News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-07-02
BOB HAMMOND,S LEAF
A Singing Lizard Forced Him to Make It.,
and Down no WENT

When the news of Professor Odlum's
fatal leap from the parapet of the
Brooklyn Bridge reached here, saws a
San Anton o letter in the PHILADELPHIA
TIMES, we were talking over the affair
in the "GoId Room" Sam Graham ex-
Sergeant of Rangers, called attention to
parallel incident which attracted a
great deal of attention on the frontier
at the time and gave the name of ''Ham-
mond's Leap" to lofty canyon wall on
the bank of the Rio Grande, about six
miles west from where the alkaline
waters of the Pecos empty into it.
1t was singing lizard or scorpion
that caused "Hammond's Leap" Ham
mond was NAVY, born in England, and
at the time he made the leap about
twenty-six 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's camp was at
the head of deep canyon, about one
mile south of Vinegaroan. He was en-
gagged in making 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 yards from
the edge of the lofty wall, against whose
base the muddy waters of the ''great
river" dashed and tumbled. At this
particular point the river is quite deep.
One night the sleeping occupants of
Harris's camp were aroused by q
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 Indians Hammond dashed
from the tent, and although held by his
companions, finally tore himself away,
and yelling at every jump, made giant
bounds toward the river. The drillers
and blasters in the cut stopped their
work and ran up on the bank to see
what was the matter. They saw Ham
mond as he dashed toward them and
heard his agonized yells. A cry of
horror burst from their lips as the yell
ing man reached the brink of the preci-
pice and without an instant's hesitation
leaped out and shot down like plum
met to the boiling flood 155 feet below,
they heard the loud splash made by his
body when it struck the water and then,
with blanched faces and hushed voices,
hurried down to the river level to search
for the poor fellows mangled body.
What was their surprise to meet the
supposed dead man alive and uninjured.
He was shivering with cold, however,
and the muddy water dripped from his
clothing.
"What was the matter ?" cried the
group of searchers in chorus.
"One of them internal stinging liz
ards got into my ear and nearly drove
me crazy" answered Hammond, "but
he popped out when [ struck the water.
By the way, boys, what do you think of
that Jump"
SIT ought to have killed you, +" said one
man.
SIT didn't, though" cried Hammond
with laugh. '1'll make it again for a
ten-dollar BILL"
| The next morning Jack Harris had
the distance measured, and the tape
line held close to the cliff edge, marked
l55 feet and few inches when the other
end touched the water. Hammond did
not appear TO suffer from his terrible
fight through the air. He worked for
Harris until the latter's contract was
finished and then went into Mexico to
work on the Mexican Central. He was
in his underclothes that night and his
feet were protected only by thin socks.
He struck the water feet first and de-
scribed the sensation experienced as
similar to that if the feet had been
smartly slapped with broad strap.
| While in the air he felt no difficulty in
breathing, and the increased velocity as
his body neared the water was not ply
sieally perceptible.