The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-01-16
A 550-FOOT JUMP.
The Project Of a Crank to Leap from the Top
of the Washington Monument.

ed place, and do you know what the sci
he sation is during the passage?"
10 This was asked by midd cage
man who, with hundreds of other
e. was wandering through the mont
Or ment grounds a few days ago.
1T replied that had no such exper
,. ence. writes Washington correspond
il ent of Tile Neao York Sun.
d Then you have something to learn,
d he said. Have had it? Yes; but
Il am not satisfied. l intend to iuml
d from the top of that monument. It
q more than $50 feet high they say.
v never leaped from higher place thai
}. 10 or 120 feet. 1t was from the mas
a OF vessel. | don't know exactly how
/ many feet it was. Did it hurt me:
: NO, not great deal. l struck feet
Q foremost in the water and went under
L don't know how far, but good
5 ways, for they had time to reach me
after L came up, a little dazed, but
amply paid by the delights of the sen.
sation during the passage. l knew Il
man who jumped from a higher place
; and was so much injured that he died :;
put he didn't understand it, and struck
hard on the water. 1t requires skill
and GOODNESS to do the thing rightly.
Capt. Luce, now admiral, went down
forty or fifty feet under the water
when the Arctic sank. But that was
not leap. He was carried down bv
the suction when the ship made the
plunge. 1t was altogether a different
experience. He could not help him
self, and had little chance to note how
he felt. He had his little son in his
arms at the time, and that took up his
attention, no doubt, and the unhappy
circumstance of the little fellow being |
struck dead from his arms by timber |
when they rose probably drove from
his mind all recollection of what must
have been the agreeable sensation of
gong down solar into the depth of the
ocean. Luce told me that it was a
terrible rather than an agreeable ex-
perlence. 1t was not like jumping
from high place, a performance at
tended by sensations which nothing
else can produce. Things of accident
and design arealways attended by diff.
ferent sensations, you know. | have
been looking good while for a place
to take great leap, and have travelled
a long distance to survey the monu-
ment with view to jumping of. The I
distance from the top would give t
plenty OF opportunity for enjoying the a
sensation of falling a greater distance u
than any man has ever fallen" 7
but you would be killed and never a
relate your experience or enjoy an in a
'tant' s recollection of the sensation" n
Yes, that's true, perhaps, but l e
you'd have all the delight while l was
alllng, Just the same. That's what | h
want. 1t won d compensate me. We
III strive for pleasures which have an
ndlng after longer or shorter time. g
fancy that the intensity is proper
oned always to the distance. Don't OF
ou?'' ~ - - di
The mans earnestness increased, T.
nd he assumed an air of mystery. al
lie resumed u,
''But may not be killed. Indeed. tie
don mean to be. If were | would dl
OF care. Did l know l should | O,
ould take the leap all the same. No st
an goes into battle or faces any dan tn
or without some hope of coming out re
lie. Generally he makes provision to an
at end, which, however faulty, af- ly
rds him hope. L will do the same. do
We got continuance, simple as an fol
nbrella, and easy as cane to carry. w;
hlch sprung at the right instant, will gu
nd me like bird, whose wings LET TIL
come down from any height in per- We
ct safety. have never used it. but
believe it will work. If it don't II
ii matter little. l will have the su-
eme pleasure of jumping from the ,
'nument, and in the passage to the So
run experience the most delightful rel
lsations that man has ever had" ne,
That the man was upset in his mind sol
IS evident. | encouraged him to the
'ceed, remarking that as the mon all,
lent was about completed he might is {
deprived of the coveted opportunity the
make the leap. He said: tina
i was detained on the way. | in emf
ded to make the leap about the last the
ng before the workmen left the top.s cor
as there in time for it. but could 9th
get the chance. My idea was to spe
re Gen. Casey employ me in some /
aclty that would take me to the the
, and at the last moment make the and
p In sight of the assembled multi chr
e. But the general said he had no use
for me, and declined to give me Tho
necessary permit to go up as a the
tor But | shall do it yet. Iii find the
way. 1t is not to immortalize my is n
) or anything of that kind, that / the
e IN view, but solely the ecstasy of T
fall OF 800 feet 10 the eartn-saving who
few feet after l have spread the doc
Iriyance for letting me down easy, iety
as have said, to the utter. extinc- and
OF vitality which would otherwise eral
lie, Gen. Casey will miss a great NOT
if he don't jump off, as is nc
act in the construction. Suff;
ould be an immense feat. If the ener
man on the outside, when he re. are
es the last stick of the scaffoldinp. five
lad OF crawling through the open ouac
% come down inside, don't Jump, thou
=. ~ q iooi' .N.. -. year
'11SSosveo that lhe capitol dome is no
I'd be great place to practice at fecti
ing. l.4' boro
TO-" said he, sit wouldn't do at some
I've examined it. There are too ence
v obstacles. It's the sheer leap of In
eet that will give the sensations [ main