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In rural Carbon County, PA, a group of men were drinking beer and
discharging firearms from the rear deck of a home owned by Irving
Michaels, age 27.

The men were firing at a raccoon that was wandering by, but the beer
apparently impaired their aim and, despite of the estimated 35 shots
the group fired, the animal escaped into a 3 foot diameter drainage
pipe some 100 feet away from Mr. Michaels deck. Determined to
terminate the animal, Mr. Michaels retrieved a can of gasoline and
poured some down the pipe, intending to smoke the animal out.

After several unsuccessful attempts to ignite the fuel, Michaels
emptied the entire 5 gallon fuel can down the pipe and tried to ignite
it again, to no avail. Not one to admit defeat by wildlife, the
determined Mr. Michaels proceeded to slide feet-first approximately
15 feet down the sloping pipe to toss the match.

The subsequent rapidly expanding fireball propelled Mr. Michaels back
the way he had come, though at a much higher rate of speed. He exited
the angled pipe "like a Polaris missile leaves a submarine," according
to witness Joseph McFadden, 31.

Mr. Michaels was launched directly over his own home, right over the
heads of his astonished friends, onto his front lawn. In all, he
traveled over 200 feet through the air. "There was a Doppler Effect to
his scream as he flew over us," McFadden reported, "Followed by a loud
thud."

Amazingly, he suffered only minor injuries. "It was actually pretty
cool," Michaels said, "Like when they shoot someone out of a cannon at
the circus.  I'd do it again if I was sure I wouldn't get hurt."

Comment:  Unless he dies the next time, he is not technically a
candidate for a Darwin Award - which requires the permanent
elimination of that hosts chromosomes from the gene pool.
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