor and management shared the same dance hall. Today, the town's industrial past has shifted toward education and tourism, yet the tradition of community-led social gatherings in local halls remains a staple of the Pacific Northwest.
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