Millworker Killed by Planer Blade
A young sawmill worker loses his life after attempting to clear a board in a hazardous industrial accident.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Joseph Storasslie, a 28-year-old Swede, was working as a planer in Link's sawmill in Tacoma when he was struck in the breast by a broken planer blade. The metal piece severed an artery, and despite his attempt to guide the heavy wood, he bled to death within six hours. He had previously warned his assistant of the danger, but ultimately fell victim to the very hazard he had identified.
“He told him if his life was not insured to keep away. Then Storasslie did what he told his assistant not to do.”
Workplace safety in the Pacific Northwest timber industry was notoriously poor during this era, leading to high fatality rates. This story underscores the human cost behind the rapid industrial expansion of the 1890s.
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