WA ferry woodworkers keep century-old Colman Clock ticking

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BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — Old wooden nameplates of retired ferries adorn the walls of the Washington State Ferries’ carpentry shop on Bainbridge Island, where James Eldringhoff was hard at work on a recent morning.

Hyak. Elwha. Klahowya.

The air was sweet with the earthy smell of sawdust, a visceral clue that — historical nameplates notwithstanding — the activity in this shop is very much concerned with the present work of keeping a new generation of ferries up to snuff.

Wearing safety goggles and wielding a track saw equipped with a vacuum, Eldringhoff tinkered with part of the ba