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.

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Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and contributing the above news article to this web site!

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