Barber County Index, March 2, 1944.
Ralph Knight Hurt Thursday
The first serious accident to occur at the National Gypsum Company plant here
in some time happened Thursday evening when Ralph Knight, mill foreman,
suffered a compound fracture of the right jaw while spotting a car on the
night shift. He was in the act of moving a rock car with a car puller when a
cable slippage occurred on the wind lace, jerking the storage reel out of the
hands of Knight and reversing its operation momentarily, causing one of the
projecting hand grips to strike the operator under the jaw.
The injured
man, who had been with the company for 16 years, and had no previous
accidents, was taken to Dr. Hardin Gilbert by fellow employees, who
administered emergency treatment. He was then taken to the Achenbach Memorial
Hospital in Hardtner where it was said he was getting along as well as could
be expected.
Knight's jaw was broken in several places and it was also
badly lacerated.
The accident mars an exceptional fine record which the
plant had established here. For the last two years, the Medicine Lodge plant
has won the safety award in competition with all other National Gypsum
plants.
Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and
contributing the above news article to this web site!
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