Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1910-10-14
WHEN FACING DEATH
eT. LouIe ARCHITECTS HELPER
TELLs HOW 1T FEELa
Odd ThlnGe Cana to HIa Mind az He
Thought He Would surely Fall
From Tall Building.

O@ A<ouASS Mos--11aNS you ever AaCSu
death?
Do you know what it means to be
confronted by. the grim destroyer,
what great peril viii do, to your ner-
vous system? Probably you have had
some close calls in your day and know
something of the emotions of per
son who thinks his time has come.
If not, the following incident related
by George Bush of this city may give
you an idea OF the thrill of facing
death: k
Being an architects assistant. It
was my duty to measure buildings
which we're to be altered or enlarged
and one windy day went to see one
of these, which was a three-story and
basement brick house with the usual
area and ratings. in front of 1t, Ad-
joining this was a little higher build
ing and 1t was necessary for me to get
the exact dimensions OF the brick
wall and chimney that projected above
the roof OF the house was measuring
Il found a very large and heavy
skylight In the attic, which required
all my strength to push up and out to
open. 1t was held open by pivoted
stick OF wood and by climbing through
the opening saw that could stretch
myself out on the roof and by holding
fast to the odge of the skylight open
ing with my right hand could reach
out with my left and measure the
gable wall with my six-foot folding
rule.
II was sprawled out In this manner
face down on the slate roof, with my
left arm and the rule extended at
full length. when | suddenly became
conscious that the wind had shaken
the skylight loose from the stick that
held It open and that It was falling
shut. If did not withdraw my hand
instantly 1t would catch and crush It,
II l pulled my hand out would fall.
when first noticed that the sup
port had given way the skylight had
already begun It's descent and 1t had
not more than four feet to fall. Dur
ing the time that It fell those four feet
had ample time to review the conse-
quences of losing my right hand II I
held on and the result OF falling three
stories II l let go, There was nothing
at the edge Of the roof but a little
half-round gutter held up by q few
holdfasts.
ut occurred to me that II might be
possible to pull out my right hand and
insert my left, as 1t would be better
to lose my left hand than my right.
also discussed with myself the possi-
bility Of being able to hold my place
II | withdrew two or three fingers and
sacrificed the others; but concluded
that they would probably be cut clean
on by the edge of such a heavy sky
light and that should slide down to
the street anyway.
This idea of the insuficiency Of
mangled fingers to support my weight
on such sloping roof suggested that
1t might be better to stick my arm
into the opening and that perhaps the
injury to It might not be so severe as
to require amputation. distinctly
remembered trying to recall whether
the muscles should be Arm or relaxed,
and thought 1t best to hold them firm
"As well as can remember, the
outcome OF my deliberations was de-
Termination to change hands and to
sacrifice the left instead of the right
l had no sooner come to this conclu-
sion than It struck me that there
would not be time to make the change
and that l might lose my hold alto
gether. II seemed to me that I had
already changed my opinion as to the
respective merits of the two hands at
least dozen times.
"All this time. remember, the sky.
light was falling shut AS look back
at It It seems incredible that did not
spend at least half an hour thinking
over, the pros and cons OF the situa-
ton, but Il must have been less than
a fifth Of a second. My final resolve
was a determination to hold on, as
there was no time to change hands,
and to trust to the shreds Of my man
gled fingers to hold me on the roof.
But when the crash came and the
skylight actually fell shut my hand
was not IN the opening. I was sliding
down the roof on my way to the street
below.
"The edge was Il least ten feet be.
low me and I was gaining speed at
every foot.
Il distinctly remember the railing
around the area and also the absence
Of any cornice on the cave Of the
roof-nothing but q rusty old drip
gutter. The thing could not remem-
Der. although made desperate efforts
to do 90, was whether or not that area
railing had spikes, sn-it.
Il knew I should fall directly upon
those ratings and the spikes bothered
me. The minuteness with which re-
called everything about the house-its
number, the alterations that were
made In II, the sketches we had pre-
pared. the new ideas We had talked
overall these things were reviewed
in the effort to recall 10 connection
with one or other Of them something
that would answer the question, Were
there spikes on that railing or not
Il suddenly became conscious that
l was no longer sliding down the roof.
Il was exactly like waking out OF a
dream then realized that my toes,
in dropping over the edge Of the
slateA had caught on the little half
n