Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-08-18
The Buffalo sam Patch.
HIS FooL.HARDY LEAP-A NARROW Es-
CAPE.


number peril his life or limb, an immense
throng congregated in the vicinity O.
Watson's elevator, to see Frank Thornt
make his advertised leap from the top O.
Hhe building yesterday afternoon. Every
inch of eligible dock was occupied. Tht
propellers and canal boats that lay a.
their mooring in the creek were filed will
spectators, and the creek itself swarmei
with tugs and small boats. Males ant
Omales of all ages, sizes and social stand
ing mixed in together for the half houl
or so, and so intense was the excitement
tlat caste was for the moment forgotten
end everybody carried on neighborly
conversation with everybody else as tt
the probabilities of the result of the leap
There could not have been less thar
twenty thousand people there assembled
PREPARATIONS.
Five o'clock was the hour named fol-
the jump, and at quarter to five the pa
tiently waiting crowd had the satisfac'
ton Of seeing Thorne make his appear
ence upon the roof of the elevator. He
wos accompanied by his friend, Joseph
Pope end as the two advanced to the
sdss OF RE roof and looked over down in
10 she water beneath, the spectators felt
sleir 1ess creep and their limbs shake, as
they thought of human being throwing
himsoaf Aom that dangerous height. But
neither Thorne nor his companion seemed
TO experience any fear for they surveyed
the situation very coolly for few mo-
mems, ssd thsn the "jumpist" retired, tc
prepsoe Aiassli for the leap. The assist.
ants msanwhile fixed abort board over
the edge of the ooruice, so as to allow
Thorne a standing place clear of the ele.
vetor.
THE LEAP.
"There he is! there he is !" passed
from lip to lip as the daring young man
reappeared on the roof, attired only with
red flannel breech-clout and pair of
light caf-skin boots. He had intended
to use pair of scandals with wedge
shaped soles, but the boy who was to
bring them over failed to make his ap-
pearance on time. A few minutes after
o'clock, and after sitting for a while to
thoroughly compose himself for the peril
Gus adventure, Thorne stepped out upon
the frail platform and advanced to its ut
most edge. 1t being too springy for
safety, he stepped back to the roof and
had the board drawn in slightly. Then
hand to the people so anxiously and ner-
vously watching him, and then sprang
out into the air. The leap was fairly
made, and for about quarter of the dis
lance down he descended in very nearly
an erect position; but half way down, to
the horror of the spectators, he gradually
turned forward, and at last struck the
water upon his right side, with a tremen-
dnna nd l.
scent occupying, as timed by Mr.. Pope,
four and half seconds. When the man
ner of his striking the water and the
awful detonation produced became APP
parent to the senses of the multitude, a
siokening shudder passed through them
and cry of terror arose strong men
blanched pale as death, and women
shrieked and faiRted. Not one who wit
messed the scene but who thought Frank
Thorne was lost man.
A rush of boats Immediately took place |
rouard the spot where he went down,
oae containing an enterprising coroner,
being well in advance. But Steve Bar |
ret, the notorious reooVerer of bodies, was
ct hand with graphing irons and the
other appliances ready. For few seconds |
the surface of the water was calm and un-
rufhed; the people said, che will never
come up again." but Just as Barrett was
proceeding to strip off his shirt for dive,
the water was disturbed and the rash ad-
venturer appeared again to view. The
police boats instantly made start for
him, but Steve was in advance, and as
Thorne by three strokes neared, he seized
him about the neck, and with assistance
dragged him into the boat. Dr. Phelps
jumped in from the police boat. and Bar
OFT then rowed round to the landing
place at tho elevator entrance. There
they lifted him to the wharf and he
walked up the steps and into the eleva-
tor, but then Immediately fell to the floor
powerless, and dripping with his blood,
which the shock had forced out through |
the skin of his right side, arm and thighs, |
the left leg having apparently been adj
vanced a little in front OF the other as he |
struck.
THE EFFECT.
The shock to Thorne's system was in
deed a terrible one he was partly uncon-
scious, and his pulse for the first hour al
most imperceptible-at times quite 80.
He complained of pain in the chest, and
eventually commenced coughing up blood. |
During the first hour DIR. Phelps thinks |
that he was very near to death, his more
than ordinary vitality alone preserving
him. At half.past seven o'clock he was
carried upon the mattrass on which he
lay to a tug and brought across the creek |
to a carriage, in which he was conveyed |
to his boarding house, 1876 Seneca street |
arrived there he essayed to walk, but
had only advanced up two steps when he |
tainted completely away. His young wife |
had returned home, believing him killed, |
and her Joy at seeing him still alive and
in a fair way to recover, is indispensable.
He is believed to have received no severe
internal injuries, the raising of blood be-
ing caused by the rupture of the small
capillaries of the lungs.
Still, his condition is most painful and |
unpleasant, Frank Thorne being without
doubt the sorest individual in Erie ooun-
ty at present and for days to come. He
will probably be long time in recover
og his usual health, and his condition
will likely be such as to render his pro-
r7sed suicidal leap at Niagara Falls on
Go 18th an impossibility.
THE SPECTACLE.
AS a high sensation performance, that
of Fnsnk Thorne is without a parallel in
49, N~NNcty VI phO 'AOihiby anu buS luduy
who witnessed the thrilling and frightful
descent will long remember it with shud-
Gers o thing never seen before and
never likely to occur again. The dis
tJnce from the roof from which he Jumped
q the level of the water is one hundred
Cad sorty-6ve feet by actual measurement
Thus far he has expressed no intentions
In regard to future performances, and it
is now ~ be hoped that with the near. APP
Ifoaoh 10 a terrible death which he has
experienced, he will be satisfied with the
fame he has already won, to make no
more such hazardous experiments.
FRANK THoRNE,
or more properly Matthew D. Carpenter,
was born in Fredonia, Chautauoua
County, November 10, 1915. His parents
Dmoved to Buffalo when he was q ii infant,
therefore young Carpenter WAS reared
Buffalo boy. Up to the time that be was
fifteen years of age he attended school
bore, going to public school No. 5, and
afterwards attending the Central During
L 4,