The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-08-29
A Fatal Leap.

ract that plunges into the cleft of the
rocks so deep that the fall from the
edge of the precipice to the surface of
the river below, where it boils and
foams like caldron, is about eighty
feet. The sides of the river at the
place are precipitous rocks, as smooth
as the walls of a room, rising perpen-
dicularly from the water to the height
OF eighty feet. The depth of the stream
is generally believed to be sixty or sew
enty feet, but in reality it is no more
than forty or fifty.
About 200 feet below the falls the
chasm is covered by single-span foot
bridge, perhaps fifty feet in length.
This bridge affords a delightful view of
the falls, but it makes one dizzy to look
down to the water below, SO great is
the height. As matter of safety, and
to preclude the danger to people from
yielding to the irresistible temptation
of jumping off, it is guarded at the
sides by an iron railing, eight or ten
feet high.
This bridge took the place of an old
wooden one some years ago. From
the wooden one the famous Sam Patch
one day jumped off into the water be-
low, and the Paterson gamins of the
day, bound not to be outdone, ven
tured on following the experiment until
there was generally crowd of young
sters there who would take the eighty
foot leap at any time for twenty five
cents. They performed the feat by
jumping off gently, balancing them
selves with their arms, until they near
ly reached the surface of the water,
and then suddenly clapping their arms
to their sides they disappeared under
the surface. If they did not do this
they were in danger of breaking their
arms when they struck the water, and
if they struck any other way than per-
pendicularly they would, of course,
have their breath knocked completely
out of them.
! But one or two narrow escapes put
an end to this practice until last week.
Then a lad named John Cannon made
q successful leap. 1t was done at six
o'clock in the evening, and there were
several spectators who thought it a case
of suicide and ran for ropes and Crap
pling-irons, but were astonished to find
the youth, whom they went to rescue,
sitting comfortably on top of a rock to
which he swan.
Hearing of the feat, two other young
men, expert swimmers-William Ro-
selle, of Mill street, and Thomas Dow
ling, of Marshall street, aged respect
lively eighteen and twenty-went up
quietly one night last week and did the
feat successfully.
Yesterday afternoon these same two
young men were at the falls, and were
seen standing on the bridge for long
time, as if contemplating its repetition
but no one appeared to pay any par
ticular attention to them. They waite(
until there was a large throng of spec
tators-several hundred-at the falls
as usual on Sunday afternoons, ant
then went to a neighboring saloon fol
drink, and then returned to the bridge
Their evident intention was apparently
to create a sensation.
There was then an unusually large
throng about the falls and several hun
bred persons near the bridge. Thel
they suddenly clanbered upon the higl
railing, without divesting themselve
of their clothing, and startled the spec
| IdlOIS NY giving IL 1OuO WuOOp dHS
plunging out into the air, on their wa,
to the water, fully eighty feet below.
William Roselle went down perpen
dicularly, or straight as an arrow, ant
went under the water with short
sharp "swoot,' like a sharp-edge,
stone. He arose to the surface like
|. porpoise and swan for the shore over
handed.
Thomas Bowling made a misstep o
Il slip as he jumped, and turned owe
and over several times before he strucl
the water, square on his stomach, witt
, loud splash. He sank slowly to tn
, bottom, and rose no more. 1t is sup
posed that the fall of eighty feet. an
, striking on his stomach, knocked al
: the breath out of his body, SO that h
, became unconscious.
: Great excitement prevailed, and sue
. multitude crushed upon the bridg
over the chasm that there was DANCE
that it would break. So the polic'
drove the people off. Persons flocket
to the scene until 5000 or 1000 peopl'
blackened the edges of the precipicc
A large searching party had failed t.
; recover the body up to 1880 last night
The affair created the greatest sensa
ton of anything that has happened il
, I Po+oreon IN u 1opor fi,no " Y San,