The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-05-03
A H-UrDRED-F0OT TUMBLE.
Thoughts of a Falling Man While Shoot.
ing Through the Air.


the lawn" said the man who fell five
stories just the day before.
Falling 100 feet down an elevator
shaft is not exactly a pleasant sensa-
tion-one has no time for feeling"
and it is not otter, says the Denver
Post, that after it is over there are
pleasant memories of the incident.
Frank G. Zeis is a restless patient
at St. Joseph's hospital. His cheek
and lip are scratched and his right lit
tie finger is wrapped up. Otherwise
there is no evidence of the accident
which befell him at the new Adams
hotel.
81 can't tell Just how I FELL" said
he, laughing, as if he was glad to see
. visitor. 81 went 'siss-boom' with
just a little accent on the siss, and I
have been lying here wondering how
much brain I have. didn't think I
had much gray matter in my skull un-
til | was being carried to the ambu-
lance. Ordinarily l would not have
paid any attention to the shaft sides
as went up-in fact, l didn't, but
when 1 started to fall everything
flashed before me, every chip and
block on the floors and particularly
the boards at the bottom.
Before l fell l felt the rope on one
side Of my swing giving way. ThenI
remembered swinging out Of a seven
story building recently with half ton
of iron for a fire escape, all hanging
on the two ropes that supported me,
and I wouldn't believe one Of them
was breaking. / yelled at the space
below to 1et that rope alone believ-
ing some one was tampering with the
free ends by which | had pulled my
swing up on the pulleys.
"Then came the horrible jerking,
breaking of strand after strand-it
seemed to unravel and break by bits.
suppose it took two seconds for me
to start, but it seemed like 20minutes.
When | saw the cause Of one end Of
my board sinking | reached for the
other rope, but-siss-down | went,
As | slid off the board | thought a doz-
en- things. First l realized like a
fash Of lightning that | was facing
death without a chance in my favor.
No, | never thought Of the mean
things l had done-nor the good,
nor my friends and relatives. 1t was
death, death-sure and swift, coming
at me like a cyclone, and l relaxed to
! die; a thousand rushing noises seemed
to bewilder me for an instant-a very,
very short instant-shorter than
clock can measure, and my mind
passed to the bottom Of the shaft
My head was pointed down and
turned over. l don't remember
thinking how | would strike, but by
some impulse or action l turned ovel
and prepared to alight in sittingpo 10.
sition.
"Then the sensation grew pleasant
seemed to be riding on the wine
above the earth, while the object
shot by like cannon balls. l SCENE,
to be in a reverie when l reached tn
third foor-I know it was the thirt
for / remembered later of having seel
stick projecting there-If felt a pail
in my face. My finger and my fac
tipped the stick and gave me thos
scratches and then l thought Of tn
boards at the bottom. l knew the
were there about Is inches apart, AM
with the vision of these boards be
fore me, forgetful of the flashes o
light as | passed the different floors
/ struck.
'It didn't hurt. l just felt as if
thousand cannon doomed all at ono
into my ears and then all was black.
"Next I awoke as they carried m
to the ambulance. | thought abou
c%ursing. Every time an ironworke
gets hurt he curses. An ironworkt
can give a trooper pointers on pr
family, but somehow death cam
looming up before me again. wer
through it all over in my mind, an
l did not cuss. / haven't the habi
however. ] drew up my arms an
legs and began to realize | was alive
hat Twas not in anew world, and the
| felt thankful. The sky SCENE
bluer and the sun brighter than
eyer'did, and ] resolved never to {
up in the air again. When an irol
worker gets a fall he is no more goc