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Show ADVENTURERS" CLUB 3 HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES OF PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELfi J "The Fall Into the Eottomh:, HELLO EVERYBODY: ' 'Mi Can you imagine falling into a well and ing bottom? That's what happened to William of Long Island City, N. Y., who tells today's v er- In the spring of 1885, Bill Sternberg, then a lad I of n In panes of glass along the side of a building in Long hi JS; since burned down. A steep slope fell away almost ; v r Ci!' ' building, and below this slope was an old well, whoj "Jk-had "Jk-had been removed preparatory to making a new cover n"8 see what happened. ' Nwj., Bill Sails OS Into Space. Along the far end of the building, the ground fell that Bill had to go look for the ladder he had left again t1 extension. To make sure the ladder was still where h k took a step backward to look over the edge of the roof c ' left foot went completely into space! 1 Bill says, "I knew in a flash r'here I was about to too late to scramble forward, so I braced my f00t my might I threw my body back ..." ' Miilll; And right below lay you guessed it the open wclli Bill's quick thinking may have saved his life, but it did . from going through a bad experience. His shoulders struck ik of the well and his feet scraped the near edge so that he I top opening like a stiff stick. Only he wasn't so stiff, W(5 ,'t: by bit he started to slip down the sides of the well,'the body held in space only by the fierce pressure of his braT shoulders against the rough brick sides of the well. And Then He Started to Slip! Had that well been an inch wider in diameter, boys and ' wouldn't be. telling this story. As it was, he had all he could f ing with all his strength, to keep his body out straight, tokee on his toes and his shoulders and neck. t;: AND THEN HE STARTED TO SLIP! - ! Picture for yourself what he was up against. If either ' head or his feet started slipping faster than the other eiU ' might drop so much on one end that his body would no ., "! meet the wall on both side,s. The minute his legs or his seders se-ders slipped enough to fall away from the wall-HE Won" PLUNGE TO THE DEPTHS BELOW! But worse was still to come. Working with Bill on the jc- ' man by the name of Franz. When the first terror at his p;ei" 1 1 And right below lay the open well. - lifted, Bill thought of Franz and yelled for help. Picture his kc Z he got no answer. All along he had been hoping that before he lost conici: "' would arrive. Now his voice rang mockingly in the dark de;'i:. Franz did not answer. P. Bill Sees a Dim Ray of Hope. Lower, lower slipped BilL The rough bricks scraped lis i raw. Blood ran from his tortured flesh, soaked his shirt Tit," was agony, yet he dara not ease up. To let up meant dropping. Bill wormed around till his eyes could examine the Jepfc the well below. And for a moment hope returned to him. fc below, about seven and a half feet down, he saw the ribs form for the brickwork projecting on the inside, about rwoni" inches beyond the brickwork. The masons had left ttelonr. the ribs and built around them. "Now," Bill told himself, "if those ribs will hold my weigh, !:-But !:-But could he reach them? Seven and a half feet! Seven and a half feet of creepiij---shoulders, of risky probing with one foot when an instants le v pressure meant Bill Sternberg tried not to think what it he groped with one foot for a hold, wormed his raw shoulders-- the bricks that were like sandpaper on his raw shoulders. Danger Worse Than tie Old. L Just as he reached the ribs a new danger presented itsell - t ders started to go lower than his feet! , Bad enough to plunge feet first. But head first! W s at that! It took all the flagging nerve of Bill Sternberg to F' -raw shoulders into that wall and work his fee dom ij rib. Bill made it. And what's more, the ribs held ; and shoulders. But how long was he to remain here like this? "i; his voice In a hoarse shout. And now to Ms ears cam - sound of Franz's hammer. Franz, hammerinS nd. " J work, had perhaps not heard. Bill summoned all bis - : bellowed: "Franz, FRANZ!" This time Franz came, and with one unconcerned rus . companion. Bill landed hard on the safe ground, than his shoulders. But worst of all, he says, wa tTJ himself with his mother for ripping his shirt, when Copyright. WNU Service. L |