The Coal Mines Shut Down: Economic Anxiety Grips 1886 Seattle
Falling prices and labor disputes forced the indefinite closure of the Newcastle mines, throwing hundreds out of work.
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.
Owing to the extremely low price of coal in San Francisco, and the differences between the coal miners and the mine owners, which apparently cannot be adjusted, orders were received by Mr. Milner yesterday to shut the Newcastle or Coal Creek mines down indefinitely. This is a very unpleasant piece of news to record, but nothing more than could be expected by those who have kept posted as to the condition of affairs at Newcastle. The closing down of these mines will throw hundreds of men out of employment in the county, and tend to make times harder and money scarcer.
“The closing down of these mines will throw hundreds of men out of employment in the county, and tend to make times harder and money scarcer.”
In 1886, Seattle's economy relied heavily on the boom-and-bust cycles of coal and labor, mirroring today's anxieties regarding industrial shifts and the precarity of the local workforce. The Newcastle mines, once the backbone of the region, served as a stark reminder of how global market prices could instantly shutter a community's livelihood, a rhyme that echoes in modern debates about our regional reliance on tech and global trade.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.