New-York tribune., 1910-11-06
FALLS FROM GREAT HEIGHTS
Survivors Tell Of Sensations in ths
Course of Terrible Tumblss

Falls from great heights. not necessarily
fatal in their results, are becoming so ire
quent in these days Of aeropianins that
IL may prove of interest 20 refer back 10
the classics of the subject, which, however.
are not as ample as might be expected
Writing in 1s41 of a fall from an immense
altitude which did not result in death. .
French observer. NJ. Mansini. declares that
he had searched in vain in the annals OF
science for similar case. We can we'll
believe il.
The victim or patient was a tapissier,
who had been engaged in putting UP dec
orations on the occasion of ths helated
obsequies OF Napoleon the Great. in tho
lofty dome of the Church of the Invahdes
in Paris. When busy moving a ladder on
the top of a high scafoldinz he oserbal-
aAced himself and. in obedience to some
obscure instinct, jumped clear Of the lad
der and the platform. crying TO his felaw
workrnen as only a F'renchman would.
ITEMS. me VOLTA partir' With these chssr-
full words on his lips he fell 81 feet. bound
ing in one place OF the roof OF a little doms
which caused him TO describe a second
parahola in the air, and landing finally.
feet first, on the slate roof OF a small
sacristy.
Crashing through the states. he landed
astride a rafter, where he was found sit
ting surprised but coherent, for he was
able to give his name and address when
asked for them. He had no recollection OF
| this and became unconscious when put
to bed shortly afterward under the care
of the great Pasquier. His insensi bilirY
| lasted very short time. however, and he
made an extraordinarily rapid recovery,
| having sustained no apparent injuries.
either external or internal. At the end OF .
month Pasquier found him quite we'll
| Others, however. describe their sensa-
tions during a tremendous fall as being
/ far from disagreeable. Thus. some nina
years ago. Professor HeiTn, the geologisr
of Zurich, described ''the flood of thouzhr
that traversed his mind during q typical,
Alpine fall which began on an inclined
plane He saw beautiful scenes and visions
of his past life as he fell. and reflected ra-
tionally on his death or the chance Of es-
cape. He felt no pain on striking ths
ground. but he heard a thud. which was
the impact of his own head on rock
| Among classic English falls may be men-
| toned that OF a steeplejacs. who IN iao
fell from the top OF the church OF 81
George in BOltOn-le-MOors TO the ground.
the whole distance traversed being soma
120 feet. The mans skull struck some
sheet lead upon the earth and left its i'm
pact upon IT, but though this fall was
quite unbroken as in the previous cases
by scaffolding. rocks. and SO forth. ths
man was only slightly injured and re-
sumed work in few days.
Recently a man with his boots on fell
from the top OF cliff at Dover. the height
of which was afterward found TO be 40
feet. He was picked up floating insensiblo
in some five feet of water, but his boots
were off, which proves that he must have
retained sufficient consciousness on reach
ing the water to enable him to draw his
boots from his feet Both these cases are
we'll atteSted-Tne lancet.