A Deadly Shift in the Coal Mines
A tragic industrial accident at the Newcastle coal mines claims the life of a laborer.
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.
John Thomas, aged about 30, was working Thursday evening at the rooms in the Seattle coal mines at Newcastle when falling coal struck him on the head. He was killed instantly.
His father, who was near him at the time, also received slight injuries.
“John Thomas, aged about 30 years, was struck on the head and instantly killed by falling coal.”
The Newcastle coal mines were the engine of 19th-century Seattle's growth, but the human cost was immense. Today, the site is part of the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, a stark shift from the dangerous industrial landscape where men like John Thomas lost their lives.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.