The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-08-04
WHEN FACING DEATH
ST. LOUIS ARCHITECTS HELPER
TELLS HOW 1T FEELS.
Thought He Would Surely Fall
From Tall Building.

81 LOUIS, MO.-daVe you ever IdCeu
death?
Do you know what it means to be
confronted by the grim destroyer
what great peril will do to your ner'
vous system? Probably you have had
some close calls III your day and know
something of the emotions of a per-
son who thinks his time has come
If not, the following incident related
by George Bush of this city may give
yon an idea of the thrill of facing
death:
Being an architects assistant. 1t
was my duty to measure buildings
which were 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 it. 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
II 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 edge 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 I suddenly became
conscious that the wind had shaken
the skylight loose from the stick that
held it open and that 1t was falling
shut. If did not withdraw my hand
instantly it would catch and crush it.
If pulled my hand out would fall.
1T occurred to me that it might be
possible to pull out my right hand and
insert my left, as it would be better
to lose my left hand than my right.
also discussed with myself the posi-
bility of being able to hold my place
If / withdrew two or three fingers and
sacrificed the others; but | concluded
that they would probably be cut clean
off by the edge of such heavy sky
light and that l should slide down to
the street anyway.
This idea of the insuficiency OF
mangled fingers to support my weight
on such a sloping roof suggested that
it 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.
"As well as / can remember. the
outcoTNe Of my deliberations was de-
termination to change hands and to
sacrifice the left instead of the right
had no sooner come to this conclu
sion than it struck me that there
would not be time to make the change
and that / might lose my hold alto
gether. 1t seemed to me that | had
already changed my opinion as to the
respective merits OF the two hands al
least a dozen times.
"All this time, remember, the sky
light was falling shut. AS look back
at it it seems incredible that l did not
spend at least half an hour thinking
over the pros and cons Of the situa
ton, but 1t 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. l was Sliding
down the roof on my way to the street
below.
1.-The edge was at least ten feet be
low me and l was gaining speed al
every foot.
II distinctly remember the railing
around the area and also the absence
of any cornice on the cave of the
roof-nothing but a rusty old DRIP
gutter. The thing could not remem
Der, although made desperate efforts
to do so, was whether or not that area
railing had spikes in 1t.
1T knew | 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 it. the sketches we had pre-
pared, the new ideas we had talked
overall these things were reviewed
in the effort to recall in connection
with one or other of them something
that would answer the question, Were
there spikes on that railing or not
II suddenly became conscious that
l was no longer sliding down the roof
1t was exactly like waking out of 8
dream. then realized that my toes
in dropping over the edge of the
states, had caught on the little half
round iron gutter.
I'm another minute the skylight was
pushed up by people who had heard
| the crash and come up to see what
was the matter. They soon hauled
me- to place of safety"
| WOMAN FIGHTS BIG SNAKE