Ballard Mill Worker Maimed in Belt Accident
A sawmill worker is in the hospital with a crushed arm after a plank snagged on machinery.
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.
Abraham L. Hanson, an employee in Stimson's sawmill at Ballard, was caught in the machinery and seriously injured yesterday. He now lies at the hospital with his right arm crushed out of shape, and it is probable that amputation will be necessary. Five pieces of bone were removed and the doctors will make an attempt to save the limb. How the accident happened has not been explained clearly, but it seems that Hanson had a plank which was caught by the machinery. This plank in turn threw Hanson against the belt and he was drawn forward against the pulley wheel. In trying to save himself his arm was caught and squeezed between the belt and wheel.
“Hanson had a plank which was caught by the machinery. This plank in turn threw Hanson against the belt and he was drawn forward against the pulley wheel.”
Early Seattle industry was notoriously dangerous, with sawmill workers facing life-altering injuries due to minimal safety standards. Today, Ballard is defined by high-end development and tech, but the physical remnants of its maritime and timber past remain the foundation of the neighborhood's history.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.