Freak Rail-Cutting Accident May Cost Foreman His Eye
A. L. Bird, section foreman at Hay, was struck in the eye by a flying piece of metal while cutting a railroad rail. He traveled to Colfax and then Portland for treatment, but doctors fear the eye cannot be saved.
A. L. Bird, O. R. N. section foreman at Hay, met with a painful accident a few days ago. While engaged in cutting a railroad rail, a piece of metal flew and struck him in an eye. He went first to Colfax and then to Portland for treatment. It is feared he will lose the eye. Johnny White of Colfax has charge of the section during Mr. Bird's absence.
“While engaged in cutting a railroad rail a piece of the metal flew and struck him in an eye.”
In 1900, workplace injuries like this were common and often devastating, with little safety net for workers. Today, Washington's Labor & Industries enforces strict eye protection and rail safety standards, but the risk of serious injury on the job remains a reminder of the human cost of infrastructure work.
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