A Series of Farm Accidents in Dayton
Local farmers face dangerous mishaps involving heavy machinery and livestock.
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.
Mrs. A. L. Pettyjohn had a narrow escape from death on Maloney mountain Monday. While unfastening her horse from a pole resting on a fence, the animal pulled back, causing the heavy pole to strike her in the temple. She suffered a broken temple bone, several gashes, and a severe eye injury. In other incidents, Elmer Laughery and a farmhand named Gibson, both working with derrick forks, suffered severe hand lacerations when their hands became entangled in ropes.
“The animal pulled back viciously, causing the heavy pole to strike Mrs. Pettyjohn in the temple.”
These accounts from Dayton, Washington, illustrate the extreme physical dangers faced by agricultural workers in the early 20th century. While machinery has evolved, the risks of heavy equipment operation remain a persistent reality for rural workers.
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