The Mysterious Blast at the Waterfront
A loud explosion near the Seattle waterfront panicked residents, leaving authorities to discover nothing but a pile of burning rags.
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.
SEATTLE, Feb. 3.—A loud explosion, sounding like dynamite, occurred at the foot of Columbia Street about eight o'clock tonight, creating intense excitement for some time. As the police reached the dock, they found only a bundle of burning rags. The affair is involved in mystery.
“The affair is involved in mystery.”
Early Seattle was a boomtown defined by unpredictable violence, from industrial accidents to sensational false alarms like this one. Today, the corner of Columbia and the waterfront—now part of the bustling Pioneer Square and waterfront redevelopment—is defined by very different concerns, such as the ongoing struggle for public space and waterfront gentrification.
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