General Chat

It seems it has even been accorded the status of "a true story" by someone. (So many jokes seem to find their way on websites then people pass them off as true stories.) http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/6316.htm

hi geoff this reminds me of the song by noel murphy. it is almost the same wording lol its really funny,father in law loved it lol susie

Ah! but hitting the barrel, on its way UP theoretically would have slowed his descent...........and landing on the bricks would have broken his fall.........look what they do with cardboard boxes, in film stunts.........LOL

I saw a programme on the Discovery channel recently called "Mythbusters" where they did an experiment about this story using a test dummy and a barrel. It took several attempts to get the barrel to break and as for the dummy it was wrecked. This proved the story to be a myth, no one could've survive such a drop.

You're doing so well, Geoff, I don't suppose you know "The Day War Broke Out"? It is of course long before either of us were born. I think by Rob Wilton. Brenda

Someone (almost) asked for it in another thread, so:- THE BRICKLAYER'S STORY by Gerard Hoffnung (from his Oxford Union speech) I've got this thing here that I must read to you. Now, this is a very tragic thing... I shouldn't, really, read it out. A striking lesson in keeping the upper lip stiff is given in a recent number of the weekly bulletin of 'The Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors' that prints the following letter from a bricklayer in Golders Green to the firm for whom he works. Respected sir, when I got to the top of the building, I found that the hurricane had knocked down some bricks off the top. So I rigged up a beam, with a pulley, at the top of the building and hoisted up a couple of barrels of bricks. When I had fixed the building, there was a lot of bricks left over. I hoisted the barrel back up again and secured the line at the bottom and then went up and filled the barrel with the extra bricks. Then, I went to the bottom and cast off the rope. Unfortunately, the barrel of bricks was heavier than I was and before I knew what was happening, the barrel started down, jerking me off the ground. I decided to hang on! Halfway up, I met the barrel coming down... and received a severe blow on the shoulder. I then continued to the top, banging my head against the beam and getting my fingers jammed in the pulley! When the barrel hit the ground, it burst it's bottom... allowing all the bricks to spill out. I was now heavier than the barrel and so started down again at high speed! Halfway down... I met the barrel coming up and received severe injury to my shins! When I hit the ground... I landed on the bricks, getting several painful cuts from the sharp edges! At this point... I must have lost my presence of mind... because I let go of the line! The barrel then came down... giving me a very heavy blow and putting me in hospital! I respectfully request 'sick leave'.