Tragic Hunting Accident Leaves Lake Captain Near Death
While loading his shotgun on Lake Sammamish, a local steamboat captain suffered a devastating injury that threatens his life.
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.
Capt. George H. Rodgers, formerly master of the steamer C. C. Calkins, accidentally shot himself while loading a shotgun on Lake Sammamish at 11 o'clock yesterday; one side of his face was literally torn off and it is almost impossible for him to live. He had just loaded one barrel of the gun, which was an old muzzle-loader, and was in the act of loading the other barrel when the first barrel went off, lacerating his hand and, entering his mouth, tore away the side of his face and head in a frightful manner. He was at the time on board the steamer Vixen, which he had been running for some time in connection with Ed Powell, son of Chief Engineer Powell, of the Broadway pumping station. He was taken to the house of Mr. Robinson, at the lower end of the lake, and word was sent to his wife, who lives at East Seattle. Capt. Rodgers is a brother of Frank Rodgers, the engineer on the steamer Lalling. He took command of her three years ago, when she was first built, and ran her until last May. The families of both brothers and their father live at East Seattle. George is about 43 years of age and has a wife and two little girls.
“He had just loaded one barrel of the gun, which was an old muzzle-loader, and was in the act of loading the other barrel when the first barrel went off.”
Accidental discharges involving early muzzle-loading firearms were a recurring danger for maritime and frontier workers in the 1890s. Today, Lake Sammamish is a hub of recreation, but in 1893, it was a working industrial waterway for steamers that served as the lifeline for isolated settlements.
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