A Lonely Death on the Coast Meridian
A widower clearing his land near Blaine meets a tragic end while working in isolation.
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.
Fatal Accident. Last Sunday Mr. Figg, a settler living on the coast meridian road, about four miles from Blaine, was killed by a falling tree. He lived alone, and his body was found shortly after the accident by a neighboring logger. Figg was engaged in clearing land by burning the trees, and it seems took his dinner out to his work and was eating when a tree started to fall towards him. He started to run, but was struck on the head and killed by a dead limb breaking off from the falling tree. His dinner dishes with the victuals were found near by. Mr. Figg was a widower, but had a family of children in England, whom he expected to join him here next spring.
“He lived alone, and his body was found shortly after the accident by a neighboring logger.”
The story of Mr. Figg reflects the physical danger and profound isolation faced by early settlers attempting to establish homesteads in the rugged Washington wilderness. His story resonates with the universal struggle of individuals seeking a new life in the Pacific Northwest, often at the cost of being separated from loved ones left behind.
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