, 1870-08-07
THE GREAT LEAP.

A"eHtf AAcua@h0 FeOPIo Witness
the I4eap-rhoFns sprnwIs isl alid-
Air and Strikes the Water ou His
Stde-flls Critical Conditions.
From TIC Bafato Courier, Aug. t.
The foung daye-aayil who CALI 1inls+af
F1*ak Thorne, aud who has recently teso..,,
notorious throughout tho country by hayiaQ
been Advertised to leap, on the 10th inst, tzrr.
the new suspension bridge below Siaga1a
and ninety feet, has during tho psst lev days
made three lears from high points in this
ylcitity. by way Of practice. Tie first was
from the railroad bridge over Buffalo River,
distance Of ffty feet; the second from the rail-
road bradge orer tho Erie Canal, near York
street. a distance OF seventy feet Both these
lcaps were made safely and created little e1-
ci;ement. But when it vas announced, two or
three days Ago, that he would jump, yesteriay
afternoon. from the roof OF the Watson Elava-
tor into Buffalo River, descent stated to be
came rife both as to his really attempting tie
feat and as to bis performing it SAFELY. Curl
osity, not onls to witness SO novel and start
ling sight, and also curiosity in many minds
to see man killed, for thousands thought the
leap would certainly be fatal, conspired to
draw an immense crowd to the docks on this
side Of the river, from which view Of the
elevator could be obtained. The hour for
the jump wAs announced ID 5 o'clock,
and long before that time the dense popular
ticn Of the vicinity began to ba augment
ed by streams OF people anxious. to Obtain
good REV. The vessels and canal boats lying
moored at the docks, And the docka Them
selves, 81 we'll as the buildings fronting them,
for quarter Of a mile in length, uere soon
packed with human beings. Steamers, tugs,
tequisition by the hundreds, and tic river wss
crowded with all manner Of crowded craft.
Especially i'll front Of the looming pilo Of the
elevator from which the fearful leap was to
be made. was there consregatetl vast tlotilla
sons that Witnessed The jump uas v4siously
estimated at from fifteen 10 twenty-five thous-
and l. FREQ show, with such thrilling Yea-
tures. draws cut the populace without much
advertising.
tnrned e5es Of the myriads Of spectators sas
TAorne come out upon the roof VI the building,
He was accompanied by ". II. Pope, the actor,
and another gentleman, whose name We
did not learn. 4 little time was occupied in
| making the simple arrangements, which
let from the caves: whiIo tize M S ware soies ies
on, Tue thoughts and tongnes Of ,tls vast null
| titude below were busy. Some expressed the
| opinion that, even at that late h1.r, the reck-
| less Ttornc would show tie white feather:
| several bets were made on this contingency !;
many turned away sAudderins, their
nerves not permitting them TO gaze at tho
dare.doyi! descent; ali WHO POSSESSED = touch
Of sentiment bad sensations akin to those
which como when looking from u terrible
he'ght, or at i murderer just befors tho fatal
drop.
At two minutes past 5, Thornc throw OF
coat which Has over his shoulders, and clr..
ont on tho plank.
His attire WAS simplc-a1most az much 80 ~
that OF the Georgia gentleman. which consist
wearing white handkerchief on his head,
red brcech.cfout about his middle, pair OF
heavy boots on hls feet, and the epidermjs
Which nature gave him. ffe stood there. the
centre Of forty thousand eyes, appearing to be
measuring the descent and preparing for it By
he wae, this waa readily detected from below,
and, he, ond thta> tymptons of nervousness
were manifest in his quve.ins li1n5s. The
bes.;ng-men. Of sang f-oid, who lad staked
asaist h's lcaplng, when they Motel these tn
ttcations, felt julilant, and the sympathetic
shtGdered. Once Thorne lstet1 his right hand
| in the air, and all thought the jump would fol-
| low. but he dropped it TO his side and sgaiu
| inflated his chest with air. a second timo ho
! lifted his hand, as 1t in salute, 4 second tune
dropped il without making the plunge. and
turning stepped back upon the roof Of the e1e-
sator. Many thought his heart had failed
| him, but when Il was seen th1t tho plank was
| being readjnsted. the general opinion was that
there was some fanlt in the arrangements.
All wefn wrong, - the fact was that hi. At
BACK, aud the moving OF the p!snk VIA
blind. In a moment be seemed to rucove1
himself, and. AZ he stcppe out on tho plank
TIE second time, be seemed far Corc tnesyy"
than At tstst.
Ills hesitation. then, WAS slight. lie wa-e1
his right hand encc !n tue 1ir; then. holding
both arma tight to hs body and Ills 1ega close
together. lie made tho peti;uus jump. The
| most intense stiffness reiSped as bis downward
| progress was watched. The distance was
about one hundred and seycnty-fiye instead Of
| one hundred and eighty feet, even tie former
in tho world. except 10: deliberate suicide Df
cou1sc, the object Of Thor1le waA to euter tho
water, IL lie started. feet first, and the uuiyer-
eai feeling was that, il he lost his perpcndsu-
lar, death vas certain. For about third OF
tho descent his legs were kept together and his
| position maintained, bnt at this poiut be was
Observed to spread them apart. He llead lnl-
| ned.ately cantel forward and, to the Lusrur OF
\ al, he fell s71a1frg The rest 4 tne distance
In . trite le~s than tnree scco:.d. from the
time e making the leap he ntraek tho wasar,
the right eide meeting the eolli-ioa. sa5 At
| VAS tte cry that simultaneously bars. from
| thousands OF tAroats, and few :herp were but
believed il expressed the trath. In les. :iua
tEan 1t takes to write 1t, however, his head
| appeared above water, and he struck out
fscbly fer shn onlE ooat between him and tho
elevator, in which were = party Of police and
Police Surgeon Phelps. More dad than alire
he waA haused into the boat, and At once row.
| ed to room III tho elevator. It was noticed
| br thore nllo were te,1 euou III that his ca,-
tire right side wns crimson, and to >ome il ap-
I ptsrcd ia he cut e;1ep. The tongues Of ruu1or
| rapidly spread Z report OF his death. which
! was fully believed IN mauy parts Of the city mp
to late hour last night.
When the foot.h.rdy man vas laid down on
blanket after his leap, Dr., Phelps It ouee
| examined hun. Ha found that no bones we're
| broken, bu. the entire right eide, the outside
Of the right les and the iu.ids Of the left, wers
| feartul1y confused, and there was much e1-
| srayasauon over this whole au1faca. The
beatings Of the heart could not be lctcctcd
and the pulse was scarcely ptrceptible. The
| clock TO the nervous system w1s evidently
great. Thorne vas contcious and Very anx iozls
| TO get lie honest opinion Of the dscto- whether
| he Wouid survive. TIE proper remedies were
administered. aud gradually the heart began
to resu1ne its furctions. AID the pulse to assert
iseelf. though feelly. Between and o'clock
| hc Was removed to bis boarding house,
No, 1sG Seneca street. His weakness vas at.
tested here By his fsinting away ~ he tried TO
! O'clock. in a hopeful stsse. though complaining
| Of internal pain. 4 subsequent visit about II
| O'Clock, showed that pleurisy had set in Oh tic
left eide. accompanied By considerable raising
after this visit, he considered his patient IN !
very critical condition. es pleuro- pneumonia
Was imminent. 4 strong constitution tn1y
ca11F him through, but the case is deaperase
| one.
| The hero Of the leap eass that almost
soon az be commenced the descent be seemed
to be going to sleep. He was not conscious Of
spEawling out in the xir ~ he did fs felt 10
pam ~heu be struck the water, but h.d SEN
sat1cn, a. II in dream, thae he lad fallen
from great height and Vas terribly burt He
did not atnke the bottom, he is contident-
When he rcse TO the surface he became cor
eeious OF pain. AfterWard be attributed his
| charge or position to = current Of air; but
thss i nenseneics1 on it's face, and 1nust be
considered ~ IN effort Of = Vould.be 4eientitc
drmly adhered to his intention Of making the
SUSPENSION bridge leap on the 1cth inst
The aaT OF falling bod.es i. that thcv Ge--
cend sixteen feet tic first second, after which
the cls lance increases as the square Of tLe
time. Thus, Il body falls sixteen feet in
tunes sixteen, III two secopds one hundred
And fonr-four feet, OF nine times sixteen, in
three seconds, and 20 on. Since the fa11 of
Ihoznes . BODY VAS About cue hundred and
ssehty-ase f., feet, the 'ime OF falling must have
ee seen by this rule, that IN the third SECOND 4
body falla eighty feet. and his must haye
acquired about this velocity xteu It strncE Tia
waser- a veloc,ty Of eishty-eighs feel
per per-. second y equivalent to . nile i
| 81 A'S LATER 4Ne expresses but
srlhe more than the force With which
me ansWersing laws Of gravity threw Thorua
agslust The water When we tske this f..t
lnto consideration, We may well woalur il be-
survives the shock.
Ine honely word "spraxl" preei.e1s e1-
presses what 1hoEne did IN the air, aud there
IoIe re nse IT.: It WAS evident to all that
Watched him that the change in the posi.i u of
his i,odz from the perpendicular Is the hosi-
zohtA was immediately consequent upon his
spreading his legs apart. As he did this when
~ more than one-third Of the way down. tEs
velocity, could scarcely hare then made him
his nerve fsiled him, aud be thrcs out bis
limbs through IN inaprlce cognate to that
| which csnaes Il f1rnHninc u1p to clutch It