The Havre herald. [volume] (Havre, Mont.) 1904-1908, 1908-08-05
FLUNG INTO THE SEA
Experience Of a Man Struggling
In Midocean.
SENSATIONS or DROWNING.

A Tansie Of Wild Thoughts Combined
! With Vague Notions Of Time and
Spaee-The Dreamy Doze. the Res
cue and the Knife In His Back.
Standing on chair near the deck
rail Of an ocean liner "A sudden iurch
of the vessel flung me into the Atlantic
Instinctively as went over / held my
arms out for the dive, and while was
still falling | heard the Cry ring out.
MAN overboardv'
Down, down sank, for the fall was
from considerable height. Being able
to swim little, I was spared the first
mental agony experienced by the non-
swimmer who unexpectedly finds him
self in deep water. The surprise
caused by the suddenness Of the fan
filled my brain, but as l struggled 60
regain the surface, my lungs almost
bursting, the horrible thought of the
propeller churning out Its 100 revoiu-
tons minute flashed upon me.
Should be mangled beyond recogni
ton in second? Oh, for another years
sweet life! Would my leg be cut clean
OF or
could see the sky again, and l took
4 great breath Of fresh air, though sick
with fear. Then | saw the steamer
had passed. was spared mutilatiess
to die slowly by drowning.
How rapidly the steamer was vanish-
ing! / could catch glimpse of it
when green wave lifted me high In
the water. would only be able to
swim for ten minutes-ten little min
utes.-though was still in the prime
OF life. Surely that cry as fell wouSs
have reused somebody to action! And
yet | was alone in the Atlantic, with
possibly two miles of water between
! me ana the bottom.
| looked round anxiously to see
! whether lifebuoy had been thrown.
There was nothing in sight but wide
waste of water and the fast disappear
ing steamer.
My arms We're growing heavy All
tried to do was to keep my head abose
water, but seemed to have been do
ing that for an hour. My legs. too,
were refusing to bend The end could
not be far away.
My arms must both be broken, for
they would hardly move, and they
ached terribly. What long time
man could keep afloat! / was vaguely
glad I could not swim very well, DO
cause 1t would have meant waiting for
the end such long time. 1t made one
drowsy.
Another wave. lifted me up, and I
saw the steamer had changed it's posi-
ton. 1t must be going back to Eng
land to tell them at home what had
happened to me. How soothing the
sea was. IL only could stop trying no
work my arms that aching pain M
them would cease and might go TO
sleep.
Sometimes when I saw the ship,
which never seemed to get any farther
away now. remembered | was fight
ing for another minutes life. 1t hesf
been harder at first. but now the sea
iulled me into happiness.
What ON earth were they playing at
on the steamer? had nearly caught 1t
up again, only somehow / had got In
front Of it. 1t grew bigger quickly
and 1t was coming straight on. M
those ridiculous people were not care
full they might run over me yet.
, Perhaps 1t would be better to go to
sleep, after all. My arms were easier,
and did not want TO breathe SO much
now. 1t was getting dark and ever so
t much colder than 1t was last night
The steward must give me an extra
blanket.
Why was everything so hazy and the
t room stufy? I could hardly breathe
And yet 1t didn't matter. Nothing
' mattered. but wished dreamily that
+ some one would stop digging knife
= into my back, for was just dropping
D off to sleep nicely
:,
Next day I found the knife" hat
been the point Of boat hook wit
which they picked me up as came &
. the surface. The steamer had turnes
t in a circle and arrived just In time
london Answers.