A Father’s Tragic Fall at the Vancouver Barracks
While working in the tower of the government water works, an engineer slipped and fell to his death in full view of his son.
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.
Vancouver, W. T., April 2.—Mr. Eugene Handel, engineer in charge of the government water works recently constructed at Vancouver Barracks, while oiling the machinery in the tower this morning, slipped or lost his balance. In sight of his son, who was working above him, he fell to the ground, receiving such serious internal injuries that, in spite of immediate medical assistance, he breathed his last an hour after the accident. Deceased had accepted the position only recently. His wife and family, whom he expected to arrive here in a few weeks, are still at Hueneme, Cal., his former home.
“In sight of his son, who was working above him, he fell to the ground.”
The Vancouver Barracks remains a site of immense historic significance in the Pacific Northwest, though its role has shifted from a frontier military outpost to a public space. Tragic workplace accidents were a common, brutal footnote in the rapid development of Washington's infrastructure during the late 19th century.
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