The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1915-07-29
FORMER SOCIETY
IMAM " WORKING c
'As A ''TANk|E'
IN OIL FIELD TO REGAIN
HEALTH, MUSKOGEE MAN
BADLY INJURED

| Pemeta, Okla, July 29.-The OF
Geld holds maII Jscrets. One o.
these was revealed yesterday through
an injury to v. A. Sappenfieid, foi
many years well known figure il
Muskogee social and business cir
eles, who for about six months pas
has been working as tank build
er for w. M. Parker and others, who
are bailding the Pemeta oil refining
plant The injury is to Mr. Sappen
fields right eye. While working
with other men, swinging a heavy
hammer to rivet the tank together
a piece OF steel broke off and struck
Sappenfield's right eye, damagine
the eye ball and otherwise seriously
Iinjuring the eye. Local medical men
4 say it is doubtful IL the eye can be
saved; consequently, the injured man
was accompanied today to Tulsa for
an expert examination.
Sapperfield was working as a
"tankie" in order to recuperate his
health, and it was his intention to
put in the entire summer in this line
of work. He had been employed at
desk work for many years, damaging
to his health, and came to Pemeta
with the intention of seeking muscle
making, appetite-producing employ
fTent. At that time the Pemeta re-
finery was just being started and
Sappenfield asked for and was given
employment as tank builder Thus
far he has helped build. six 1900 bar.
rel steel tanks
For two weeks, Sapperfield worked
as "bucker-up," holding the dolly
bar"-a heavy piece of iron-against
the riyet heads while the hammer
swingers clinch the red-hot heads on
the outside of the tank The dolly
bar" is suspended on cables thus re-
lieving the Fbucker-uph from its
weight. AS fast as the rivet heaters
stock the red hot rivets through the
holes in the steel, the "bucker-up"
'place the "dolly-bar' against the riy-
ct heads The men with the ham
mers then clinch them with big,
heavy, muscular swings
After hardening himself somewhat
as a bucker-up, Sappenfield took his
place as a hammer swinger, and has
now worked as such for over foul
weeks. And the work was fast put
ting him in excellent physical CON
dition when the accident occurred
whereby his eye was injured. The
hammer is on a 3-foot long handle |
and weight four pounds. The dol
ly-bar," handled by the "bucker-up"
weighs about forty pounds.
Sappenfield has been an expert
bookkeeper accountant and auditor
for number of years. For three
years and half he was traffic man
ager, under General Manager Dick
Long, of the Muskogee street railwayl
and interurban system, and then for
three years he was business manager
Of the Muskogee Daily Times-Dem-
ocrat Six months ago, following II
-he purchase of the Oil Belt Termin-
u railroad by Dick Long and his as
iociates Sappenfield quit his news
PAPER connection to become auditor
II the Oil Belt and Gushing Trac
ion company lines, both owned byl
4ong
About three months ago, the San,
a Fe bought the Long roads and al
Q bought Sappenfield out of a job.
'oon afterward he came to pemeta
nth his intention Of getting out-doorI
nuscle hardening work to build up
is health Mrs. Sappenfield, an un-
sually charming. pretty woran-ac-
ustomed to club life, and the social
-hirl-and her two interesting child j,
en-girl and boy-have been livingI
tent in one of the pretty Pemeta !,
roYes, in order to be with and near \
er husband. She derlared yester. i,
az that this summers outing had
cen one Of the most interesting and q
elightful Of bcr experiences. re
Other former society women, whol I.
e now living in Pemeta, include h
rs. ]. A. Anderson OF Muskogee, e
rs. Walter R. Eaton Of Muskogee, lo
e of the best known women in the
ate's music circles, and Mrs. Scot
'aden Of Bartlesville