Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-02-27
m them The thought brought

taken from them. The thought brought
me back to more selfish ones, and l kept
asking nv self: "Must I die? How long
can hold on with this fierce wind be-
girting me? Is there no hope? Will no
one, seeing how | am placed. strive to
rescue me?"
Again | turned my eyes downward. In
the courtyard of the brewery and in the
street below people were fast collecting;
windows were being thrown open, and
women and children, shrieking and Sob
bling, were gazing from them at me. The
crowd below thickened, running hither
and thitheI. A large kite fluttered nearer
and nearer. How I tried to steady my
self with one hand, that might grasp the
| cord with the other as soon as twas with
in reach, comes wildly before me now.
But it never did come within reach, a
gust of the breeze carrying 1t far away,
and dashing it to the ground:
| An hour passed, and though still cling
| ing to the brickwork, it was almost un-
consciously, for cold and fear had SO
worked upon me that l became quite
dazed, and the chimneys, the people, the
| confused noise from the streets, and my
own perilous position, seemed to be jun
| bled together in tangle which l could
| not put straight While in this half-sen-
sible state heard voice shout my name.
But it had to be repeated twice before I
could rouse myself sufficiently to heed
| what was said
"Bill-Bill Lindsay! Cheer up mate!
Help is coming" were the words which
rumbled up the shaft.
After this there was a pause for some
minutes, and, scarce able to control my
r 49, L, l.
could come. Then there was warning
shouted to me to keep my head back, fol-
lowed by whizzing, Kissing noise, and,
looking within the shaft, saw bright
shower of golden sparks lighting up the
well-like hole, and knew that a rocket
had been fired.
But it struck the brickwork in it's as
cent, and failed to reach me, so that once
more l was left to wait and hope, until
the voice again shouted for me to keep
clear. A moment after fiery tail of
sparks shot upward far above me, and an
earnest ''Thank God!' came from my
heart as | grasped a thin cord that fell by
my side as the rocket descended.
BY this communication a stouter and
stronger rope was sent me. But my dan
ger was not over, for in my weakened
and numbed state it was perilous slide
down it. At first / could scarcely brace
my nerves up sufficiently to launch my
self over the brickwork, and my head
turned dizzy, for moment l thought
myself gone; but conquering the feeling
by great effort, l slowly descended
until about half the distance was accom-
plished.
Then the horrid fear seized me, "What
if the rope should break, or not be Sc
curely fastened.'' and dreading each sec
ond that my fears would be fulfilled, in
feverish haste | slid on.
When within few yards from the bot
tom, overtasked nature would bear the
strain no longer, and loosing my hold, |
dropped into the arms of those who had
been breathlessly watching my descent
Other hands than mine finished the
shaft in calmer weather, and on more
securely fastened scaffold; and |, well
cared for by the best of little wives, soon
got over the shock of my accident; but,
as [ go to and from my work, and look
up to the huge chimney, | often recall
with shudder the hour when [ chung to
its summit, counting the moments, each
one of which seemed to bring me nearer
to dreadful death.