Sidewalk Perils: A Nightly Hazard in Early Seattle
A pedestrian’s nasty fall into an open eight-foot pit sparks a public call for the city to fix dangerous, unmaintained infrastructure.
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.
Mr. B. R. Wall, of the Yesler saw-mills, met with a severe accident on Bell street, Monday evening. While walking along opposite the residence of Mr. A. A. Denny, he stepped from the edge of the walk and was precipitated into a deep pit or cellar of about seven or eight feet. He was so badly hurt that he could not extricate himself and commenced calling for help. When Mr. Denny came to his rescue, he sent to town for a hack. He was conveyed to one of the saloons and Dr. Weed sent for. It was found that he had fractured the small bone of his foot and sprained his ankle, inflicting a painful injury. This painful accident has not happened contrary to expectation. We have been anticipating something of the kind for a long time and only wonder that some one has not been killed before this in the vicinity. Such gaps as are now on the street are simply shameful. There is not a shred of an excuse for it. The authorities should see to it that proper and immediate precautions are taken to prevent the recurrence of such an accident and the disastrous escapes as have recently come to public notice. It is a very simple matter to rail in dangerous places to prevent the unwary from being unwittingly precipitated into the pitfalls that are threatening.
“Such gaps as are now on the street are simply shameful. There is not a shred of an excuse for it.”
The 1876 cry for basic sidewalk safety and accountability for city infrastructure remains a perennial concern in Seattle, where disputes over pedestrian safety, aging infrastructure, and city responsibility continue to dominate the civic discourse.
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