Mining Accident Leads to Fatal Infection
A young miner's tragic end in Newcastle highlights the dangers of the industry and the limitations of 1883 medical care.
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.
Michael Houghi, a young man, was the son of James Houghi, a well-known resident of this county. On April 3rd, while working in the mines at Newcastle, he had his leg broken. The limb was set, but for some reason it did not heal and continued to worsen until the 4th of April, when he was brought to Seattle and his leg was amputated. Blood poisoning, however, had set in, and the young man suffered terribly up to Sunday at 11 o'clock a.m., when death came to his relief. The funeral will take place from Providence Hospital today at 10 a.m. Many miners came in last evening, and the services will be largely attended.
“Blood poisoning, however, had set in, and the young man suffered terribly up to Sunday at 11 o'clock a.m., when death came to his relief.”
Mining was the backbone of King County's early industrial expansion, but as this report shows, it came at a high cost. Today, Newcastle is a quiet residential suburb, but the memory of its coal mining heritage remains integral to the region's identity.
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