Tragedy at the Mouth of the Columbia
A broken hawser on a tow line claimed the lives of three sailors in a sudden, violent accident off the bar of the Columbia River.
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.
San Francisco, February 16.—A peculiar fatality occurred at the bar at the entrance to the Columbia River this afternoon. While the bark 'Kalispel' was being towed, the bitts (the heavy posts around which the hawser was fastened) broke, struck the forecastle, and killed three men in their passage overboard. The men killed were: Martin Kisky, aged 30; one known as Henry, aged 60; and another known as Gus, aged 38. The two former were Finns and the latter was a German; all were unmarried.
“The bitts, around which the hawser was fastened on the bark, broke, struck the forecastle, and killed three men in their passage overboard.”
The mouth of the Columbia River remains one of the most treacherous maritime passages in the world, known as the 'Graveyard of the Pacific.' While modern engineering and technology have significantly increased safety for mariners, the region’s volatile bar continues to demand profound respect and constant vigilance from those navigating Washington's coastal waters.
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