A Close Call with a Falling Telephone Pole
A local worker narrowly escapes injury after a heavy pole slips from control.
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.
J. Gadbury received a severe bump while putting up telephone poles Tuesday, that came very near being more serious than a simple bump. The accident occurred near Wehesville. He was pushing the poles when one of them slipped from his control and, falling, struck him on the left shoulder, narrowly missing his head. The weight of the pole almost drove Gadbury into the earth, and he is fortunate that no bones were broken. He will carry a bruised shoulder for some time as a memento of the experience.
“The weight of the pole almost drove Gadbury into the earth, and he is fortunate that no bones were broken.”
Workplace safety was rudimentary in the early 20th century, and casual reporting of 'near misses' often masked the dangerous conditions laborers faced while building the region's infrastructure.
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