Tragedy in the Timber: A Fatal Day Near Orting
A young laborer loses his life in a logging accident, underscoring the lethal risks inherent in Washington's turn-of-the-century lumber industry.
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.
Edward Smith, an under-cutter and logger employed at the Paul and Taranis lumber camp No. 6, at Wilkeson, near Orting, was killed while at work. Smith was working in the timber when a tree being felled by means of a donkey engine and wire cable swung in an unexpected direction. Smith was caught in the path of the falling timber and was pinned underneath it, crushing his body terribly and breaking his neck. He died instantly.
“Smith was caught in the path of the falling timber and was pinned underneath it, crushing his body terribly and breaking his neck.”
While modern logging is heavily regulated by OSHA, the dangerous rhythm of the woods remains a constant in Washington's history. This report from 1899 reflects the raw, often uncompensated reality of the men who built the state's economy, a struggle for safety that echoes in today's debates over labor protections for gig and trade workers.
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