Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-09-12
HAMMOND'S GREAT LEAP.
One Hundred and Fifty-fve Feet Down
From a Cliff into the Rio Grand.

One Hundred and Fify-ive Feet Down
From a Cliff into the Rio Grand.
San Antonio Cor. Philadelphia Times.
When the news of Professor Odium's |
fatal leap from the parapet of the
Brooklyn bridge reached here we were
talking over the affair in the "Gold
Room" Sam Graham, cx-sergeant OF
rams ers, called attention to a parallel
incl. .ent which attracted great deal
of attention on the frontier at the
time and gave the name OF Ham
mond's Leap to lofty canon wall
on the bank of the Rio Grande, about
six miles west where the alkaline waters
of the Pecos empty INTO 1t. The track
of the Southern Pacific railroad runs
close to the river here, and as you whirl
by the trainmen will point out the spot
where Robert Hammond made a
sheer Jump of lbs feet to the muddy
waters of the Rio Grade below. This
leap was made in the early summer OF
1882, when the railroad was in pro-
cess of construction. The painted red
men from safe hiding place on the Mex
lean side watched the busy scene with
wide opened eyes, heard the 'big thun-
der" of the blasts with loud-beating
heart and stole back to the Santa
Rosas. The only animate beings that
did not seem to mind the noise and tu-
multi were those pestiferous little var
mints, the vinegaroan, the devil horse,
the tarantula, the centipede, the sting
ing lizard, and the rattlesnake. They
remained and disputed theground inch
by inch with the invaders. They
caused great deal OF trouble, and the
navvies feared and respected them. 1t
was a stinging lizard or scorpion that
caused Hammond's leap. Hammond
was a navy, born in England, and at
the time he made the leap about 26
wears of age. He was Ofrather slender
build, but wiry and muscular, and
Jack Harris, the contractor for whom
he worked, considered him his best
churn driller. Harris camp was at
the head of deep canon, about one
mile south of Vinegaroan. Hewas en-
gagged in making a fill and two side
cuts, and worked gangs day and night.
Hammond worked in the day gang,
and the big wall tent he shared with
six or eight others was about 300
wards from the edge of the lofty wall,
against whose base the muddy waters
OF the "great river" dashed and tum-
bled. At this particular point the river
is quite deep. One night the sleeping
occupants of Harris's camp were
aroused by a series OF startling yells,
which came from Hammond's tent.
Before they could collect their senses
! and settle in their minds whether or
not the camp had been attacked by In
| dians, Hammond dashed from the tent
and although held by his companions
tore himself away, and yellingat every
lump, made giant bounds toward the
| river. II e drillers and blasters in the
| cut stopped their work and ran up OF
the bank to see what was the matter
4 They saw Hammond as he dashed
toward them and heard his ag
onized wells. A cry of horror burst
from their lips as the yelling maj
reached the brink of the precipice anC
without a seconds hesitation leapeC
out and shot down like a plummet tt
the boiling flood l So feet below. They
heard the loud splash made by hi!
body when it struck the water ant
then, with blanched faces and hushet
voices, hurried down to the river leve
to search for the poor fellows man
gled body. What was their supprls
to meet the supposed dead man alive
uniniured. He was shiverlng with COLI
however, and the muddy water drippe'
from his clothing. -,
"What was the matter?" cried tn
group of searchers in chorus.
"One OF them Internal stinging liz
ards got in my ear and nearly drov
me crazy" answered Hammond, 'bu
he popped out when / struck the wa
ter. By the way boys, what do yo
think of that Jump" .
ut ought to have killed you," sal
one man.
at didn't, though" cried Harmon
with laugh. 'Tllmake it again for
ten-dollar bill. ;"
The next morning Jack Harris ha
the distance measured, and the tar
line, held close to the liffedge, marke
155 feet and few inches when I'll
other end touched the water. Han
mond did not appear to suffer frol
his terrible flight through the air: L
. worked for Harris until the latter
contract was finished and then
went into Mexico to work Oh the Me
, lean Central. He was in his unde
clothes that night, and his feet we
| protected by thin socks. He strut
T water feet first, and described the Sc
. sation experienced as similar to thu
if the feet had been smartly slappt
, with broad strap. While in the a
. he felt no difficulty in breathing, al
, the increased velocity as his boo
a neared the water was not perceptlbl