Ships of the grain fleet are shown being loaded at a dock in Portland circa 1900. Most grain-fleet ships were barques, which, although slower than a full-rigger, required less manpower. Image provided/Oregon Historical Society
One gray October day in 1898, three British ship captains were sitting in the parlor of the Seamen’s Rest, a sort of YMCA for sailors located in the bustling port of Tacoma. They were in a betting mood.
One of them,…
