New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-08-18
~ DELAvE ONA TIGHT ROPE.
FALLS SUCCESSFULLY CROSSED

! according 10 announcement and It now becomes oal
cuiy 20 give biu credit due to MS daring and skill Ia
The fret oace il must be stated for the inform son OF
tho.e who are rot fsmIar with the loo ,ty, tbs; toe
rope is stretched from the of small mil the
wet soe of the river Just above the brink OF the high
falls in this city to point In ais Field on the opposite
rice of the river. some distance below the Falls Tae
raw nil s.rds upon the brink Of the cNarsct and the
eas.. are feet above the edge of the prec
pice TIE level Of the Fails Field at the ace where
Tie other erd Of the rope secured at esst thirty
Lot far from f. ecu feet from straight line between
toe points. The falls ninety SIX feet IN height,
that the lowest point on the rope must be elevated
| one hunored bid ten feet shove the water
| The d.,aI across csUnot be fir from seven huni
red feet; il may be than that b., As We have
bot ueaured it, prefer to be OF the safe side The
rope passes obc-av over the fails, and in waking i.
from east to wet the performer IS obliged to ascend IN
I .rot, "a aui directly over thI r:,.S;p..
"a fest which might well aip,l man Of weak or IN
During The forenoon Of yesterday every road leading
to the cry i've with carriages sLd vehicles of Gil
descriptions, filed with people who were coming into
the CITY 10 witness the novel sight All the railroad
t.ans were crowded. That on the Genesee Valley
Earosd colt ,Led four or five times the usual number
opase,ueers while thos, the Central Railroad from
ea.t and wett immense. All the hotels anl tsv
erus crowded with guests at dinner time, and the
| laldlores Ieaped golden harvest.
L. Lao been advertised TIA the performa at Falls
Field 10 take place between the hours of and
O'Clock .. m but long before the trst-nsmei hour al
he streets leading 10 Falls Field were thrOnged, aud
by 81 o'clock most Of the there occupied
AID s aoug TIE bank where seats at sl were To be
lad mLltiudes Of men, women, aud children were sta
toted The .onequarry at the edge Of the falls Was
alo well pa.ronzed. and the Hats both sides OF the
river under the banks well a email island bsow
IL fall. were -warmDg vita spectators. Altogether
as many o. 1890 or ~, GOO people must have been
gathered within sight Of the rope Every available
Ilsce here standing sitting could lie obtained
a. occupied and the scens from the house IN
Falls Field VS. one that will not easily be forgotten by
aLy who Witnessed II.
The weather, until about 3 oclock, was extremely
pesssut but about hour gathering clouds 0f Po,en
mar the spectacle
and shortly aiterward great drops of rain began to fall
Many sought shelter az oCce, but the great majority
thought only slight sho ser Wa gong To occur and
r. ained on the ground Unfortunately however, the
rain proved more serious than was anticipated. IL
eliminated in severe thunder storm which speedily
dfenched the multitude in very unconfot.ole man
ner; and lasted nearly al hour, during which most Oh
the ladies had protection otheT thaa thelf parasoE
and the gentlemen none all. NJ linery goods suffered
to rigttu extent and the total damage IN this par
ticular must have amounted 10 several thousand dol
lars Gsily dressed women who cane upon tue ground
il the fun glory Of fashion presented ID many Instances
a mot wOiul aud bedraggeJ appearance. Their
clothes hung limp and dampy about them, while bon
pets, feathers, aud fancy trimmings generally, were
eonked beyond the hope OF recuperation.
Everything must have an END, aud So at last did the
s,otu The sun resppeared in all It's spendor about
4o'csck and the people Who nad sought lasaiilcent
shelter from the Hood beneath benches on the Ice SIDE
OF fences, aud wherever they tho9gnt drop OF ram
might be escaped began to seek thar elevated seats
AZ lie edge If the bank. Many Of the croakers proph
eeied that De Lave would make the rsin-storm an
excuse for rot appearing, but all doubts on tina:
score were soon dspelled. The cry " he Is coming
rot every body on the alert, and at about ten minutes
uast O'Clock, De Lave made his appearance, dressed
II tights and velvet jacket sucn Us IL worn by tight
rope performers ordinarily. lie wore on his head
mediate rosh 40 made to the end OF the rope by the
peope " no bad not occurred seats, ana /. was some
lin before the police could force be crowd to fall
back; but AT length order vas restored anu
DE Lave taking up his pole turned TO tho spectators
ard having bowed gracefully around started boldly
out Oh hs perilous walk. He bad projected but
short distance when became apparent that the rope
Ms no, properly suyed. IL swsyed from side Ia side
with sort If waving riotiOB, and tn so crest an cS
tent IA 10 excite lively apprehension, even anong tue
coolest Of the spectators. DE Lsve nlnseh SEEMED
Ia be affected less than any bOiy else, bu ne evidently
md il necessary 10 great caution. Onco or twice
he was Obliged 10 stop short, but never lost his bal
srce for moment, and maintained throughout the
utmost self possession Some expected to see hlm
Gu,i NJ he reached the sseet OF water pouring over
the rocky piecpce but he did not, although his posi-
ton wns apparently of extreme hszsrt lie walked
csmlv over the Ioarrg cataract, and reached the ROOT
Of the Jaw mil amid the deaeuIng cheers OF the
multitude which watched hls progress. lie remained
on the roof Of the building not FAR from hVe
mir utes and then started his return About hall OF
the way acro-f he suddenly dropped str!e vi the rope
and there extended himself full length his back,
after which lie recovered his upright position again,
and after sitting few seconds dropped on MS breast
He then roe to h feet and stood on oae leg for some
tune Resuming his walk, he speedily gained the east
bank and was received with tbuDoers OF applause
Several individuals became mnch excited thst they
s.izs hi % aud carried hita their snouliers on the
erould He old not exhibit any particular evidence OF
sesripe.s and We have doubt he could nave walked
twice the dstauce on rope as unsteady d MS
We contider De Laye'- performance more wonderful
even than that Of Bloudn While We have no desire u
dersct from the professional merit Dt the later, we
still believe that De Lave is hi- equal IN many pirticu
lhr- Bondn rope Is perfectly steady, aud does not
away 20 D. a. be perceptbe from the snore while that
np wlich DE Lave walked yesterday twisted sbJu Ia
uo,t disquie,ng owing 10 some defect IN the
guy rg or for other reason. IL was, moreover,
VET AID quite slippery in con'equence aud II Is Con
sderaby smaller thai B.ondn's.
Amorg the spectators the ground yesterday were
Mous Blondin and his agent Nj. Cocorn neither OF
whom proessed to have any coptie thit De Lave
vould succeed They returned 20 Niagara faIs on the
train ".s'i-ied probably tina. SONS tning. an
be doLe as we'll Is Others" Webave idea that either
If them desired :, witness any accident, but cannot
HEN uspectng that they would both have been pleas
I'd ba1 DE Lave bscked ont from his undertaking.
They were accompanied by Capt. Trsvls, the celeoIs
ted pistol shooter. Blordin Informed us tha. he wss
70 csrry man scross Niagara River on bus back this
"Wednesday afternoon, but said tina, the individual
lot yet selected m
We are authorized 70 say that Mons. De Lave will
We al oih.r periormanoe Lext Tuesday afternoon at
3oclock II is 10 be hoped thst sprit OF rivsry
will not prompt him or Mons. Bondin to attempt auy
feat shch vii result il accident. Botn are great
perforners ard there Is necessity for either 10 as
sure unnecessary risk in Order 10 establish position
of supremacy.