The Price of a Seaman's Hand
A mariner sues for $3,000 in damages, claiming gross negligence led to a permanent injury aboard a ship docked at Port Blakely.
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.
In the District Court for the Third Judicial District of Washington Territory, holding terms at Seattle: Robert Johnson vs. Bark Cambridge and A. McIntyre.
A libel has been filed against the American bark 'Cambridge.' The libellant, Robert Johnston, alleges that on June 12, 1876, at Port Blakely, Washington Territory, Master A. McIntyre hired him as an able seaman for six months at $35 per month. On August 12, 1876, Johnston became seriously injured while aboard, resulting in his right hand being crushed and permanently disabled, rendering him incapable of ever following his vocation again.
Johnston claims the injury was caused by the gross and wanton negligence of the master, A. McIntyre. He states that beyond $70 already paid, he is owed $140 for balance of wages and $3,000 in damages. Public notice is hereby given to all parties interested in the vessel to appear before the District Court at Seattle on January 30, 1877, to answer the claim.
“The injury was caused by the gross and wanton negligence and carelessness of the said A. McIntyre, then master of the said vessel.”
This legal notice highlights the perilous nature of maritime labor on Puget Sound in the 19th century, where workers had few protections against employer negligence. Today, while workplace safety laws are far more robust, the tension between corporate liability and the rights of injured workers remains a central theme in Washington's labor landscape.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.