A Switchman Crushed at the Foot of Madison Street
Fred Delano, a Lake Shore switchman, was caught between cars while coupling in Seattle's rail yards and carried home on a patrol wagon; doctors despaired of his recovery.
Fred Delano, a Lake Shore switchman, was crushed between cars that he was coupling at the foot of Madison street yesterday morning. He succeeded in extricating himself and lay down on the planking until the patrol wagon arrived and took him to his home, at 413 Washington street. Later he was taken to Providence hospital. His injuries were in the region of the abdomen, and were of such a nature that his recovery was despaired of last night.
“He succeeded in extricating himself and lay down on the planking until the patrol wagon arrived.”
Rail coupling was one of the most dangerous jobs in 1890s Seattle, and the foot of Madison Street was a working waterfront and rail corridor. The accident is a reminder that the city's growth was built on manual labor with almost no safety net.
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