Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1902-06-06
A HuNpREp-Foor TUMBLE.
Thoughts Of a Failing Man While Shoot
ing Through the Air.


"Wby, feel bully; was wishing
they would let me go out and roll on
the lawn" said the man who fel! FIVE
stories just the day before.
Falling 100 feet down an elevator
shaft is not exactly pleasant sensa-
tion--one has no time for feeling"
and it IS not often, 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 befeI him at the new Adams
hotel,
81 can't tell just how | fell" said
he, laughing, as if he was glad to see
a visitor 81 went 'siss- boom with
Just little accent on the siss, and l
have been lying here wondering how
much brain have didn't think
had much gray matterin my skull I'M
iii was being carried to the ambu-
lance. Ordinarily | would not have
paid any attention to the shaft sides
as went up--ln fact, | didn't, but
when started TO fall everything
flashed before me, every chip and
block on the floors and particularly
the boards at the bottom
"Before fell felt the rope on one
side Of my swing giving way. Then /
remembered swinging out of a seven.
story building recently with half a ton
of iron for fire escape, all hanging
on the two ropes that supported me,
and wouldn't believe one Of them
was breaking. yelled at the space
below TO 1ct that rope alone believ-
ing some one was tampering with the
free ends by which had pulled my
swing up on The pulleys.
"Ihen came the horrible Jerking,
breaking Of strand after strand-it
seemed 10 unravel and break by bits.
Il suppose it took two seconds for me
to start, butitscemed like 2Ominutes.
When I saw the cause of one end of
my board sinking ! reached for. The
other rope, but-siss-down ! went.
As ! slid off the board thoughta doz-
en- things. First | realized like a
fash Of lightning that | was facing
death without a chance in my favor.
No, | never thought of the mean
things had done-nor the good,
nor my friends and relatives. 1t was
death, dcuh-sure and swift, coming
at me like a cyclone, and relaxed to
die; thousand rushing noises seemed
TO bewilder me foran instant-a very,
very short instant-shorter than a
clock can measure, and my mind
passed TO the bottom Of the shaft.
My head was pointed down and /
turned over don't remember
thinking how ! would strike, but by
some impulse oractjoa turned over
and prepared to alight in asitungpo-
sition
Chen the sensation grewpleasant.
I seemed to be riding on the wind
above the earth, while the objects
shot by like cannon balls. / seemed
to be in a raverie when reached the
third floor-T know it was the third
for ! remembered later Of having seen
a stick projecting there-Ifelt a pain
in my face. My finger and my face
tipped the stick and gave me those
scratches and then / thought of the
boards at the bottom. l knew they
were there about IS inches apart, and
with the vision Of these boards be-
fore me, forgetful of the flashes Of
light as I passed the different floors,
l struck.
ct didn't hurt. I just felt as if
thousand cannon doomed all at once
into my ears and then all was black.
"Next awoke as they carried me
to the ambulance. | thought about
cursing. Every time an ironworker
gets hurt he curses. An irouworker
can give a trooper pointers on pro-
family, but somehow death came |
looming up before me again. went |
through it all over in my mind, and .
l did not cuss. / haven't the habit,
however. l drew up my arms and
legs and began to realize was alive
that / was not in a new world, and then
| felt thankful. The sky seemed
bluer and the sun brighter than it
ever did, and l resolved never to 90
up in the air again. When an iron