Industrial Accident at the Power-House
A worker is severely injured while oiling equipment at the Union Trunk lines power-house, resulting in the loss of fingers.
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.
While F. Crich was oiling a pully in the engine room of the Union Trunk lines power-house about 2 o'clock on Friday afternoon, his foot slipped and he caught the cable with his left hand to save himself. His hand was pulled in on the pully and the third finger crushed and the little finger badly injured. Dr. Rufus H. Smith amputated the third finger and may have to cut off the little finger also.
“His hand was pulled in on the pully and the third finger crushed and the little finger badly injured.”
This incident highlights the brutal reality of industrial labor in 1890s Seattle, where lack of safety protocols made 'power-house' work a dangerous occupation. It reflects a time when workers bore the physical cost of the city's rapidly expanding infrastructure.
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