A Steamboat Showdown on the Sound
When two rival steamers raced from Tacoma to Seattle, the smaller vessel left its larger competitor in its wake.
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.
Last Monday afternoon the steamer W. H. Merwin went to Tacoma for a load of lime. After taking on 30 tons, she prepared to return to Seattle. While taking water, the steamer North Pacific cast off and started down the Sound. Just after, the Merwin cast off and started in pursuit. Both boats were well loaded and had a strong flood tide to buck against. Pretty soon it became evident that the sternwheeler was gaining on her larger rival, and after running two miles, the Merwin passed the North Pacific. The race then became exciting, and both boats fired up pretty lively. The Merwin continued to widen the distance more and more, and reached Seattle two miles ahead of the Pacific, having made the run from dock to dock, against a strong flood tide, in two hours and fifteen minutes.
“The race then became exciting, and both boats fired up pretty lively.”
This informal contest captures the high-stakes, competitive spirit of 19th-century Puget Sound transit, a precursor to the organized ferry system that defines Seattle's identity today. While modern ferry schedules are strictly regulated, the 'steamboat race' remains a legendary part of our maritime folklore.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.