The Somerset reporter., 1896-03-19
BIG FALLS NOT FATAL
THAT IS. HERE IS A LONG RECORD
OF JUST SUCH CASES.

by Men, Women and Chiidren-trom
What Height May Person Fall and
Not BE Killed Thereby
From how great IA height may a per
son fall and live This question WIS
suggested by the experience of Dr..
Helm, the Zurich professor, who tod
how he fell great distance down
glacier in Switzerland and lived to re
late his sensations His aim was toprove
that sudden death was not painful. The
other phase of the queA on-how far
may we fall unhurt-is JIst as interest
ing, however.
The well known Alps wanderer, 81
grist, fell backward off the crown Of the
Korpfstork Alp, Switzerland, aud land
ed on the rocks at the foot Of the glacier.
OF course his fall was somewhat broken
as he bounded from spur to spur, but
the fall was a great one nevertheless.
OF the persons who have fallen from
balloons no record has been kept, but
the accidents have been sufficiently dan
gerous to prove that great fall does not
always end human life. In July last
The Post Dispatch recorded the feat If
a negro who, to escape punishment for
stealing ride, jumped over the Della
ware bridge ON the Erie railroad at Port
Jervis, N. Y He fell distance Of 50
feet, and though striking on his head IN
bed of gravel covered only by six
inches of water, he escaped serious in
jury.
George Petorski, a young Polish boy
aged IL, went out for huckleberrles ON
the Honeypot mountain, near Port Jer-
Wis, n. Y. He yentured too near the
edge Of cliff known as Eagle Nest,
and, slipping ON stone, was hurled
over. The descent is nearly perpendeu
lar and the lad rolled and bounded over
the jagged rocks a distance of 400 feet
10 the railroad tracks below. He WAS
picked up torn and bleeding from "a hun
bred wounds and unconscious, but still
alive.
That case had youth in it's favor. Here
is case of age Mary Cerma, aged 10
years, recently fell 30 feet from viii
dow of 257 Camden street, Newark, n.
j., and escaped with only a badly
bruised hip. She lost her balance while
shaking a busting cloth from the win
dow and fell upon hard ground i'll the
back yard.
Hero is a case of an infant: At Rock
away Beach, n. Y, George McVey. 2
years old, tumbled out Of "a third story
window without receiving any injuries
except bruised eye and skinned nose.
He crept to the window while his moth
er was asleep. His fall was broken by
all awning.
Women seem especially able to droI
from any height and receive little or nC
injury. III France recently "A woman
tried to commit suicide by jumping
from high bridge. She was hardly in
jured. Near Niagara falls woman fell
over precipice and landed some hun
dred feet below, alive and able to tell of
it.
Mrs. Annie Keeney leaped out of u
fifth story widow Of 1875 East One Hun
bred and Eighth street, New York, aid
sustained only few slight bruises on
the face. The woman was half asleep at
the time and walked over the roof Of he1
own house to that of her neighb0r s.
She swung off the roof to fire escape
and asked tho occupants Of I25 for
brandy. On being refused she leaped te
the ground. Clotheslines stretched
across the yard between the tenement
windows, and tho woman rebOunded from
one of these TO another in her fall, until
she finally landed, badly shaken up, but
otherwise unhurt.
August Johnson, a joiner, residing iii
Middletown, Conn. fell from the fourth
story Of a building on which he Was
working, turning a complete somer-
sault and striking with his head on
some boards which projected from the
first story He managed to catch hold
of the boards. to which he chung until
he was rescued. He fell 40 feet. He
was not injured in any way.
Edward Christie fell from IA scaffold
which gave way at the fourth floor of
new building at Madison avenue and
Seventy second street, New York. Al
though he fell four stories, he sustained
no more than n fracture of the thigh
and right arm. Christian Jensen, a
painter, of White Plains, N. Y, fell
from ladder to the ground, a distance
of 40 feet and is alive to tell it. George
Falley, IA years old, fell through tho
fire escape of 772 Tenth avenue, New
York, from the fourth to the first floor,
and received not the slightest injury.
Such is the elasticity Of youth.
Express Messenger Edward Stevens
Of Water Valley, Miss, was doing and
fell from his car door. He was not missed
until % miles had been passed. A mes.
sage was sent back to the effect that DC
must have fallen from his car. A hand
car was rugged up and several men
started down the track to look for him.
They found him three miles away. lying
within two feet of the track, sleeping.
He awoke as soon as they touched him
and asked what was wanted. He said
he had no recollection of falling, and
imagined himself asleep in his bed at
home. The train was running 40 miles
an hour when he fell off. He was not
hurt..-St Louis Post Dispatch.