Tragedy at the Runway: A Logger’s Fatal End in Cowlitz County
A routine day at a logging camp near Freeport turns deadly when a log jam triggers a sudden, violent chain reaction, claiming the life of C.C. Howard.
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.
A logger named C.C. Howard was fatally injured at a camp four miles from Freeport, in Cowlitz County, W.T., last Friday. He, with several others, was engaged in rolling logs down the runway into the river when a jam occurred about midway. A fifth log was sent flying down and, striking the others, sent them with fearful velocity in every direction. Howard, who was below and cognizant of his danger, found it impossible to escape despite his most strenuous efforts. One of the ponderous logs struck and threw him to the ground.
“Howard, who was below and cognizant of his danger, found it impossible to escape despite his most strenuous efforts.”
The dangers of the timber industry in 1878 Cowlitz County underscore the hazardous nature of labor that built the Pacific Northwest. Today, while safety standards have evolved, the physical risks of forestry and the struggle for worker protection remain a perennial theme in the region's labor history.
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