Immediately after the results of the June 6, 1870, election reach Seattle by telegraph, Capt. H. H. Hyde travels to Port Townsend, which lacks communication by telegraph, and places bets with several people that Selucius Garfielde running for Delegate to U. S. Congress (nonvoting member) would win by at least 600 votes. As Hyde knows, the official return gives Garfielde a 735-vote majority over J. D. Mix.
When the con became known, H. S. Fowler, one of the Port Townsend losers, sued Hyde for the $100 bet he lost. Judge Orange Jacobs ruled in Fowler’s favor and Hyde was required to pay the $100 plus interest and court costs.
In July 1872, Port Townsend civic leader Dr. Thomas T. Minor (1844-1889) and area mill owners formed the Puget Sound Telegraph Company to bring telegraph service to Port Townsend. Using wires strung on trees for much of the distance, the company established a line from West Seattle via Port Blakely, Port Madison, Port Gamble, Port Ludlow, and Chimacum to Port Townsend.
Sources:
Thomas Prosch, "A Chronological History of Seattle from 1850 to 1897" (Typescript, dated 1900-1901, Northwest Collection, University of Washington Library, Seattle), 207, 218; T. M. Pelly, Dr. Minor: A Sketch of the Background and Life of Thos. T. Minor, M.D. (1844-1889) (Seattle: Lowman and Hanford Company, 1933), 40-41.
Note: This essay was revised on August 13, 2004.
Licensing: This essay is licensed under a Creative Commons license that
encourages reproduction with attribution. Credit should be given to both
HistoryLink.org and to the author, and sources must be included with any
reproduction. Click the icon for more info. Please note that this
Creative Commons license applies to text only, and not to images. For
more information regarding individual photos or images, please contact
the source noted in the image credit.
Major Support for HistoryLink.org Provided
By:
The State of Washington | Patsy Bullitt Collins
| Paul G. Allen Family Foundation | Museum Of History & Industry
| 4Culture (King County Lodging Tax Revenue) | City of Seattle
| City of Bellevue | City of Tacoma | King County | The Peach
Foundation | Microsoft Corporation, Other Public and Private
Sponsors and Visitors Like You