The Hornet’s Last Call
In hard times, a U.S. Marshal’s auction of a small steamship offers a glimmer of opportunity for local opportunists.
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.
This afternoon, at 2 o'clock, Jesse W. George, United States Marshal for Washington Territory, by virtue of a decree issued out of the District Court, will sell at public auction to the highest bidder the little steam propeller Hornet, her engines, boilers, boats, tackle, apparel and furniture. The sale will take place at Mitchell's shipyard, North Seattle, and the terms of sale are cash. The Hornet is a pretty good little steamer, and no doubt an opportunity will be offered at this sale for some one to make some money. At any rate, the sale should be well attended, as the opportunity to make money these hard times are not overly numerous.
“The opportunity to make money these hard times are not overly numerous.”
Today's Seattle waterfront is dominated by massive global shipping conglomerates, but in 1885, maritime commerce was intimate and precarious. The auctioning of the Hornet for cash during a period of economic instability mirrors current anxieties in a city where small businesses struggle to survive amidst waves of consolidation and high capital requirements.
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