The Fiery End of the Steamer Gazelle
A small stern-wheel steamer, once a fixture of the Willamette River, burns to the waterline while awaiting a load of shingles.
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.
Telegraphic dispatches reached Seattle yesterday about noon that the steamer Gazelle, owned by Captains Olney and Gilmore, had burned while awaiting the Skagit River mail. No further particulars were received, except that the captain and his family reached there in safety. The Gazelle was a small stern-wheel steamer, built on the Willamette River and brought around here about four years ago. She has been very unfortunate since her arrival and has changed hands a number of times. About a year ago Olney & Gilmore purchased her from W. D. Smith & Co., and fitted her up in good shape. She left this city on Wednesday morning for the Skagit River to get a load of shingles, and the next news received from her was that she had taken fire and burned, probably to the water's edge.
“The next news received from her was that she had taken fire and burned, probably to the water's edge.”
Steamboat fires were a persistent hazard in 19th-century Puget Sound, often caused by sparks from wood-fired boilers. Today, while the wooden steamers are gone, the Skagit River remains a critical artery for local maritime and industrial commerce, albeit under much stricter safety regulations.
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