Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1860-08-25
A New Rope Walker at Niagara.

New Rope Walker at Niagara.
A rival to Blondin has arisen at the Falls.
Signor Farini made his first ascension on
"Wednesday and was quite successful. His
rope hangs, with reflection of from sixty
to seventy feet, at safe distance there
from below the town on the American
side, and perhaps third of mile down
the river from the Clifton House on the
Canada side 1t is 1900 feet long, three
stranded, of MANILA, two inches thick, aud
weighing $500 lbs. 1t is secured by
hundred and forty guys of fve-eights rope,
iu the construction of which SO, 900 feet of
rope were employed The Courier says
At the point chosen, the gorge is nearly
at its widest. The river rolls beneath at
a depth of about 10 or 180 feet, massy
and smooth, but with great aecks of foam
marking the mighty eddies in which its
ponderous waters are whirled.
The band struck up and Farini started
down very slowly and doubtfully at frst
for he had not gone ten feet when diff.
Guilty appeared which threatened to be ia
tai. His pole was long and timber, and
became entangled in the guys at every step.
Poised above the awful gulf, he had to
stand and in the most painful and labori.
Gus manner, extricate it from its entange-
ment. The odds seemed to be terribly
against him at this moment. There was
an outcry that he never would cross, and
for few moments of sickening suspense.
in which he struggled with his pole, we be-
eve half the crowd expected to see him
fall. But the Signor had pluck aud nerve.
Undauntcd he held on his way, and after
working for some time as we have describ-
ed. he sat down. He stood up, first on
his feet and then on his head, and looked
wthal so cool about it, that confidence was
restored Slowly he proceeded, making
frequent stops and repeating his gymnastics,
He hung by his heels, by his elbow, by his
hands, lay down on his back, and finally
stood on one foot without his balancing
pole. In about half an hour he had wrought
his way up to the Canada shore, where he
was enthusiastically received, band on
that side playing Hail Columbia the while.
After having gone up to the Clifton House
for refreshment, he returned, and at twenty
minutes past five was again on the rope.
Ia the center he stopped, and the Maid of
the Mist which had been lying off aud on
with large number of passengers aboard
came directly beneath him. He dropped
a cord, which was caught on board, and
thus he drew up rope, passing the end
over his cable, and securing double line
for his perilous descent. In less than half
a minute he had slid, not "head foremost"
but hand over hand, down the eighty or
hundred feet to the deck Of the boat. In
few minutes he addressed himself for the
ascent, which was a tougher business. He
drew himself up, however, and after some
more gymnastics, was nearly on the Ame.
rican side again. To show that he was
not used up by his appalling hours work,
he gave pas ssuL, Keeping time to the mu.
sic of the band as he came ashore M
Tie universal sentiment was, that he had
displayed, under the circumstances, nerve
folly equal to that OF Bondin. He does not
appear, as yet, so much at home on the rope
as the Frenchmap. The transit With him
seems fFaught with far moreimmnent peril.
But the fact that this is his first great feat,
that the rope is much larger than RIondin's,
vibrating also very much more, and that he
wrought at such disadvantage with bis pole
aud guys, entitled him beyound a aquestion TO
the dubious fame which he coVets, Hence
! forth there are two Blondlns s,tr