The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-05-29
A JUMP TO DEATH,
Noted Swimmers Leap from
HroOkIVu bridge.


Robert Emmett Odlum, a Washington
swimming teacher has met his death by
jumping from the Brooklyn bridge. When
the bridge was in course of erection Odlum
wanted to leap from the dizzy height, but was
prevented by the authorities. Since then he
had often expressed desire to attempt the
feat, but was threatened with arrest by the
police in case he made the trial. How he
evaded the police, made the jump, and met
with the fate of Sam Patch, who lost his life
by leaping from great height at Rochester
many years ago, is told by the New York
papers as follows:
Ii was $3.50 P. NJ. Captain Boyton and his
friends looked up from the tugboat and met
the eyes of the professor, who stood on the
edge of the bridge above and smiled as calm
ly as though 140 feet jumps were trifling mat
ters Then he softly stroked his hair, which
was combed over his forehead toward the
right, braced his legs close together, planted
his left arm down along his side as though re-
spending to an order on parade For a mo-
ment he steadied himself, stretched his right
hand to its utmost limit above his head, took
a deep and prolonged breath and sprang into
the air.
At the moment he jumped a cry broke
from the great crowds on the bridge and
those aboard vessels in the river Captain
Boyton, on the tugboat, was about the only
man IN tne thousands VINO renamed calm.
He surveyed the descent of his reckless friend
with the cool precision of professional man.
For the first hundred feet Odlum still held
to his original attitude and shot straight
away like an arrow; then he was turned
partly on his right side by an ire
sistible force which he struggled
vainly to oppose. He whirled his right arm
through the air seeking n support of some
kind, but he could do nothing. "Oh,n he
said, in low tone, just as he was about
striking the water Then he struck with a
terrific crash, partly on his right side. His
plantive cry was drowned in the large surge
of the waters and the tremendous noise
which arose from the multitudes on the
bridge overhead. When he reappeared
on the surface he still continued to
throw his right hand around as though
imploring aid. A life preserver was flung
from the tugboat, followed by Captain Boyton,
who pitched himself headlong into the river,
clothes and all, and swan vigorously for the
unfortunate professor, who was about fifty
yards away. He took him under his left arm
and made for one of the small boats, in
which he safely secured his charge They
were both soon transferred to the tug, which
hurried back back to her starting point at Old
Slip, where all on board went ashore.
The distance to the water, counting the five
feet or so of bridge railing, is 40 feet, and
from the time Odlum julaped until he struck
the water three and quarter seconds passed,
tnree-quafterS OF second more than Odlum
himself had calculated upon. He only sank
about five feet before he returned to the sur
face. On the tug boat he was rolled
in blankets, and it was then noticed
that the great force of the fall had
burst the tght-fitting trunks in several
places and nearly torn the little red jacket to
shreds. He was conscious for while. but
Captain Boyton noticed the fatal symptoms
of blood and spittle oozing between his lips
1t was 6:l5 when the tugboat Charles Run
yon moored at her landing place, and then it
was found that Odlum was dead
The crowd from the tug boat went ashore
with solemn faces and Captain Boyton's
pleasant smile gave way to gloom. The body
was taken on stretcher to the First Precinct
station, and the names of Captain Boyton
and some others of the party We're taken
down by the sergeant.