The time Alan the Lighterman fell in the river

The time Alan the Lighterman fell in the river

Alan was a lighterman from the age of 15 and worked as one for many years. Over this time he gathered lots of stories about his time on the river.

One day during winter Alan was trying to get onto a barge and thought he spotted a pontoon so he tried to get onto it but it was actually a shadow and fell in the River Thames.

This was very dangerous because the water was highly poisonous, so poisonous that it took paint off of the ships and if you fell in there was a very small chance of surviving and if you did survive you would have to get your stomach pumped he also had no life jacket just like all lightermen at that time. He also had really heavy boots which made it more difficult to get out of the river.

He got very lucky because a police officer saved Alan and the officer gave him a sheet of paper telling him he had to go to the east of London to get his stomach pumped but he did not go because he did not like the sound of getting his stomach pumped.

On his way back on the tram the conductor said he should sit down and then he told the conductor he fell in the river Thames and then everyone jumped out of their seats and said he could have their seats.  

When he got home he told his sister he fell in the river but he only swallowed a little bit of the river water. After that his sister gave him some medicine which meant he did not have to get his stomach pumped and then eventually he got better.