Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1902-05-16
A HUNDRED-roor TUMBLE.
Thoughts Of a Falling Man While Shoot
ing Through the Air.

the lawn" sald The man who fell 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 oftenS says the Denver
Post, that after it is over there are
pleasant memories Of the incident.
Frank G. Zeis is 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 befcil him at the new Adams
hotel
81 can't tell just how / fell, +" said
he, laughing, as if he was gladto see
a visitor 81 went 'siss- boom with
Just a little accent on the siss, and l
have been lying here wondering how
much brain have, didn't think l
had much gray matter in my skull IN
It'll was being carried to The ambu-
lance Ordinarily | would not have
paid any attention to the shaft sides
as / went up---in fact, | didn't, but
when I started TO fall everything
flashed before me, every chip and
block on the foorsnnd particularly
the boards at the bottom
"Bcfore fell felt the rope on one
side of my swing giving way. Then /
remembered swinging out Of a seven
story building recently with haIfa 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 Get that rope alone believ-
ing some one was tampering with the
free ends by which had pulled my
swing upon the pulIeys.
"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 seemed like 20 minutes.
When ! saw the cause of one end Of
my board sinking | reached for the
other rope, but-siss3down went.
As I slid off the board thought doz-
en- things. First | realized like a
flash of lightning that | was facing
death without a chance in my favor.
No, never thought of the mean
things ] had doue-nor the good,
nor my friends and relatives. 1t was
death, death-sure and swift, coming
at me like a cyclone, and | relaxed to
die; thousand rushing noises seemed
to bewilder me for an 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 l
turned over. / don't remember
thinking how ! would strike, but by
some impulse or action l turned over
and prepared to alight in sitting po-
sition.
"Then the sensation grew pleasant.
/ seemed to be riding on the wind
above the earth, while the objects
shot by like cannon balls. ! seemed
to be in reverie when / reached the
third floor-I know it was the third
for I remembered later of having seen
a stick projecting there-I felt 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 l passed the different floors,
l struck.
1T didn't hurt. l just felt as if a
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 ironworker
can give 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 / drew up my arms and
legs and began to realize l was alive
that | was moth new world, and then
I felt thankful. The sky seemed
buer and the sun brighter than it
ever did, and l resolved never to 60
up in the air again. When an IRON
worker gets fall he is no more good
at the business. l won't 90 up any
more, but up TO Yesterday ALWAYS