Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-07-23
FLUNG INTO The SEA
Experience Of a Man Struggling
In Midocean.
SENSATIONS OF DROWNING.
a TansIe Of Wild Thoughts Combined
With Vague Notions Of Time and
space-The Dreamy Doze, the Res
cue and the Knife In His Back.

. -
4 With Vague Notions Of Time and
space-The Dreamy Doze, the Res
cue and the Knife In His Back.
y Standing on chair near the deck
rail of an ocean Liner, sudden lurch
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 oyerboard!"
Down, down sank, for the fall was
from considerable height. Being able
to swim a little, 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 fall
filed my brain, but as struggled to
regain the surface, my lungs almost
bursting, the horrible thought of the
propeller churning out its 100 revolu-
lions a minute flashed upon me.
Should be mangled beyond recogni-
ton in second? Oh, for another years
sweet life! Would my leg be cut clean
off or
could see the sky again, and took
great breath Of fresh air, though sick
with fear. Then saw the steamer
had passed. was spared mutilation
to die slowly by drowning.
How rapidly the steamer was vanish
ing! | could catch a glimpse of 1t
when green wave lifted me high in
the water. I would only be able to
swim for ten minutes-ten little min
utes though I was still In the prime
Of life. Surely that cry as fell would
have reused somebody to action! And
yet i was alone in the Atlantic, with
! possibly two miles Of water between
| me and the bottom.
looked round anxiously to see
whether a lifebuoy had been thrown.
There was nothing in sight but wide
| waste of water and the fast disappear
| ing steamer.
My arms were growing heavy. All I
tried to do was to keep my head above
| 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.
Ny arms must both be broken, for
they would hardly move and they
ached terribly What a long time a
man could keep adoat! was vaguely
/! glad could not swim very we'll, be-
| cause it would have meant waiting for
the end such long time. It made one
drowsy.
/ Another wave lifted me up, and
saw the steamer had changed its posi-
ton. It must be going back to Eng
land to tell them at home what had
4 happened to me. How soothing the
sea was! If only could stop trying to
work my arms that aching pain in
] them would cease and might go to
| sleep.
Sometimes when saw the ship,
which never seemed to get any farther
away now, I remembered / was fight
4 ing for another minutes life. 1t had
been harder at first, but now the sea
1ulled me into happiness.
1 What on earth were they playing q,
on the steamer? had nearly caught II
up again, only somehow had got In
front Of it 1t grew bigger quickly,
and it was coming straight on. II
those ridiculous people were not care
full they might run over me yet. n
Perhaps it would be better to go te
sleep, after all. MY arms were easier
and did not want to breathe so much
now. 1t was getting dark and ever sc
much colder than it was last night
The steward must give me an extra
blanket.
Why was everything so hazy and the
room stuffy? I could hardly breathe
And yet it didn't matter. Nothing
! mattered. but wished dreamily thai
some one would stop digging knife
into my back, for was just dropping
of to sleep nicely.
Next day found the knife" had
been the point Of boat hook witt
which they picked me up as came t.
the surface. The steamer had turned
i in circle and arrived just in time
London Answers.