Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-08-15
Reverie of a Falling Man.

John Anderson, the former naVai
| jackie, who, while painting ironwora
beneath the high bridge a month ago,
was severely injured by a fall, is rapid
| ly recovering at the City hospital. Botn
| his thigh bones were broken, his leit
! leg was fractured near the ankle,
portion of bone was torn from his right
hip, and he was wounded about the
crown of his head. But he Will not De
permanently maimed or disfgured.
| One afternoon he was swinging hap
PLY, like a bird on q twiS, within a
Sling six feet below the roadway 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 tc ropes, which,
passing through a block, return to tn:
sling as q single rope. BY lengtheninS
or shortening this rope the man i'll tie
| sling can lower or elevate himself.
1 Il was hanging close to one of tn"
steel reds" said he yesterday, "a ROD
that 1 was painting. Ny rope was
good and fast. I had no warming of
any danger, When the sky and the
clouds, and the bottom Of The big
bridge in the middle of ii all dashed
past my eyes and the air Whlstled IN
| my ears like a typhoon on the emma
| seas 1 knew 1 was going down head
first. No. l wasn't frightened. | said
TO myself, Now, I'll strike the river be-
fore long, and if | keep going this way
I'll hit the water head first, which VIII
be Just as good as diving, and being a
good swimmer l can easy get ashore
/ 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 oWf
neck.
But about 60 feet down. didn't
measure the distance then-I strucE
one of the cross rods q slanfing blow
with my head. But my legs, sort o
hu6dled up IS 1 fell probably, came
Gown full force against the rod.
could hear the bones crack. They
made quite a loud noise like percus-
sion cap. Still, it YVES the blow on th'
head that hurt the most Then
though not before, I thought to my
self, Well, it's your last cruise fo
sure and things got black before me
l guess 1 tainted.
"But the cold water brought me to
I bobbed up as natural as a harbo
buoy. / soon opened my eyes, and
suppose I smiled. | thought, just as /
WAS somebody else. Say, mate, yo'
didn't die this watch, did you?'
know I felt awful good about it. Bu
soon as l made my first kick or, rather
tried to make ii, I found that both n.
legs were hanging as heavy and deat
as shot in q canvas bag. They didn'
Pain me. though. And when l found
couldn't swim 1 felt my gun was spike'
-or sure.
But just then I heard the crew VI
aloft or the bridge holering Good boy
Sailor! You're all right! Keep it up
Boats coming. Keep a-paddline
Jacket It did sound fine and hearty
let me tell you. And SO I kept a-pad
Glin' until q man reached me in a boa
Is minutes after l dropped down.
Il was pretty nearly done up.
knew how my legs would hurt me
he tried to pull me over the gunwale o
the boat, and 1 tried to make him toy
me alongside. But he couldn't man
age that and he did haul me in. thoug
It vas q mighty tough experience.
didn't faint again, and after l was one
in the hospital began to feel quite com
Portable. I've had very little pain
they take such fine care of patient:
here st Paul Pioneer Press