Captain Cook has a profound tie to the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. In fact he was one of the very first explorers to sail into the Puget Sound. His crew included George Vancouver, who later named every island, mountain, waterway, and point of land in sight, including previously recorded Spanish landmarks. Puget Sound itself is named for his lieutenant Peter Puget. His predecessor Captain Cook was one of the first "palefaces" the area natives ever encountered.
Also in the news this week, Seattle's boondoggle of a "Big Dig" project hit another big snag. Washington State Governor Inslee put a stop to the world's largest-ever tunnel boring machine Bertha: http://www.geekwire.com/2016/governor-stops-berth-tunnel-machine/
First Bertha hit a mysterious object, which turned out to be a pipe that had been called out in the tunnel schematics.
Then Bertha broke down.
After that, Bertha was rescued and repaired at considerable risk and cost.
Next came a barge that hit an adjacent pier, potentially creating more risk. Oops.
Finally, a sinkhole has opened up.
Nearly 162 years ago to the day, great Chief Seattle, who had foretold the "palefaces" would one day have longhouses that stood on their sides and reached to the sky, expressed the following at the Treaty of Point Elliott signing:
"Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people ... And when the last red man shall have perished-and the memory of my tribe is but a myth among white men-these shores will swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe ... At night-when the streets of your cities and villages are deserted-they will throng with the returning hosts that once filled them and still love this beautiful land ... The white man will never be alone!"
Just for fun, I'm proclaiming the great chief and his people are not only opponents of the 99 Viaduct replacement tunnel, they have vengefully cursed it.
The tribe has spoken ...
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