Tragedy at the Bothell Mill
A mill worker named Cyrus Mason lost his life while attempting to jump onto a moving coal train in Bothell.
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.
Cyrus Mason, a 30-year-old mill worker employed by the Fanning & Ayerst Co. in Bothell, was killed yesterday at noon while attempting to board a passing coal train. Mason missed his footing and fell across the track; the wheels severed both legs. He survived for nearly ten minutes before dying from his injuries. Coroner Horton had the body transported to Seattle. Among Mason’s few possessions found in his pockets were twenty-five cents, a pawn ticket for a watch, a knife, and a pipe. The coroner is currently waiting for the testimony of the train crew to determine if an inquest is necessary.
“The wheels cutting off both legs close up to the trunk... he lived for nearly ten minutes, virtually bleeding to death.”
Fatalities involving workers jumping onto trains were a tragic hallmark of industrial-era transport. While the rail infrastructure and safety standards have evolved, this story reminds us of the perilous conditions laborers faced in Washington's early timber and milling boom towns.
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