The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-10-30
REVERIE OF A FALLING MAN.
What Anderson Was Thinking of Dur
ing His 100-Foot Drop.
TO BE CONTINUED,

John Anderson, the former naval
Jackie, who while painting ironwork
beneath the high bridge a month ago,
was severely injured by a fall, is rap
idly recovering at the city hospital.
Both his thigh bones were broken
His left leg was fractured near the
ankle. a portion of bone was torn from
his right hip, and he was wounded
about the crown of his head. But he
will not be permanently MANNED or
disfigured.
On the afternoon Of May 20 he was
swinging happily like a bird or a twis.
within a sling six feet below the road
way of the high bridge and about 100
feet above the Mississippi River. The
seat of a swing is a short piece OF
plank. 1t is attached at each end to
ropes, which, passing through a
block, return to the. sling as a single
rope. BY frightening or shortening
this rope the man in the sling can
lOWSI VI GlCNdlc iliHSCi.
81 was hanging close to one Of the
steel rods" said he yesterday, "a rod
that l was painting. My rope was
good and fast. l had no warning OF
any danger, when the sky and the
clouds, and the bottom of the big
bridge in the middle of it all dashed
past my eyes and the air whistled Ii
my ears like a typhoon in the China
seas. l knew l was going down head
first. No, / wasn't frightened. l said
to myself, Now I'll strike the river be.
fore long, and II keep going like chs
III strike the water head first, which
will be just as good as diving; and be-
ing a good swimmer l can easy get
ashore l wondered, too, if I'd beat
my paint brush down. Funny what
little things a fellow will think about
at these times instead Of worrying
about his own neck.
But about sixty feet down. didn't
measure the distance them struck
one of the cross rods q slantins blow
with my head. But my legs, sort c
huddled up as 1 fell probably, came
full force against the rod. / could
hear the bones crack. They made
quite a loud noise like a percussion
cap. Still it was the blow on the head
that hurt me most. Then, though
not before, l thought to myself. We'll,
its your last cruise for sure and
things got black before me. guess
I tainted.
But the cold water brought mt tC-
+ bobbed up as natural as a harbol
buoy. l soon opened my eyes and |
suppose l smiled. l thought, just as
if l was somebody else. Say, mate,
you didn't die this watch, did you?' l
know | felt awful good about it. But
soon as l made my first kick. or rather
tried to make it, | found that both my
legs we're hanging as heavy and dead
as shot in a canvas bag. They didn't
pain me, though. And when found /
couldn't swim l felt my gun was
spiked for sure. But just then l
heard the crew up aloft on the bridge
hollering Good boy, Sailor! You're
all right! Keep it up! Boats coming!
Keep a padding, jackie 1t did
sound fine and hearty, let me tell you.
And so / kept a paddlin' until a maj
reached me in a boat fifteen minutes
after I dropped down.
Il was pretty nearly done up. l
knew how my legs would hurt me II
he tried to pull me owe the gunwale
of the boat. and I tried to make him
tow me alongside. Rut he couldn't
manage that and he did haul me in,
though it was a mighty tough expert.
ence. | didn't faint again, and after
l was once in the hospital began to
feel quite comfortable. I've had very
little pain; they take such fine care
of patients here.'-St. Paul Pioneer
Press.