Mr. Mcewan Badly Injured

At Lae

From Our Own Correspondent Lae, Septemebr 7. rpHE well-known New Guinea baker, X Mr. “Scottie” McEwan, aged 39, met with a bad accident on September 2.

Always a hard worker, Mr. McEwan was building a new bakery, to enable him to cope with the growing require ments of Lae and district, and the Gold fields. In assisting his men to place a 2 'h tons oven in position, he had got underneath to adjust a jack upon which the oven was resting, when another jack slipped, bringing the oven down upon him.

Many men worked frantically to ex tricate the stricken man, who was in great pain, and he was hurried to the local hospital. The diagnosis was a fractured spine and he was sent to Sydney on the plane on September 6. The residents of Lae and district received the news with distress, and hope that under expert medical care this popular Ter ritorian may soon be restored to health.

Mr. McEwan was admitted to the Scottish Hospital in Sydney on September 6, and is now under expert medical care.

An X-Ray examination on September 9 showed a bad fracture and dislocations, and the task of putting the patient on his feet again will be long and difficult.

May Have Been Caused By

Earthquake

The theory is held now by some that the accident was caused by a guria—a typical New Guinea earthquake. It seems certain that a marked earth tremor did occur at just about the time Mr.

McEwan was under the oven; and that would be sufficient to throw the heavy appliance off the supporting jacks. An outstanding example of sheer bad luck.