Show fam tad adventurers CLUB HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES M OF PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF I 1 the fall into the bottomless well HELLO H ELLO EVERYBODY cannou can you imagine falling into a well and never reaching bottom what happened to william J sternberg of long island city N Y who tells yarn in the spring of 1885 bill sternberg then a lad of 19 was putting in panes of glass along the side of a building in long island city N Y since burned down A steep slope fell away almost vertically from ir am the building and below this slope was an old well whose rotting timbers had been removed preparatory to making a new cover now watch and see what happened bill sails off into space along the far end of the building the ground fell away so steeply that bill had to go look for the ladder he had left against the one story extension to make sure the ladder was still where he had left it he took a step backward to look over the edge of thereof the roof suddenly his left foot went completely into space bill says 1 I knew in a flash where I 1 was about to go it was too late to scramble forward so I 1 braced my foot and with all my might I 1 threw my body back and right below lay you guessed it the open well bills quick thinking may have saved his life but it keep him from going through a bad experience his shoulders struck the far edge of the well and his feet scraped the near edge so that he lay across the top opening like a stiff stick only he so stiff worse luck bit by bit he started to slip down the sides of the well the weight of his body held in space only by the fierce pressure of his braced feet and 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 girls bill be telling this story As it was he had all he could do pressing with all his strength to keep his body out straight to keep pressure on his toes and his shoulders and neck picture for yourself what he was up against if either his head or his feet started slipping faster than the other end he might drop so much on one end that his body would no longer meet the wall on both sides the minute his legs or his shoulders slipped enough to fall fail away from the wall HE WOULD PLUNGE TO THE DEPTHS BELOW but worse was still to come working with bill on the job was a man by the name of franz when the first terror at his predicament 4 n r and right below lay the open well lifted bill thought of franz and yelled for help picture his horror when he got no answer all along he had been hoping that before he lost control rescue would arrive now his voice rang mockingly in the dark depths below franz did not answer bill sees a dim ray of hope lower lower slipped bill the rough bricks scraped his shoulders raw blood ran from his tortured flesh soaked his shirt the pressure was agony yet he dare not ease up to let up meant dropping bill wormed around till his eyes could examine the depths of the well below and for a moment hope returned to him directly below about seven and a half feet down he saw the ribs of the form for the brickwork projecting on the inside about two or three inches beyond the brickwork the masons had left the form with the ribs and built around them now bill told himself if those ribs will hold my weight im safe but could he reach them seven and a half feet seven and a half feet of creeping of tortured shoulders of risky probing with one foot when an instants letup let up in that pressure meant bill sternberg tried not to think what it meant while he groped with one foot for a hold wormed his raw shoulders I 1 lower ower on the bricks that were like sandpaper on his raw shoulders new danger worse than the old just as he reached the ribs a new danger presented itself his shoulders started to go lower than his feet bad enough to plunge feet first but head first and backward at that it took all the flagging nerve of bill sternberg to grind those raw shoulders into that wall and work his feet down to yes the rib bill made it and more the ribs held him feet and shoulders but how long was he to remain here like this frantically he lifted his voice in in a hoarse shout and now to his ears came sound a the sound of frans hammer franz hammering and whistling at his work had perhaps not heard bill summoned all his strength fairly bellowed franz FRANZ this time franz came and with one unconcerned tug yanked his up companion bill landed hard on the safe ground it felt good better than his shoulders but worst of all he says was trying to himself with his mother for square ripping his shirt when he got homel home copyright service |