Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1877-03-10

A writer In the NJ. Louis H'Psisi'
con gives the following vivid desesip.
ton of tho sensalions experienced
while in the net of drowning
I was crossing bridge ossf q
wide but shallow stream, In q lonely
place. and accidently fell or Whrn
! say shallow stream, ! sasaA shei.
low for such wi,ls body II Sstef.
II was over my head hy twe ~ ,e1Z1
feet. I saw sobedy -
could mol swim a stroke. ! tnss
how deep ihe water was, sad gave
myself up M lost. Tho guicknes= oi
the senses when sudden death sessas
impending, has freque.iily l'een nolsi
but still. without experience, no Que
can realize IL. II ~ as u ones whole
life were spread out IN paaosasns
before him, every portion ~ whIsh
was visible nj once. Every miaa,e
details Of thing. long forgotten, aad
which when they happened we're ~
trifiing that they apparsnll, fassis
no impression on the memo.s, stand
out in sharp aud bald outline. Ire.
msmbered, for instance, gaines ~
marbles played when ! waa hoy,
and futile attempt ! once made ="
transmuto n commons' inlo a
white alley" by greasiag !, With
lard. wrapping u 10 n rag, aud roast.
ing il in the lire. rcmsmiefed how
the marble bur1ied IN the operation,
aud how n piece 81 u struck and eui
the cheek Of the l'ot who had bsanilssi
me into the experiment. aud The sal.
isfaction | experienced nj the Fssris
butive justice. II ssemed ~ u every
thing ] had ever dons. suffered ot
thought, was presented io nav mesa.
ory Mt a single flash. Then ] asssrk
the water. when n sound, which I
have since learned Ia liken io the
roar OF Niagara, burst on INV ears sad
stunned the with ita ayerw helmiaa
volume. | remember n brief instance
Of struggling aud elu.ehing. ani then
sense of siuking-~simkina s@imk
ing-uniil had reaching q depth VI
thousands Of falhoms. I neither
suffered pain nor felt alarmed. bst
had vague feeling of l'einH iFse@i~i.
IDLY borne to soma catastrophe, iha
climax Ia which would ba terrible
suddenly ! found myaeli possessed ~
the power of floating or waiting NV.
self along by mere sol,lion. With q
delicious feeling ~ languid insio-
loncc. suffered my @elf to iost al,oas
not In the water, but IN ihe ri, -
swimming over the surface ~ ths
ground In Whatever dlrsclion I chose,
hther, thither. as waywanl fanas
led. l was con~ioua that II was 4 |
new power, aud exalted Ia iis lass-
session and reasoned on IL Nature.
l found that my body was aa liHhi |
M the air In which ! moved. aud sH.
agined that q thistle down waalsl |
feel ~ did, " possessed ~ a.a.
seiousness. Then ! was In the waller
again. aud everything srsund me
had a roseate hue, which speedily |
changed tn green. then a. violet. aud
finally TO utter darkness. aud then |
all was blank.
A ] subsequently, learned. ssms |
men in skill half n iaila awsy bad
seen me fall into tie water sasl
hurried Ia my assistance, hal he'd
disappeared long before tho, reached
the spot.
Many minutes elapsed before they |
found mo. ani fun half IN h.uF |
afterwards before the physle.sas,
who had been summoned arrived,
They pronounced nae dead, aud that |
they made amy a.iemp. to vvsssssssse |
mo was due solely b. The persistence
OF an intimate friend of sasae whs |
had accompaniesl them.