Live Steam in the Firebox: A Deckhand's Terrible Scalding
Thomas Smith was thrown into the bow of the steamer Ellis when a boiler pipe burst; he begged that his ill wife not read the news.
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.
Thomas Smith, a deckhand on the steamer Ellis, was terribly scalded Friday evening by the breaking of a steam pipe in the boiler while the boat was on the way from Tacoma to Seattle. He went to relieve the fireman for a few minutes and, in throwing in a stick of wood, struck one of the pipes and broke it. The steam rushed out through the firebox, tossing him clear out into the bow of the boat and scalding him all over. The crew poured grease all over him and then covered him with cotton.
When the boat was brought in he was taken to Providence Hospital and given medical attendance. He is in a critical condition. He refused to give his name for publication, saying that his wife was in delicate health and he feared a knowledge of the facts would have a serious effect on her, but it was learned from another source.
“He feared a knowledge of the facts would have a serious effect on her.”
The steamboat economy that connected Tacoma and Seattle ran on live steam and exposed pipes, with workers absorbing the risk. Today's ferries are safer, but burn injuries and boiler hazards still mark industrial and maritime labor.
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