Industrial Tragedy at the Bellingham Bay Mill
A newly arrived laborer loses his life in a brutal workplace accident.
William Judge, one of the night force employed at the Bellingham Bay Improvement Company's mill in Whatcom, was instantly killed last night by a piece of slab which was thrown with great force from the slab-saw, knocking him down and breaking his neck. He was a single man and came here a few weeks ago from Canada with a twin brother.
“William Judge... was instantly killed last night by a piece of slab which was thrown with great force from the slab-saw.”
This incident reflects the lethal reality of turn-of-the-century timber work in Washington, where industrial safety standards were non-existent, a precursor to the labor struggles for workers' compensation and safe conditions.
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