Tragedy on the Wharf
A Norwegian longshoreman is killed instantly by falling equipment during cargo operations on the steamer Elder.
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.
While discharging freight from the steamship Elder yesterday morning, one of the tackles on the wharf gave way, and the block struck Moses Johnson, a Norwegian longshoreman, violently in the stomach, killing him almost instantly. Dr. Smith was sent for, but before he could reach the unfortunate man it was too late for earthly assistance. Johnson was about forty years old. He had formerly sailed in the Elder and was considered an industrious, steady man. An inquest was held and a verdict of accidental death rendered. No blame is attached to the officers of the ship. Capt. Tibbals ordered the man given a decent burial at the expense of the steamship company.
“An inquest was held and a verdict of accidental death rendered. No blame is attached to the officers of the ship.”
Workplace safety on the Seattle waterfront has evolved from the era of hazardous, manual tackle-and-block systems to modern Osha-regulated standards. Yet, the vulnerability of the individual worker in the face of industrial machinery remains a recurring echo in the city's labor history.
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