Tragedy Strikes the Monticello
A fireman dies following a boiler explosion, sparking questions about the safety of marine engine design on Puget Sound.
Edward Fallahey, the fireman who was scalded on the steamer Monticello Sunday, died at 12 o'clock yesterday at Providence hospital. The accident was the subject of frequent comment on the water front yesterday. It is generally believed that boilers of that particular make are not successful even for safety. This was the second accident on the Monticello, each having resulted in the death of one man, and a similar accident occurred on the Ellis a short time ago. The threads where the coils screw into the lower drum seem to work loose by contraction and expansion and the jarring of the boat and are finally forced out. Capt. Hatch felt very much grieved over the death of Fallahey; the accident is a severe blow to him from a business point of view as the boat was having a splendid trade.
“It is generally believed that boilers of that particular make are not successful even for safety.”
Industrial failures on the waterfront defined the era's commerce, where the 'splendid trade' of growing cities like Seattle constantly pushed machinery past its safety limits. The tension between profit and the lives of those maintaining the engines remains a recurring theme in maritime and industrial history.
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