The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-07-16
OF SAM PATCH.

The Exploits of Men who Have Desired
to Attain Celebrity by Jumping From
High Places.
The event of Monday recalls the ex-
ploits of some other daring men who
sought to obtain celebrity by jumping
or diving from high places. The most
widely know feat OF this description is
probably that of Sam Patch. The
famous and fatal leap of that reckless
man occurred in Rochester, on Friday,
November Is, 1929, at two o'clock in
the afternoon. Patch had previously
attracted much public attention in West
ern New York by jumping into tho
Genesee river frcm height of one
hundred feet. His desire to create
still greater sensation and also to OBJ
tain such pecuniary contributions as a
large and enthusiastic crowd would be
likely to make, induced him to announce
in the Rochester papers that he would
jump over the Genesee falls into the
abyss below, distance of 125 feet. He
caused scaffold twenty-five feet high
to be built on the brink of the falls near
the railroad station in Rochester. His
invitation to the public to witness this
attempt to perform the feat was headed
''Sam Patch's Last Jump" coupled
with the assertion, "Some things can
be done as we'll as other"
The AntG- Masonic Inquirer, of Roch.
ester, gave a brief notice of Sam
Patch's fatal plunge, in which it said:
''The ominous expression contained in
the reckless Patch's advertisement has
been fearfully vindicated. 1t was, in
deed, his last jump. He jumped from
staging twenty-five feet above the
brink of the falls into the abyss be-
low, from whence the body has
not yet been recovered. A variety OF
reasons are given for the fatal termi-
nation of this presumptuous feat. All
however, concur in saying that Patch,
from some cause or other, did not re-
tain the position while descending or
strike the water as he did on the former
occasion. 1t was daring and useless
exposure of human life, which, having
resulted disastrously, creates a train
of painful recollections.
During the centennial year young
French rope-walker entertained thou
sands of persons who visited Niagara
Falls by leaping into the river two oil
three times a week, from a rope
stretched from bank to bank 155 feet
above the surface of the water. A
piece of stout and very elastic rubber
was fastened to the center of his heavy
rope, and after walking out on the rope
from the rivers bank the young French
man would take firm hold of the free
end of the rubber band and spring
| downward. He retained his hold O.
the band until it had reached perhap;
| twenty-five feet, and then letting go hC
would shoot, feet foremost, like an ar
row into the river. The feat was re
peated more than a dozen times. anC
| the performer was IN nowise injured.
The attempts of Prof" Robert Don
aldson, young Scotchman, to juml
from the East River bridge in 1882, at
tracted much attention. Mr.. Donald
son first appeared on the unfinished
bridge on May IL of that year, attireC
in tights, and prepared to leap into tht
river below. He gave up the idea OIL
that day in consequence of strong gal'
which was blowing up the river. Ht
publicly announced that he would try /
second time to make the leap, but thu
custodians of the bridge kept careful
watch of the New York and Brooklyn
approaches and allowed no one to g
upon the structure. Donaldson at
tempted to ascend the spiral staircase a
the side of the great stone pier on tn
Brooklyn side in the guise of work
man, on Wednesday, May 81, 1882, bu
he was recognized and stopped. A thir
attempt to get on the bridge was mad
by Donaldson on July 10, but had to b
abandoned because a portion of tn
planking of the footpath had been ten
porarily removed.
John d. Brumley, a painter, of Nc
402 East Forty-eighth Street, this city
J while intoxicated, on Sunday morning
!, June 4, 1882, made wager for th
drinks with some of his companion
! that he would jump off High bridg'
; He walked to the central arch of I'll
bridge, and, after divesting himself I
!. his coat and shoes, he sprang from th
structure. In his descent he turne
! two somersaults, and struck the watC
feet foremost. He was taken out of tt
river unconscious, but subsequently r
r covered. The distance from the top
! the bridge to the water where Brurnle
1 jumped is AS feet.
} A young Englishman named I.
Donaldson dived from the roof of she
on the pier of the National Steamsh
, line, at the footof West Houston Stree
, on September 1, 1883. The distanc
from the top of the shed to the riv,
was thirty-ive feet. The feat was wi
messed by large number of person
The diver was not injured.-N