The Dramatic 'Dynamite' Incident at the Whatcom Mill
A quiet Bellingham neighborhood was shattered when a private residence was leveled by a mysterious blast, sparking a urgent search for the perpetrators.
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.
SEHOME, W. T., Feb. 17.—A very heavy explosion occurred at this place last evening about half past seven o'clock. Upon investigation it was found that the private two-story residence of John H. Stenger, lately situated in central Whatcom, near the Washington Colony sawmill, had been almost entirely demolished by a charge of giant powder. The stairs leading to the upper story, together with every door, window and partition in the house, were blown to atoms. The perpetrators have not yet been discovered, but a very good clue has been obtained which is being diligently followed.
“The stairs leading to the upper story, together with every door, window and partition in the house, were blown to atoms.”
This 1885 explosion in what is now Bellingham captures the raw, volatile nature of early industrial development in Washington, where housing and industry often shared dangerously close quarters. Today, the tensions between rapid urban growth and residential safety remain a constant in Puget Sound, echoing the same struggle for peace in neighborhoods built around the economic engine of the day.
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