Answer: They allowed the city to supply power to a U.S. Warship, thereby earning some money.
Explanation: The stock market crashed in the last quarter of 1929 and sent the U.S. economy into a recession. Banks were failing, investment was low and many people were unemployed. In 1933, the new president Franklin Roosevelt was determined to revive the economy and found ways to achieve this in all the states. New, cheap energy generated in Seattle and Tacoma was key to getting more people employed. Towards the end of the 1930s, Seattle and Tacoma got involved in the war effort by providing the energy needed to build bomber planes and ships in Washington.