A Fatal Misstep on the Coal Train
A young miner, under the influence of drink, loses his life in a tragic accident on the tracks near Seattle.
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.
Yesterday was added to the long chain of serious casualties and accidents that has extended through this community of late, the victim this time being Jos. Payne, a young man aged about twenty-five years. Payne was a coal miner in occupation, and for some time past has been employed at Newcastle. He recently visited Renton, and yesterday, while under the influence of liquor, attempted to board a passing coal train bound for Seattle. He missed his footing and fell headlong under the loading cars. The wheels passed over his neck and face, mutilating him terribly and killing him instantly. Coroner Coet of this city was notified, but on learning the particulars as fully as possible, decided not to hold an inquest.
“He missed his footing and fell headlong under the loading cars. The wheels passed over his neck and face, mutilating him terribly and killing him instantly.”
Accidents involving pedestrians and heavy rail traffic were a common, brutal occurrence during the era of rapid industrial expansion in the Pacific Northwest. Today, as Seattle contends with modern transit safety, the incident serves as a grim reminder of how the physical scale of infrastructure often outpaced public safety measures in early boomtowns.
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