Search for Missing Tugboat Crewman
Anton Anderson, a deckhand on the tug Holyoke, vanishes into the cold waters of Port Townsend after a night on shore.
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.
Port Townsend, Jan. 8. A young man named Anton Anderson, who was one of the crew of the tug Holyoke, has been missing several days. He went ashore from the steamer one evening expecting soon to return, was seen later in the evening intoxicated, but no tidings from him since. His parents, who reside near here, knew nothing of his whereabouts, and it is feared that while returning to the steamer he fell overboard and was drowned.
“His parents, who reside near here, knew nothing of his whereabouts, and it is feared that while returning to the steamer he fell overboard and was drowned.”
Maritime life in the 19th-century Pacific Northwest was fraught with hazards, and the 'waterfront tragedy' was a staple of local reporting. While Seattle and Port Townsend have evolved into modern hubs, the inherent danger of working on the docks and the struggle of families awaiting word of missing loved ones remain a poignant, recurring reality of port city life.
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