The Daily Morning Astorian (Astoria, Oregon) 1889 September 8 page 2 column 2
“William Basquell, the young English sailor apprentice who sued the British ship City of Carlisle for $15,000 in the United States district court, and who secured a judgment for $1,530, will soon leave overland for New York, where he will take a steamer for London where his parents reside. The boy was badly hurt. Though he was once a very bright little fellow, since the accident by which his skull was broken he acts like a baby.”
This is just awful, and the worst of it is that I doubt it was an uncommon story. I don’t know how old William was (I haven’t had a chance to research him or link him to a known William, yet), but it sounds like he was fairly young.
red paper boat 