The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-24
MAN FALLS FROM
THE HIGH BRIDGE
James Costello Drops Eighty
Feet and Escapes Serious
Injury

Two falls of over eighty-feet without
serious injury to himself inside of
seven months is the record Of James
Costello. % years. living at $50 York
street. Last September Costello fell
from the sixth story of the Crane Ord
way building, and yesterday he drop
ped a>distance of eighty feet from the
high bridge into the river. Each time
he escaped without even a sprained
wrist.
Costello was employed in the erec-
tion of a scaffolding on the extreme
west end Of the broken span of the
high bridge, lost his balance yesterday
morning and fell a distance of eighty
feet into the river. He still lives and
the physicians say he will recover.
Costello was working on the highest
point Of the scaffolding and was en-
gagged in hoisting a heavy timber when
block broke and he lost his balance.
For a second Costello stood poised on
the top of the scaffold and then his
body swerved slowly outwards and fell
through space.
Bounds Like Rubber Ball
Costello's fellow workmen stood as IL
in trance staring wildly at the falling
man landed squarely on his back on a
barge that was moored near the bridge
and rebounding like a rubber ball
plunged into the river.
He was struggling feebly in the shall
low water when rescued by his fellow
workmen, who, as soon as the body
struck the barge, rushed down to the
river bank.
Costello was dragged TO the bank
and hurry call sent for the police am
bulance. After being attended by Po-
lice Surgeon Moore Costello was hur-
ried TO st. Joseph's hospitals, where an
examination showed that his back was
badly wrenched. No bones were brok-
en-, but internal injuries are feared
Costello holds the record of the
northwest for high falls. On Sept. 81
he was employed on the sixth floor Of
the Crane-Ordway building, Fifth
street and Broadway, and was working
on a Scaffolding similar TO the one at
the high bridge. A plank broke under
the weight of an iron girder and he
plunged headforemost to the ground, a
distance of almost 100 feet. The body
turned in the air and landed full length
in a bed of clay. sinking deep into the
dirt. He was thought TO be dead when
picked up, but had not even sustained
broken bone and was only in the hos
pital eight days.
Tells of His Fall
Costello gives a thrilling account of
his plunge through space and says he
knew what was going on from the time
he lost his balance until he was pulled
out Of the water.
Il was standing on the scaffold," he
said last night, "hoisting up a heavy
timber. Something slipped and the jar
to the scaffolding caused me TO lose my
ha I he
but threw myself backwards, and for a
minute 1 thought / would regain my
balance. But / was too far gone and
fell feet first.
Just as / started / noticed a cable
hanging from the scaffolding and made
a grab for il. but missed. ! knew / was
falling, but did not feel any sensation
whatever. i had possession of all my
senses, and distinctly heard my fellow
workmen shout as 1 was going down.
AS / neared the water my body began
to turn and landed on something full
on my back. / did not feel any pain,
but my whole body became numb and
1 thought for a minute / was floating
about in the air. That must have been
when / bounced from the barge.
When 1 struck the water i thought
/ was going TO drown and one thing
that 1 noticed was the coldness of the
water. My feet touched bottom how
ever, and some of the boys pulled me
out.
II knew what was going on all the
time and was conscious when reached
the hospital. I don't feel any pain and
the doctors tell me no bones were
broken, but / certainly am sore all
over"
When asked as TO how his last fall
compared with the first one, Costello
said:
The fall from the bridge was much
the better OF the two. / experienced
no unpleasant sensations whatever ex-
cept when fell into the water. When
/ fell from the Crane Ordway building
it seemed to take much longer to reach
the ground and when / did land /
thought / was broken in two. 1 have
had great luck so far in falling about,
but don't care to try 1t again. ! ex-
pect to be out of here in week or so.'