Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-06-04
u.,rvoyD,s onrAT nEAp.
One Hundred and Fifty-fivo Feet
Down from "A CLIFF into the Rio

One Hundred and Fifty-five Feet
Down from a Cliff Into the Rio
Grande.
Correspondence of the Philadelphia Times.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, May 23.-When
the news of Prof. Odlum's fatal leap from
the parapet of the Brooklyn bridge
reached here we were talking over the
affair in the "Gold Room" Sam Graham,
ex-sergeapt Of Rangers, called attention
to parallel incident which attracted
great deal of attention on the feptier at
the time and gave the mime ioFf Ham
mond's Leap" TO a lofty canop nall en-
the bank of the Rio Grahde, about six
miles west from where the alkaline waters
of the Pecos empty into it. 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 sheer leap of 1856
feet to the muddy waters of the Rio
Grande below. This leap was made
in the early summer of 1882,
when the railroad was in process
of construction. The painted red
men from a safe hiding place on
the Mexican side watched the busy scene
with wide-opcned eyes, heard the "big-
heart and stole back 10 the Santa Rosns.
The only animated beings that did not
seem to mind the noise and tunlult were
those pestiferous little varmints, the
vinegarOun, the devil horse, the tarantula,
the centiped, the singing lizard, and the
rattlesnake. They remained and dis
puted the ground inch by inch with the
invaders. They caused great deal Of
trouble, and the navvies feared and re-
spected them. 1t was u singing lizard
or scorpion that caused Hammond's leap.
Hammond was NAVY, born in England,
and at the time he made the leap about
26 years of age. He was of rather
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. He was engaged in making 4
fill and two side cuts, and worked gangs
day and night.
Hammond worked in the day gang, aud
the big wall tent he shared with six OIL
eight others was about 800 yards from the
edge of the lofty wall, against whose bast
the muddy waters of the "great river
dashed and tumbled. AT this particular
point the river is quite deep. One nigh
the sleeping occupants of Harris CAM
We're aroused by series Of startling
yells, which came from Hammond's tent
Before they could collect their senses ant
settle in their minds whether or not tn
camp had been attacked by Indians, Hum
mond dashed from the tent, and although
held by his companions, tore himsel
away, and, yelling at every jump, mad
giant bounds toward the river. Th
, drillers and blasters in the cut stoppe
| their work and ran up Oh the bnlk to sc
, | what was the matter They saw Ham
! | mond MS lie dashed toward tlIpl
!, and heard his ugonized yolls. A cry I
1 horror burst from their lips as the yellin
, man reached the brink of the prccipiC
. and without u seconds hesitation lenpe
|. out and shot down like plummct to I'll
4 boiling flood l55 feet below. They hear
= the loud splash made by his body whe
/ il struck the water, and then, wit
blanched faces and hushed voices, hui
ried down to the river level to search f
the poor fellows inangled body. VIII
= was their surprise to meet the suppose
:, dead man alive, uninjured. lie WI
!, shivering with cold, however, and II
e muddy water dripped from his clothing
. "What wus the mattGr!h cried Il
q group of scnrchers in chorus.
% Zone of them Internal singing liar,
4. got in my ear aud nearly drove me crazy
1t answered Hammond. "but he popped Of
N when | struck the water. BY the wa
Y boys. what do you think of that jump
n 1T ought TO have killed you," said Of
Il man.
t. 1T didn't, though, cried Harmon
% with laugh. "I'll make it again for
le $40 bill"
4 The next morning Jack Harris had Il
!; distance measured, and the t,pe line, he
~ close to the cliff edge, marked 155 fe
n and II few inches when the other ei
touched the water. Hammond did II
ID appear 20 suffer from his terrible fig
al through the air. He worked for Hari
lf until the latter's contract was finish
e and then went into Mexico to work on t
W Mexican Central lie was in his undo
9r clothes that night, and his feet We're pr
ye tectcd only by thin socks. He struck t
Ut water feet first, and described the sem
ton experienced as similar to that if t
70 feet had been smnrtly slapped with
OIL broad strap. While in the mir he felt
~ difficulty in breathing, and the increas
velocity as his body neared the water VI
9 not perceptible.