Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-09-04

having had his tal broken hy the pro- jecting end of loose plank, he would never have told the tale.
 Ut was my fourth accident in ten years of work on high buildings he said and the most severe of all of them. Yet l call myself lucky man, for We are always expecting accidents, and rather look for the death of at least one man in the construction of each great building. We take our i chances, became accustomed to the | dangers and seldom think that the next accident will come to us.
 "If you had seen me fall you would have said went like flash, but it die not seem so to me, for apparently had plenty of time to think, and even to notice what was happening as fell l Neitherwas asI frightened after the final effort to maintain my balance. Tho only mentaland physical struggle came then, and as I fell I felt as though ] were sinking into warm water that l brought a pleasant heat to my body, and quieted my mind. It was not falling sensation, and only q slight sinking one, for it seemed as though while I was descending quite slowly the building was rising much more rap- idly yet not so rapidly that I eouldnot observe and distinguish each passing floor.
 T thought of ny home, the amount of wages due me, and wondered what my wife would say when I told her had fall, for the idea of being killed did not occur to me. As passed the floor beneath the one from which had fallen, l plainly saw two aequaint- ances, whom I recognized, and noticed that they were ehiseling piece of iron At the next floor I noticed the look of astonishment on the face of brieklayer, as he held a brick in one hand and his trowe in the other, and gazed at me as ] shot by. Though it was like a shot to him. it was nothing of the sort to me. As I passed him, through association, I thought of pile of bricks below and heap of sand near it, yet which one should be my landing place didn't trouble me.
 'sfhen came the first sensation of pain, wten l struck the projecting end of plank with my right shoulder. I knew I partially turned, and saw carpenter sitting on window Hook ing the other way, and then the light appeared to be suddenly drawn from me, taking my senses with it.
 T know that my fall occupied less than three seconds, but my feelings and sensations apparently occupied much longer time, and must have acted with immeasurably greater rapidity than under normal conditions.''
 The far greater number of accidents in these large buildings come from in- secure scaffolds. As these are but tenn porary structures, they are usually erected with the least possible ex- penditure of time and money Then the construction of elevators and heisting apparatus is too frequently carelessly done, and their strength overtaxed in an effort to get the great est amount of work out of them in the shortest time. This state of affairs only too often brings disaster to limb and human life.
 Again, with hundreds of men work, 1 huS III u DuiluiHSs uiSlFiDuled ou open floors, one above another, the care lessness of one man, in directing ma~ chinery, or handling material, may bring great injury to his fellow work men.
 Addto these the dangers in handling huge masses of building material, un- certain footing at dizzy heights, the tipping of a plank, swaying of q lad der and hundreds of other possibih- ties ever inviting accidents, and we can begin to realize the grave chances taken by the builders of modern city.
 But we only begin to realize it, for to do so fully it is necessary to make an actual visit to the score of floors in these great structures, and to their topmost heights where have erouched cllnging, in doubt of the stability of the huge steel frame below me, and watched men poised on slender col umns 300 feet above the ground skill fully handling iron girders weighing tons, and securely riveting them in place; feat that Blondin would not dare attempt without the use of a ball. ancing pole.