Workplace Injury in Richland
A construction supervisor faces weeks on crutches after a hoisting accident.
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.
J. C. Barnes, superintendent of the construction company, met with a very serious and painful accident Monday afternoon while attempting to hoist a heavy piece of iron with a hoisting machine. The cable broke, causing the heavy iron to fall with great force on Mr. Barnes' right foot. Upon careful examination by the company's doctor, it was found that the bones were badly fractured and as a result Mr. Barnes will have to use crutches for several weeks.
“The cable broke, causing the heavy iron to fall with great force on Mr. Barnes' right foot.”
Industrial injuries were a daily reality for the workforce building early 20th-century Washington. This account captures a minor, local tragedy that reflects the broader lack of worker safety standards before the era of modern labor protections.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.