Fatal Steam Boiler Explosion in Port Ludlow
A steam-powered mill tragedy results in a worker's death and significant property damage.
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 have received the melancholy intelligence that the steam saw mill of Mr. W. T. Sayward, of Port Ludlow, Jefferson county, has been seriously damaged by the bursting of the boiler, some two weeks ago. Mr. Wright, formerly of Maine, the engineer, was injured so seriously as to cause his death within twelve or fourteen hours after the disaster; and the Sawyer was very severely scalded. Damage to the establishment is estimated at $3000.
“Mr. Wright, formerly of Maine, the engineer, was injured so seriously as to cause his death within twelve or fourteen hours after the disaster.”
In the mid-19th century, the rapid growth of the lumber industry in the Pacific Northwest was often powered by dangerous, unregulated machinery. This incident serves as a grim reminder of the human cost of the era's 'industrial boom' that built the regional economy.
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