A Community Rallies After a Railway Tragedy
When a young brakeman loses his foot in a rail accident near the Cedar River, local citizens organize to secure his future.
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.
We learn it is in contemplation to get up a subscription for Charley Brunk, the unfortunate young man who lost his foot in the railroad accident on Tuesday. He is a young man of about 20, one of a very large family, and as it will be impossible for him in the future to earn his living by manual labor, we hope that a sufficient amount can be raised to establish him in some business to enable him to obtain a livelihood.
“As it will be impossible for him in the future to earn his living by manual labor, we hope that a sufficient amount can be raised to establish him in some business.”
This 1878 account of a community 'passing the hat' for an injured laborer highlights the dangerous reality of Seattle's early industrial growth. It reflects a time before modern worker's compensation, where the difference between destitution and survival for a disabled worker often relied entirely on the informal social safety net of neighbors.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.