Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-01-25
OVER a PRECIPICE.
ENJOYABLE SENSATIONS IN FALLING
FROM a GREAT HEIGHT.

VnOM ~ 1n6SJ f
When Death Comes In This Manner,
II IL Said to BE Robbed of All Its
Terrors-Rapidity With which the
Mind Acts In such . Case.
Scientists say life contains few expert
ences more agreeable and enjoyable than
falling over precipice or slipping into
glacier crevasse. Even the landing
which many plungers through space have
found bit unattractive is snid to be free
from anything of pain or terror. Merely
q jar and then Inconsistencies.
In lecture delivered by Professor
Heirn, the geologist OF Zurich and an
ardent Alpine tourist, he cited his own
experience to prove that death by falling
contains horror and pain only for the OBJ
server. not for him who falls. He said:
"a party of us, oil good climbers, went
in 1871 from Saints toward the Seealp.
/ was in front Near the Fehlalp, at
height of about 6, 900 feet. We came upon
q steep snow6eld which descended at
sharp incline between two rocky points.
The others hesitated, but I started at
once to slide standing down the incline. I
slid rapidly. A gust OF wind took my hat.
Instead of letting it go made the mis-
take of trying to grab it. This motion
caused me to fall, aud could no longer
control my course. With the speed OF the
wind slid toward the left rock, struck
on its edge and plunged head first over
q 60 foot precipice and landed on snow
pile at its foot. AS soon as stumbled
when my hat blew off I saw that would
be dashed over the rock and awaited the
shock. l dug my fingers into the snow in
the endeavor to stop myself, but merely
tore open my finger tips, causing them all
to bleed but feeling no pain from SO do
ing. / plainly heard the striking of my
head and back against the rock and the
thnd when landed. Pain, however,
did not fed until half an hour later, when
revived During the fall came the food
of thought-what thought and felt dur
ing the FIVE minutes cannot be told in ten
times that space of time.
Every thought and impression was
clear in nowise dreary and confused, and
was logically connected with the one
which followed. First contemplated
the probability of my fall and said to my
self: The rock over whose ledge will be
dashed evidently descends sheer, for
cannot see the ground the other side OF it.
1T becomes, therefore, question as TO
whether or not there is snow at the foot
of the rock. II so. then the snow will be
melted near the wall and will form
ledge on which will land and thus es-
cape with my life. IL not then l will
strike on rocks below, and death will be
unavoidable. II am no. killed and am
not unconscious, I must at once take out
little vial of liquor which on starting
II ~
bag, but stuck into my vest pocket, and
must drink few drops of it. My alpen-
stock must hold ON to, for it may prove
of use to me. thought that should
take off my snow glasses and throw them
away for fear they might be broken and
the splintered glass get into my eyes. but
the position in which was falling pre-.
vented my moving my hands sufficiently
to do this.
Another train OF thought busted itself
with the effect my fall would have upon
my ompanions. said to myself that
when landed. no matter whether / was
hurt or not, must il possible call out
with al my might. i am in nowise in
]ured. in order that my comrades-ny
5 brother and three friends-might rouse
themselves from their terror and be able
70 make the difficult descent necessary
tort the bringing OF assistance to me.
also thought that would not be able to
deliver the lecture which five days later
was 10 mark my entrance into the pro-
censorship l realized how the news Of
my death woald shock my family and in
thought tried to console them.
hen saw as il upon "a stage my en-
tire life pass like a series of tableaux be-
fore me. saw myself rs the chief actor.
{ Everything seemed gloritied as by some
heayenlv light. and all was beautiful and
tree from pain, from anxiety and sorrow.
Even he memory of sad events was dis
tinct. but not sad. There was no strucg
gle, 10 strife. Exalted and beautiful
thoughts dominated aud connected the
single scenes. and divine quietude sank
Ike sweet music into my soul. Ever
more and more plainiy8I felt myself sun.
rounded by a heayen of glorious .lue
filled with clouds of rose color.
sank gently and painlessly into it
and saw that ] was flying through the
ar toward field of snow. Objective OBJ
seryations. reasoning and subjective feel
ing We're INDUCED in clearly and stimuli
taneously. Then heard small thud.
and my fall was ended. AT the same
moment it seemed To me that a black OBJ
lect rushed Ivy me. and called two or
three times as loudly as | could. Il am
IN nowise injured. | took some drops OF
the liquor. reached out for my snow
glasses which lay unbroken beside me
ON the snow. felt of my back and my
limbs TO see that no bones were broken.
Then saw my comrades coming slow
", cutting their way step by step down
the snowaeld near the rock over which
! had fallen.
could not understand how it hap
spened that they had already come so far
down the incline. They told me that
for over half an hour had been silent
and had not answered their call. From
this fact ! know that when struck
lost consciousness. Every sensation, ev-
cry activity of mind and nerve was an
initiated for half an hour The black
object which passed me was the passin..
OF unconsciousness. which evidently had
taken place fraction of a second later
for the eye than it had for the brain.
Aud without realizing this half hour in
terruption thought and activity had been
resumed exactly where they had stop
ped Between the stopping and resum-
ing was an absolute subjective vacuum.
he beautiful heavenly visions were no.
ticeable only during the time that was
flying through the air and could see and
think.