Show tad aiu adventurers CLUB HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES OF PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF Fl 1 at horse versus man ily by FLOYD climons DONS ruinous headline hunter HERE ERE says raymond J hopper of alie story of my lifes darkest moment and ive got to admit that thoro there was one time when rays 1 i pretty dark it got so dark ns akst a matter of fact that even the capiali can t worried but ive got to admit too that from all the evi ealden dence been able to gather it ray the captain w was as worried about pretty hard boiled captains ray was in the army any buck private will tell ell you th thai 1 it I tle tie ii dark enough in the HIP army without adventures coining alo adoni ong make liam them darker but rny got into the army and into an adventure too and thai abil you n combination of sombre hues about two shades darke on in undertakers hat twits the day before christmas the united states coast artillery was rays nay a branch of 0 the tha V u and ray was stationed at fort greble rhode island it was wai ber 24 1000 ray remembers the dato date because it was the day dan christmas also he remembers that it was cold bitter coli cold mercury was way down below the zero mark and the only shingi that w crent frozen were the beans boiling on the cook shack stor fort greble Is on an island all tho the supplies come by boat a boat ties up at the end of a wharf built out two hundred feet fee t into antoc V to reach deep water roy ray says the wharf was about 15 feet W six saxby by six timber bolted all the way around the edges I 1 suppose that stuff was put there to keep things from louing pier but it do very well in stopping ray ai hopper 0 ray was down on the wharf juggling supplies f for 0 r the qu quartee artem department they had given him a horse and a two wheeled U driving down he noticed that his buddy was working on a small up on the shore hundred yards from the wharf re HJ think anything of that at the time but ho he thought plenty about it out of the cart into the water says ray the fact that lie he chose that particular day dan I 1 hour and ana minute to do the job he was working on Is the teas reis why W hy I 1 am alive today ray drove on out to the end of the wharf tho the supply boat va s up thero there and he started pulling puffing the horse around to back up felt to it As he did the horse camo came lace face to taco face with a large black bone had been left there the day before the horse accustomed to seeing that boller boiler there it ened cried him he gave a sudden jump backward and then it happe tho the wheels of the tip cart rammed up against the six inch 1 that circled the edge of the wharf they hit it and went right ray on the seat of the cart was thrown backward lie ile somers semen oft off of the cart and landed head first in about 30 feet of icy sa salt it w ate and as I 1 fell lie he says 1 I 1 saw first the cart and then heat horse coming over on top of me ray swim a stroke he was dressed in heavy clotet eluding a heavy felt army ulster and that made his chance vens even s the water sent an icy chill through his body lie he went vent do coiro ile he tried to strike out with his hands to bring himself to the then there was a kicking flailing body on top of him pushing mm him even farther it wai wah the horse 1 1 I was told afterward ray anys that the horse hit chawa the wa his back at the exact spot at which I 1 went under the men on the ali were sure I 1 would never corno come up auve alive but I 1 did I 1 came earner up beside the horse horse tried to climb on him the horse was being dragged under by the heavy cart ray bay up right under the heels heals of the kicking screaming animal the saw ray and tried to climb up tip on hinl him once more ray was pushed down into the green water ray caught a deep breath lust just before he went under thea thant down again with the horses hoofs beating a frantic tattoo i back and shoulders that second time he thought hold hed never co cor he rose slowly his heavy waterlogged water logged clothes holding him do ills his lungs felt as though burst before he got to the a ti and when he did come up there was the horse again cun clim lag ing all over him pushing him down once more that time B R slid off to one side and go down so far thrashing madly at the water with his numbed arms he lone foug way to the surface again ile he caught a breath started to go down doin this was the third time and ray had heard that people down for the third time dont ever come up again then suddenly he felt a hund grasp him film by tho the hair ile he val vai pulled out olat of the water into a boat and there was his buddy i boat hauling him over the side from where he was working he had seen ray nay tall fail into the wita wak had launched the boat and come speeding to the rescue before his fils buddy could row him back to shore rays CIO clothe frozen stiff ice tell fell aff him in little chunks as two men carried his quarters meanwhile someone had cut the harness from toe the and he swam ashore tho the boys stripped ray gave him a good rubdown rub down an and wr 1 I in blankets inside of half an hour hedelt he felt as good as ai at new C w and lit even catch a cold as a result of his ice water ducking rays raya buddy worried about him for a whilo while but the capt captain aill antly ray says that when they reported the accident ton to h only remark was Is the horse sate safe f 0 0 service |