Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1905-06-21
a Memorable
Experience


lying out at night slowly bleeding to
death! / have been through it. New
ertheless 1 once had a worse expert
ence came out Of the Spanish
American war alive, which is saying
great deal, recovered my health, then
went to work as clerk in a mercantile
house.
One morning went up into the loft
to hunt for some goods that had been
stored there. In the center of the loft
which was open from end to end and
side to side, stood a huge tank through
which flowed the water that supplied
the building / mounted a platform
on which it stood and looked down on
the water, the surface being some five
feet below the top. Floating about
was toy boat-how it came there /
don't know--and it occurred to me to
take it home TO my little boy. 1t was
in the center of the tank, and instead
Of getting something with which to
draw it nearer leaned over and reach
ed for it. lost my balance and fell in.
1 found the water to be up to my
chest. but 1oticed a mark which indi-
Gated that lie overflow point was
about two feet above my head. Next
I noticed that the water was running
In faster than It was running out Had
/ known how to swim or float | would
have had only to wait till il came up TO
high water mark, when l could have
reached the edge of the tank and pulled
myself out But was helpless in water
over my head. Therefore when the
surface reached a point above my
breathing apparatus l would be
drowned.
Now, when / was bleeding my life
away on that battlefield soon became
unconscious, and that WAS the end OF
mental or physical suffering for the
time at least, for the ambulance corps
came along and took me in. But in the
tank had my full faculties that is,
for appreciation Of my horrible situa-
ton. Had been cool might have hit
on an expedient for saving myself, but
as it was it only occurred to me TO
shout for help. / might as well have
shouted on the inside of a Theoretically
sealed boiler. There was no one on the
floor, and even If the sound could have
got out OF the tank ii could not have
reached the floor below, which was
shut of by a trapdoor.
1t occurred to me TO make some way
for the water TO escape as fast as II
flowed in. put by hand In my pocket
to get out my knife. with which 10 cut
a hole just below the surface. Luckily
1t was there. / opened the only blade
and hacked away. The tank was of
pine, and made progress. / had cut a
hole the size OF my llt,ie finger, when
the blade snapped The outflow reduced
the speed of the rise. making it ex-
tremely slow. | dived several times.
hoping TO recover the lost blade but
failed signally. | made q water mark
on the side of the tank and found that
the water WAS rising, according TO my
uncertain estimate, but about an inch
an hour. l had only prolonged my suf
ferings.
bl All4S tAI1t ll4G waiter WIS At 10 lily
chin. was completely unnerved. In
battle | had commanded my company
and was so intent upon keeping my
men up TO their work that | felt no
fear whatever. Yet here | was needing
all my faculties to save my life, and
had lost control of them. AS the water
slowly rose and reached my mouth
fflfpd hack M head 70
raise myself on my toes.
People have suffered incipient drown
ing and described their sensations.
was in more agonizing position than
one drowning who sinks beneath the
surface and is soon unconscious. | was
rather like one who is about to suffer
death by torture. The most dreadful
sensation l experienced was from the
inelosure-those horrible sides of the
tank that held me in. Now that was
obliged 10 hold my face upward
could look at the joists and roof above.
and 1t was better than looking at my
little prison. But it was all dreadful.
/ had seen rats drowned in such man
ner and remembered their frightful
leaps-leaps from water that furnished
little resistance. The water rose above
my mouth and nose when / stood on
tiptoe, and / began TO make spasmodic
leaps. 1t was remarkable how far |
could rise above the surface, but the
farther l rose the worse 1t was for me
on the return.
Still there was no sound Fancy
made me hear people hurrying up to re-
lease me, but / could not stop to listen
must struggle on till Inconsistencies
came to end my sufferings There was
buzzing In my ears, tingling in my
finger tips. while danced a dance Of
death on my toes on the bottom of the
tank
Then suddenly something happened.
felt current catch my toe, and in a
twinllling it was sucked into a hole.