The Wheels Threw Him Aside: A Coal Heaver's Narrow Escape
F. Brassell fell beneath freight cars at Tekoa's coal bunkers; he lost an ear and most of his scalp but survived the first night.
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.
TEKOA, Feb. 22.—[Special.]—F. Brassell, a coal heaver, narrowly escaped death today. While lowering two freight cars down a steep incline from the coal bunkers he fell from the top under the wheels. Fortunately, instead of passing over the body, the wheels threw it aside, but at length cut off the left ear and tore away nearly the whole scalp. His left arm was broken, and it is thought there are internal injuries which may prove fatal. Tonight the injured man is resting easily. He has a large family.
“Fortunately, instead of passing over the body, the wheels threw it aside.”
Industrial workers still face severe injury on the job, and the story's details—dangerous grades, inadequate protection, a family dependent on the injured man—are a reminder of how much workplace safety was once left to luck. The brief item records a life nearly erased in a routine task.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.