The Tragic End of Robert McKay
A deckhand's quiet despair leads to a grim discovery on the waters near Seattle.
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 Wednesday afternoon, the steamer Hopper, while on her way to Oysterville to fill her tanks with fresh water, met with a sad incident. While passing Magnolia Point, a deckhand named Claude Madden came up on board and told the captain that his partner, Robert McKay, had committed suicide by dropping himself overboard. The body had just been sighted, and one or two other members of the crew went with him and secured it. He said that he had last seen McKay about an hour before in the galley. The marshal was notified, which resulted in bringing the body to the wharf at the foot of Denny and Pine streets. An inquest was held, and the jury returned a verdict according to the facts.
“The marshal was notified, which resulted in bringing the body to the wharf at the foot of Denny and Pine streets.”
This 1885 account reminds us that Seattle’s maritime history—so often celebrated for its growth and industry—was also built on the personal, often invisible, struggles of those living and working on the fringes of the harbor. Suicide at sea, then as now, serves as a stark reminder of the isolation and mental health crises that often accompany demanding labor conditions in our port cities.
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