Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-11-27
IN THE HEATER PIPE.
THE RETIRED cE7CLAa RELATES HIS
kCST SINGULAR EXPERIENCE.


an Unfortenate s,cp-In the End Tie
Made "a Contribution To the Collection.
"In house that WAS locking over
I'm u tow MP tho sra,e one night, said
the retired burglar. II came across
something that ! never .;ruck but that
once In all NY experience, strange as it
may seem, and that - a lot Of we'd
ding presents. all just - they were ar
ranged for display. When turned my
lamp into the room, | wished / had
brought horse and wagon there was
a good deal Of il that wouldn't have
been OF any earthly use to me, but it
seemed pity to leave any Of it behind.
But If couldn't carry it all off, could
have the fun Of picking, I'D started
10 look the things over They We're ar
ranged on tables and chairs and on the
floor around Oh three sides Of the room
on the side opposite to the side that l
had come IN at, and on the sides to the
right and left; running around those
three sides III sort of irregular order.
On the side where | was there were a
few chairs. thought I'd start in on
u,
and | started from the door aud had
gone about three steps when / went
down through the floor, as il seemed to
me, but what | bad really done was to
step down through an open register l
suppose somebody must have dropped
something down through it and have
taken 1t out TO get it and forgot to put
it back.
There was "a wire screen under the
register over the pipe opening to keep
things from dropping down the pipe,
but it was very fine light wire. and il
didn't stop me at all; just slid down
into the pipe, pushing that along under
my feet. When | dropped into the pipe.
l had been facing 10 the left; in some
way as went down got skewed around
so that when / got down as far as / did
60 l was facing 20 the front that is,
toward the center Of the room. The
pipe didn't 90 straight down, but with
q curve. had thrown up my hands an
went down, and / suppose | might
have gone plumb to the furnace if
hadn' clutched at the edge Of the regis.
ter opening and hung on. A minute be-
fore J waa COINS to take my pick of .
roomful; now where was I! syse7
~ had started across the room carry.
ing my toolbag in one hand and my
lamp in the other. The shock when I
went down bad shaken the bag out Of
my hand, but had held on TO my lamp. .
though it was lying on its side now
with my fingers clutching through the
handle. The falling of the toolbag and
the striking of the lamp on the floor
and the scrapiug Of the wire gauze
down through the tin pipe must have
made all together a good deal of noise,
and I expected >2yery minute to hear
somebody moving about up stairs ma
coming down to haul me ont, but no.
body did come, and | got my lamp up
straight, and after I'd waited d minute
or two more started to see if I could
haul myself out g.. -
"As ! lay in the pipe my head was
below the level Of the floor; By great
effort ! could raise myself SO that the ),
upper half Of lay head was above the
opening, but no higher there was 20
room for play when I got that high,
found myself with my elbows close to
ny body and fairly wedged into the
pipe; l couldn't get any higher.
Il let myself down again, and after
awhile l pulled myself up again. and
held on by one hand and held up the
lamp and swung il round on the things.
Then let myself down again, and won
dered what ! was going to do 1t wasn't
only uncomfortable there in the posi-
ton | was in, it was mighty hot and
unpleasant every way. If / let 60, I
iidn t know bat that I'd slide down
against the furnace, and, of course,
'ouldn { stand il for an indefinite length
If time, and when | q been in the pipe
should imagine about two hours, /
made up my mind that / wouldn't try
o stand 1t amy longer; I'd got to come
ut some time, and might Just as we'll
come out then; in fact. better, for while
he chances Of my getting away at all
we're mighty small. they would be bet.
er at night than they would be in the
daytime.
$50 | made up my mind To kick on
he pipe and wake up the house and
AVE the thing settled. So / kicked
nce, twice, and then | kicked again;
nd by snakes kicked the pipe open
t my feet There was a joint there, and
d kicked II apart, and the sections
vas III sagged down with my weight.
nd | slid out on the cellar floor. The
lgging down Of that part Of the pipe
etached it from the part above and it
Eli on the cellar floor alongside of me.
hat made noise enough to wake every
ody up there couldn't be any doubt
bout that.
II went ont by the same cellar win.
ow that / came in by. 1t was the first
nd only such lot Of stuff that | ever
ruck, and l never got thing out Of
in fact, added something to it my
,lf-a set of tools and dark lantern"
New York Sun.
"The Pyramid Limp"