New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-07-29
HAn[OND'S CHEAT LEAP.

8, HANMOND's CHEAT LEAP.
One HUNDRED and FIfty-nve Feet Down from :
SIS CHI into the Rio Grande.
When the news of Prof. Odlum's
fatal leap from the parapet of the
Brooklyn bridge reached here, writes
San Antonio, Tex, correspondent to
The Philadelphia Times, we were talk
ing over the affair in the .Gold room. y
Sam Graham, ex-sergeant of rangers,
called attention to parallel incident
which attracted great deal of atten-
ton on the frontier at the time, and
gave the name Of Hammond Leap
to a 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. The track of the
Southern Pacific railroad runs close to
the river here, and as you whirI by the
trainmen point out the spot where
Robert Hammond made sheer leap
of l55 feet to the muddy waters of the
Rio Grande below The leap was
made in the early summer of 1882,
when the railroad was in process of
construction. The painted red men,
from safe hiding place on the Mexi-
can side, watched the pussy scene with
wide-opened eyes, heard the ..big thun-
der'' of the blasts with loud-beating
hearts, and stole back to the Santa
Rosas. The only animate beings that
did not seem to mind the noise and
tumult were those pestiferous little
varnlints, the vinegaroan, the devil
horse, the :arrantula, the centipede,
the singing lizard, and the rattle.
snake. They remained and disputed
the ground inch by inch with the in
vaders. They caused a great deal of
trouble and the nayvies feared and re-
spected them. 1t was singing liz
ard or scorpion that caused Ham
mond'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
why and muscular, and Jack Harris,
the contractor for whom he worked,
considered him his best churr-driller.
Harris camp was at the head Of a
deep canyon, about one mile south of
Vinegaroan. He was engaged in MAX
ing a fill and two wide cuts, and
worked gangs day and night.
Hammond work in the day gang,
and the big wall tent he shared with
six or eight others was about three
hundred yards from the edge of the
lofty wall, against whose base the
''great river dashed and tumbled.
At this particular point the river is
quite deep. One night the sleeping
occupants CT Harris camp were arous-
ed by 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 In
dians, Hammond dashed from the
tent, and, although held by his COM
panions, tore himself away, and, yell
ing 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 Hammond
as he dashed toward them and heard
his agonizcd yells. A cry of horror
burst from their lips as the yelling
man reached the brink of the preci-
pice and without seconds hesitation
leapcd out and shot down like plum
met to the boiling flood 1856 feet below.
They heard the loud splash made by
his body when he struck the water,
and then. with blanched faces and
hushed voices, hurried down to the
river level to search for the poor fell
lows mangled body. What was their
IN :, oof tho <y,,l
man alive, uninjured. He was SILVER
ing with cold, however, and the muddy
water dripped from his clothing.
"What was the matter?' cried the
group of searchers in chorus.
zone of them Internal singing liz
ards got in my ear and nearly drove
me crazy" answered Hammond, but
he popped out when [ struck the wa
ter. BY the way, boys, what do you
think OF that jump?'
cit ought to have killed you,'' said
one man.
1T didn't though" cried Hammond,
with a laugh. I'll make it again for
$40 BILL
The next morning Jack Harris had
the distance measured, and the tape
line, held close to the cliff edge, mark
ed 155 feet and few inches when the
other end touched the water. Ham
mond did not appear to suffer from
his terrible flight 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 described the SEN
sation experienced as similar to
that if the feet had been smartly slap
ped 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 perceptible.
England's Great Guns.