Takes over its new properties: Pacific Coast Co. assumes active control of Black Diamond mines

Originally published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 15, 1904

The Pacific Coast Company yesterday morning assumed active control over the coal mines at Black Diamond, a confirmation of which company’s purchase of the property from the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company was contained in a telegram to the Post-Intelligencer from San Francisco yesterday. Though the exact purchase price is not known, it is certain that the new owners of the mines paid in the neighborhood of $1,000,000 for the property.

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Black Diamond mines not sold

Originally published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 2, 1904

Contrary to a report quite generally circulated, the Black Diamond coal mines have not been sold to the Pacific Coast Company. Such is the statement made yesterday by J.C. Ford, vice president and general manager of the Pacific Coast Company.

“Negotiations have been pending for the past year,” explained Mr. Ford, “but have not been brought to a close. I do not even know that the purchase will be made. Nothing is settled yet.”

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Accident unavoidable: Coroner Hoye decides to hold no inquest in Black Diamond railroad wreck

Originally published in The Seattle Daily Times, April 21, 1904

Coroner Hoye decided today that the railroad wreck at Black Diamond Tuesday, in which Engineer Joe Scanlon was killed and Fireman George M. Hoagland was injured, was an unavoidable accident, and that an inquest will not be necessary.

Coroner Hoye went to Black Diamond yesterday and personally investigated the accident. He found that the train while going down grade became uncontrollable and as it went around the curve, the engine left the track and pulled five loaded cars over a deep embankment. Scanlon was crushed under the engine. Hoagland was hurt in falling. The latter is at Providence Hospital and is improving as rapidly as can be expected.

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Coal train is wrecked

Originally published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 20, 1904

Death and destruction after mad dash; an engineer killed

C&PS extra runs away and leaves track near Black Diamond

As a result of a wreck on the Bruce branch of the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad above Black Diamond yesterday, Engineer Joe Scanlon was instantly killed, and Fireman George Hoagland was seriously injured. The train consisted of nine cars loaded with coal besides the engine.

The cause of the accident was slippery tracks and the failure of the air brakes to work at a critical period. The train broke away on a dangerous grade and ran at a tremendous speed until it struck the curve terminating at Black Diamond, leaving the rails and totally ruining six of the cars besides resulting in the fatality mentioned.

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Engineer killed and fireman injured

Originally published in The Seattle Daily Times, April 19, 1904

C&PS locomotive plunges down a steep embankment

Click to view the railroad lines in Black Diamond and Franklin, including the Bruce Branch, 1906.

Joseph Scanlon, an engineer, was killed and George M. Hoagland, a fireman, was badly injured in a wreck on the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad near Black Diamond at 5:45 o’clock this morning.

While going around a curve nearly halfway between the town of Black Diamond and No. 12 coal mine, the engine of an extra coal train jumped the track and plunged down a thirty-five-foot embankment. The locomotive carried with it five loaded coal cars.

Engineer Scanlon was knocked against the side of the engine and his brains were crushed out. Death was instantaneous. His body was pulled from the wreckage a short time later.

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Mammoth new coal bunkers

Originally published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 17, 1904

Loading capacity of 1,000 tons an hour—to be completed in August

New coal bunkers north of Morans’

The new coal bunkers of the Pacific Coast Company, on the waterfront, at the foot of Dearborn Street and Railroad Avenue, shown in the accompanying photographic views, will have ship-loading capacity of 1,000 tons an hour. The storage capacity of the bunkers is 7,000 tons. But with the company’s splendid equipment it is possible to ship in the coal from its King County mines, elevate the product into the bunkers, and carry it on by its electric conveyors down into the vessels loading, at the astonishing rate of 1,000 tons every sixty minutes.

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Strolling around town

Originally published in The Seattle Daily Times, April 6, 1934

It happened ’way back when— A quarter of a century ago, before some practically minded person discovered that the average bloodhound could not track a piece of Brie cheese across a croquet court, it was popular to pursue murderers with a baying pack.

Two reporters, representing rival papers, were sent to Black Diamond to accompany Deputy Sheriff Bob Hodge and his squad of canine manhunters. They arrived at Black Diamond late Saturday afternoon, and each went about his business of making reportorial preparations.

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Big K. of P. drill is well attended

Originally published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 3, 1904

Many local Knights journey to Newcastle to participate in district convention

Knights of Labor seal

The district convention of the Knights of Pythias for the part of the state that embraces Seattle and adjacent cities was held last night at Newcastle and was attended by many local knights. The principal object of the convention was a competitive team drill for third rank work, and the drill was participated in by Seattle Lodge No. 51 and a delegation of many officers and members of other locals. The only uniformed company that attended the drill from this section en masse was Company No. 23 from Black Diamond.

At the conclusion of the rank work a banquet was given to the visiting delegations. The local contingent left this city in the interurban train at 6:30 to Renton, and from there they took the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad to their destination.

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Going north

Originally published in the Pacific Coast Bulletin, April 1, 1930

The Pacific Coast Cement Company’s Dall Island crew just before boarding the S.S. Queen for the island. We’ll endorse any statement to the effect that this is a fine-looking bunch. All went north with the exception of W.H. Green, plant manager, standing at the extreme right. Bon voyage.

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The Pacific Coast Company

Originally published in The Seattle Sunday Times, February 7, 1904

The shipping business of the Pacific Coast has grown from a position of ten years ago, where it was scarcely recognized in the statistical and commercial reports, to a place today that commands the attention and admiration of the entire business world.

It has been said that “he who controls the trade of the Pacific will control the world,” and a statement nearer to the truth has never been uttered. So far as coast control is concerned, it can be truthfully said, the shipping business, both freight and passenger, from Mexico to Alaska, is today practically controlled by the Pacific Coast Company, the largest corporation operating freight and passenger vessels on the Coast.

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