The Crumbling Walls of Steilacoom
A group of builders and taxpayers exposes shoddy construction at the new Territorial Asylum.
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.
At the request of several prominent citizens and heavy taxpayers, a committee of builders and contractors went to Steilacoom last week and made a thorough examination of the Territorial Asylum now in course of erection, and the material used in the construction of that building. They took plenty of time and made a careful examination of the character of the work and material, after which they held a consultation and made the following report: 'By request of several citizens, we, the undersigned, builders and contractors, visited the asylum now in course for the purpose of reporting as to the general condition of the material used and the quality of the workmanship. We are of the opinion that the major portion of the brick used and now being used are of so poor a quality that Architect Williams had no alternative but to resign unless the Commissioners permitted the contractor to use them after being condemned by him. Substantially, we agree with the report of Architect Williams, except that the impression conveyed by him that brick equal to that called for by the specifications was not obtainable is not correct; we know there is and has been brick of that quality immediately in the vicinity of Tacoma and Steilacoom, and also at different points on Puget Sound.'
“Such narrowness of view on the part of officials dressed in a little brief authority does much toward embittering the feeling between the two towns.”
Public infrastructure projects have long been targets for local civic scrutiny. This 1886 dispute over the Territorial Asylum in Steilacoom highlights the timeless tension between public safety, contractor accountability, and the political infighting that often complicates municipal building efforts.
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