The evening times., 1902-07-12
REVERE OF A FALLING NAN.
What Anderson Was Thinking Of Dur
ing His 1o0-Foot Drop.

John Anderson, the former naval
jackie Tho, while painting ironwork be
meath the high bridge a month ago. was
severely injured by fall. is rapidly re-
eorsring at the city hospital. Both his
thigh bones were broken. his left lee
was fractured near the ankle. a portion
5f bone was torn from his right hip. and
he was wounded about the crown OF MS
head But ne viii not be permanently
manned or disfgured.
On the afternoon Of May . he was
swinging happily. Ike a bird "a twfg.
wi1ain a sling six feet besex the
roadway OF the high bridge and atou,
100 feet above the mississippi River.
- seat Of sing is a short piece Of
plank 4 IS attached at each end to
ropes ~hich, passing through a block
return 90 the sling as single rope. By
iz1sJheaing or shortening this rope the
LIan in the sling can lower or elevate
himself.
I was hanging close 10 one Of the
steel rods" said he yesterday. "a rod
that was painting. MY rope was good
and fast I had no warning Of any daP-
ger. when the sky ard the clouds. arG
the bottom Of the big bridge in the mid
die Of it all, dashed past M eyes. ard
the cir whistIed in my ears Ike ~
phOCn on the China seas. knew was
going down head first. No, I WASH
frightened. I sad 70 myself. Now III
strike the river before long. and If
l-=e-, e,-irs chic 49, til ~. -
head first. which viii be just as good as
diving; and, being : good swimmer. I
can easily get ashore. I wondered. tco.
If I'd beat my pa1nt brush down. Funny
what little things a fellow viii think
about at these times instead OF worrs-
ing about his own neck.
But about sixty feet down. dfdlft
measure the distance then-I struck one
Of the cross rods i siauting blow with
my head. But my legs. sort o, huddIef
up as l fell probably, came down fufI
force against the rod. ! could hear the
bones crack. They made quite loud
noise Ike a percussion cap. StflI. Il
was the blow on the head that hurt the
most. Then. though not before.
thought TO myself. Well. it's your last
cruise for sure and things got b'eek
before ne guess ! famed
'But the cold water brought me to.
bobDet up as natural as harbor buoy
soon opened my eyes and 1 suppose
I smiled / thought. Just as 4 / we<
somebody else say, mate, YOU didnsr
die his watch. did you? I know / fell
awful good about IL But soon IS I made
my first kick, or, rather, tried to make
it. / found that both my legs were hang
ing as heavy and dead as shot in q can
vas bag They didn't pain me. though
and when I found I couldn't swim felt
my gun was spiked for sure But just
them / heard the crew up aloft en- the
bridge hOllerins. Good boy sailor,
ou're az right, Keep il up. Boats
coming, Keep a padding. Jackie. L
did sound dne and hearty. let ne tell
You. And so I kept a paddliu' until
man reached me in boat fifteen min
utss after I dropped down
Il was pretty nearly done up I knew
how my legs would hurt me If he tried
10 pun me over The guawaie of the boat.
and / tried to make him tow me along
side. But he coUIdaJ manage That. and
he diG haul NE in though IL was
mighty tough experience ! dida't faint
again, and after I was once in the hos
pital began TO feel quite comfortable
I've had very little pain. tbey take such
hne care of patients here. st. Pau
Piorecr-PrcsS