The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-01-25
OVER A PRECIPICE.
ENJOYABLE SENSATIONS IN FALLING
FROM A GREAT HEIGHT.

Fe rrOrs-Eapidity With which the
Mind Acts In Such Case.
Scientists say life contains few expert
ences more agreeable and enjoyable than
falling over a precipice or slipping into
glacier crevasse. Even the landing
which many plungers through space have
found bit unattractive is said to be free
from anything of pain or terror. Merely
a jar and then Inconsistencies.
In a 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, all good climbers, went
in 1871 from Saints toward the Seealp
! / was in front Near the Fehlalp, at a
height of about 5000 feet, we came upon
a steep snowfeld which descended at a
sharp incline between two rocky points.
The others hesitated, but | started at
once to slide standing down the incline.
slid rapidly. A gust of wind took my hat
Instead of letting it go l made the mis-
take. of trying to grab it. This motion
caused me to fall, and | 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
a 60 foot precipice and landed on snow
pile at its foot. AS soon as | stumbled
when my hat blew off l saw that l 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
thud when l landed. Pain, however,
did not feel until half an hour later, when
l revived. During the fall came the flood
of thought-what l 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 l contemplated
the probability of my fall and said to N.Y.
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. If so. then the snow will be
melted near the wall and will form a
ledge on which | will land and thus es-
cape with my life. If not, then | will
strike on rocks below, and death will be
unavoidable. If | am not killed and am
not unconscious, | must at once take out
a little vial of liquor which on starting
! from Saints ! didn't leave in the tourist S
bag, but stuck into my vest pocket. and
must drink a few drops of it. My alpen-
stock | must hold on to- for it may prove
of use to me-. | thought that should
/ talro off srlo N 81
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 companions. said to myself that
when landed, no matter whether | was
hurt or not, | must if possible dali out
with all my might, 4 am in nowise in
jured,' in order that my comrades-my
brother and three friends-might rouse
themselves from their terror and be able
to make the difficult descent necessary
for the bringing of assistance to me.
also thought that ] would not he able TO
deliver the lecture which five days later
was to mark my entrance into the pro.
censorship. | realized how the news of
my death would shock my family and in
thought tried to console them.
Then saw as if upon stage my en-.
tire life pass like series of tabeaux be.
fore me. ! saw myself as the chief actor.
Everything seemed gloriied as by some
heavenly light, and all was beautiful and
free from pain, from anxiety and sorrow
Even the memory of sad events was dis
tinct, but not sad. There was no strug.
gle, no strife. Exalted aud beautiful
thoughts dominated and connected the
single scenes. and divine quctude sank
like sweet music into my soul Evel
more and more plainly | felt myself sur
rounded by heaven of glorious blue
filled with clouds of rose color
II sank gently and painlessly into ii
and saw that | was flying through the
air toward field of snow Objective OBJ
seryations. reasoning and subjective feel
ing were INDUCED in clearly and stimuli
taneousy. Then | heard small thud,
and my fall was ended AT the same
moment it seemed to me that black OBJ
ject rushed by me, and | called two OF
three times as loudly as | could, i 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
ly, cutting their way step by step dowr
the snowfield near the rock over which
had fallen.
81 could not understand how it hap.
pened that they had already come so fai
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 bacl
object which passed me was the passing
of Inconsistencies, which evidently haG
taken place a fraction of second later
for the eye than it had for the brain
And without realizing this half hour in
terruption thought and activity had beer
resumed exactly where they had stop
ped. Between the stopping and resum
ing was an absolute subjective vacuum
The beautiful heavenly visions were no
ticeable only during the time that | wal
flying through the air and could see an(
think"
Professor Hern said at the close o
his lecture: I'VE thus reach the conclu
sion that death by falling is subjective
ly q beautiful death. Without any pre-
vious illness or suffering it occurs whel
one is fully conscious, when mental &C
tiyty is abnormally increased and with
out any anxiety or pain The uncon