The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-09-01
THE vELoCIPEDE RIDE ACROSS
NIAGARA.
How Professor jenkins Crossed Niagara
River on "Velocipede."
from the Buffalo Express, Aug. 2o.l

from the Buffalo Express, Aug zo'I
new candidate has made his appearance
ber,re the public for glory, renown aud
sb.Lels. lie is called Prof. jenkins, or the
Canadian Blondin, and his forte Is in riding
the b,cycle on rope. His first call for
nabhc attention in this section of the coun-
try WAS made in q little hand bill announc-
ing that his performances on tn tight rope |
had astonished the world, and left competl'
tor, far behind and furthermore that he
would ride veocipede across Niagara Fail
Yesterday afternoon. Early IN the day the
crowd around the falls was far from small,
aud By noon the excursion trains on the
Great Western and Lake Huron Railroads
had brought thousands Of people, all anx-
ious to see the man ride over the Falls IN Il
velocipede But the show WAS not at the
Wallis ~ AN, but below the Suspension
Bridge, on the exact spot where the genuine
B,ondln, years ago, crossed the river with
the man on his back. The rope, two inches
ia diameter and 1000 feet long, was placed
in position last Friday and made rs secure
aud tight as possible.
The machine used by Professor jenkins
is no, in any sense velocipede. It's, how
ever, bicycle, and turned upside down
would resemble in some degree modern
veocipede. The wheels, three inches wide,
an made heavy and Of wood without tires
but in their places are grooves one and
three quarter inches deep. The front wheel
is three feet two inches, and the hind wheel
two feet ten inches in diameter. The con
Meeting rods are iron, so also the balance
pole, which is eight feet long aud tipped
with ten pound balls, and weighs twenty
eight pounds. The whole thing, with the
man thrown in, weighs 298 pounds The
propelling power is pinion cog wheel made
of brass, about nine inches IN diameter
which is made to gear the cogs which sur
round the front wheel at the bottom Of the
groove. 1t was supposed, naturally enough
that mau riding across the Niagara Rive
on q single rope would draw large crow
of people TO the Falls; but it costs money t
buy ropes and build fences; and those il
terested solicited subscriptions to dsfray el
penses. The amount raised on both side
of the river was $l39, Of which the Elgi
House gave $50. 1t was also agreed thn
the receipts at the bridge should go to tn
performer. The expenses we're about s 900
the rope alone costing $3.50. The 1000 fee
of good twoinch hemp rope stretched across
the chasm, 200 feet above the boiling flood,
was the first object to be gazed upon by the
crowd, but you could not reach it without
paying Is cents, which great many did,
and were rewarded by close inspection.
The cable was fastened securely and immov-
ably on the American shore, but on the Cana
da shore coied around windass to facilitate
tightening. and then twisted and tied around
couple of cedar stumps. The DETECTION o
the rope was about thirty feet. Photograph
ers were early on the ground and secured
4ba baot Ioostinpu thair nauaraa
At $50 o'clock the Professor made his
appearance at the small house on the Cana
da side with the pieces of his machine, anC
at once proceeded to put them together, &
task Of no small labor, With the aid Of bi,
men he first placed the fore wheel on thC
rope Just at the edge Of the precipice, anC
while one man balanced it, another PLACED
on the standard from the under side, thu
bringing two strong bars of iron on eithe
side Of the rope. All the Joints were secure
ly fastened with bolts The braces or connet
ting rods extending from the standard to tn
rear shaft in the form Of the letter . mad
the connection complete and very strong
The Professor then got outside Of the rope
arranged the plnion wheel and fastened th
balance pole across the . part of the brace
This done, the seat a strip Of leather, va
secured 10 the rear axle BY means OF strap
This arrangement, which it was seen at one
would throw the entire weight of the mi
chine and the rider under the rope, was
source Of disappointment, if not of relief,
many Of the spectators, who, not consultin
the inventive genius of the Canadian Blor
ON, rather expected to see him mounted o
sNreenwcod velocipede, which, of course
SSu'a give good chance for ground an
lofty tumbGug
All oeihg N readiness, the bicycle wa
fastened by rope To the bank, and Jenkir
who had superintsnded all the operation
started for his hotel to robe. During h
absence the crowd viewed the machine crt
cally, and murmurs Of "humbue," "soId
"who couldn't" etc, were heard, but as
general thing the crowd we're pleased wi
the ingenious method in which the gre
danger supposed to be involved in the upd
taking had been avoided BY this time t
people who had been pouring in on excr
sion trains from all parts of Canada had
tssembled in convenient localities for obser1
ton, TO the apmbes Of perhsps 5000. 7