Fraught with Danger – August 1896
The life of a maritime worker can be a hazardous one. Throughout history, accidents or physical violence at sea or on shore resulted in various types of injuries or sometimes even death.
As noted on page 3 in the 15 August 1986 issue of The Pacific Commercial Advertiser, a native Hawaiian sailor named George Puaa was fatally injured while loading sugar:
Transcript:
An accident which occurred to Geo. Puaa on the day the Kinau left on her last trip up has since proved fatal. He was a sailor on the steamer Hawaii and was at work loading sugar into the Annie Johnson when a block overhead gave way and fell upon him injuring him severely about the head and fracturing his legs. The wounded man was carried to Dr. Moore’s office where Drs. Wetmore and Beatty were called to assist in dressing the wounds. For several days it was thought he would recover, but on Friday he succumbed to his severe injuries. A coroner’s jury returned a verdict of accidental death. The deceased was a resident of Honolulu and a young man.
