Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-09-11
FLUNG INTO SEA
Experience of Man Struggling
IA. in. :Midocean.

Standing On chair near the deck
rail of an ocean liner. sudden lurch
of the vessel dung 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 oyerbolrd.'
: Down, down sank, for the fail was
from considerable height. Being able
to swim 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 churninS out its 100 revolu-
tons minute dashed upon me.
Should l 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
a great breath of fresh air, though sick
with fear. Then l saw the steamer
had passed. | was spared mutilation
to die slowly by drowning.
How rapidly the steamer was vanish
ing! could catch glimpse of ii
, when a green wave lifted me high in
the water. would only be able to
swim for ten mnutes-ten little min
utes!-though | was still in the prime
of life. Surely that cry as fell would
have reused somebody to action! And
yet l was alone in the Atlantic. with
| possibly two miles of water between
me and 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 were growing heavy. All |
| 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.
My arms must both be broken. for
they would hardly move, and they
ached terribly What a long time a
man could keep afloati | was vaguely
glad | could not swim very well. be-
cause it would have meant waiting for
the end such long time. 1t made one
drowsy.
Another wave lifted me up. and
saw the steamer had changed its 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. 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 seemedzto get any farther
away now. remembered was fight
ing for another minutes life. 1t had
been harder ut first but now the Sc:
lulied rue into hahpiHess.
What on earth were they playing Al
ON the steamer? | had nearly caught 4
up again. only somehow | had got il
front of it. 1t grew bigger quickly
and it was coming straight on. i
those ridiculous people were not care
full they might run over me yet I
Perhaps it would be better to go t,
. |
and did not want to breathe so mucl
now. 1t was getting dark and ever 81
, much colder than it was last night
, The steward must give me an extr;
, blanket.
, Why was everything so haZy and thu
room stuffy? l could hardly breathe
y And yet it didn't matter. Nothiu;
+ mattered. but I wished dreamily tina
some one would stop digging knif
into my back. for was just droppir;
a off to sleep nicely.
Next day 2 found the knife ha,
a been the point OF boat hook wit
r which they picked me up as came Z
/. the surface. The steamer had turne,
in a circle and arrived just in time.
g London Answers.