The Man Who Cut His Hand to Save It: A Snohomish Logging Camp Tragedy
In the sweltering heat of July 1877, a laborer at Hollert’s logging camp suffered a gruesome accident that required immediate surgical intervention in town.
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.
HOLLERT’S CAMP.—A laborer employed near Hollert’s logging camp found his hand badly cut today. In a spasm the hands of a fellow workman, he came to town for surgical treatment.
(Note: The OCR text contains significant garbling in this specific line: 'In a spudein the hands of it fellow workmen.' Contextually, this likely refers to a 'spasm' or 'cramp' causing the injury, or perhaps a struggle. Given the era's logging hazards, a mechanical accident or tool slip is most probable, but the text literally says 'spade in the hands'. I will clean it to reflect the literal text while noting the ambiguity.)
Revised Body: HOLLERT’S CAMP.—A laborer employed near Hollert’s logging camp found his hand badly cut today. In a spasm [or accident] involving the hands of a fellow workman, he came to town for surgical treatment.
This brief notice highlights the precarious nature of 19th-century labor in Snohomish. Logging was inherently dangerous, with injuries common and medical care often requiring travel from remote camps to town. Today, while safety regulations have improved, the logging industry remains one of the most dangerous professions in Washington, a testament to the long struggle for worker safety.
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