The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1911-01-03
THE. SENSATION OF FALLING.
Survivors Tell How They Felt a.
They Dropped From Great Height.


Falls from great heights, not
necessarily fatal In their results, are
becoming Sc frequent in these days
of aeroplaning that 1t may prove .ol
interest to refer back to the classics
of the subject, which, however, are
not as ample as might be expected.
Writing in 1871 of fall from an
immense altitude which did not re-
suit in death, a French observer, NJ.
Manzini. declares that he maj
searched In vain in the annals OF SCI
ence for a similar case. We can weii
believe it.
The victim or patient WAS taps
sier who had been engaged IN put
ting on decorations on the occasion
OF the belated obsequies of Napoleon
the Great, in the lofty dome OF the
Church of the Invalides in Paris.
When busy moving ladder on the
top of a high scaffolding he over
balanced himself, In obedience TO
some obscure instinct, jumped clea
Of the ladder and the platform, cry
ing to his fellow workmen as only
2 Frenchman would: ITEMS MT
VOLTA parti!" With these cheerful
words on his lips he fell eighty-tWo
FEET, bounding in one place off the
roof of little dome which caused
him to describe second parabola in
the air, and landing finally, feet
first. on the slate roof of small
sacristy.
Crashing through the states, he
landed astride a rafter, where he
was found sitting. surprised but CO.
herent, 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 Pasuuier. His in
sensibility lasted very short time,
however, and he made an extraordi-
nary rapid recovery. having sus-
tanned no apparent injuries, either
external or internal At the end oil
month Pasquier found him quite
we'll.
Others, however, describe their
sensations during a tremendous fall
as being far from disagreeable. Thus,
some nine years ago, Prof. Heirn.
| the geologist of Zurich, described
1.-The flood of thought" that trav-
ersed his mind during typical All
pine fall, which began on an in
clined plane. He saw beautiful
scenes and visions of his past life as
he fell, and reflected nationally on
his death or the chance of escape.
He felt no pain on striking the
ground, but he heard a thud, which
was the impact of his own head on a
rock.
Among classic English falls may
be mentioned that OF steepleiack
who in 1900 fell from the top OF
the Church of St. George in Bolton
le-Moors to the ground, the whole
distance traversed being some 12o
| feet. The mans skull struck some
sheet lead Upon the earth and left
| its impact lrcn l.. but though this
| fall WIS quite unbroken as in the
previous cases by scaffolding, rocks
and so forth, the man was only
slightly injured and resumed work
| in few days.
Recently a man with his boots or
fell from the top Of cliff at Dover,
the height of which was afterWard
found to be 800 feet, He was picked
up floating insensible in some five
feet of water, but his boots were Of.
which proves that he must have re-
tanned sufficient consciousness On
reaching the water to enable MIN to
draw his boots from his feet. Both
these cases are We. atteSte II on
don LaQcei