Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-22

/ feat. nut the desire for fame neryed him
/ on 10 try 10 surpass anything ever before
attempted. Odlum knew Capt. Webb
very well, and bad had frequent talks
with him about the dangers cf trying 10
swim the whirlpool at Niagara Fails.
SAM PATCH AND HIS SUCCESSORS.
The event of Tuesday recalls the ex-
plots of some other daring men who
sought TO attain celebrity by jumping or
/ diving from high places. TIE most widely
known feat of this description il prOba-
bly, that Of sam Patch. The lannon's and
fatal leap Of that reckless man occurred
in Rochester on Friday, Nov 49, 1920, at
p. m. Patch had previously attracted
much public attention in Western
New York by jumping into the
Genessee river from n height Of 100
feet. His desire to create a still greater
sensation and also to obtain such pecunl-
ary contributions as large and enthu-
siastic crowd would he likely 10 make
induced him 10 announce in the Rochester
papers that he would jump over the Gene
see Falls in the abyss below, distance
of % feet. He caused a scailold % 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"
can be done as well as others"
The anti NGSOpic inquirer, of Roches
ter. gave a brief notice Of Sam Patch's
fatal plunge, in which it said: "The
OminOus expression contained in the reck-
less Patch's advertisement has been fear
fully vindlcated. II was, indeed, his last
lump. He Jumped from a staging twenty
five feet above the brink Of the fails into
the abyss below, from whence his body
has not yet been recovered. A variety Of
reasons are given for the fatal termina-
ton of this presumptuOus feat. All, how
ever, concur in saying that Patch, from
some cause or other, did not retain the
position while descending or strike the
water as he did on the former occasion.
1t was a daring and useless exposure Of
human life, which, having resulted dis
astrOusly, creates train ofpainful retlec-
tons"
During the Centennial year a young
French rope walker entertained the thOus-
ands of persons who visited Niagara Falls
by leaping into the river two or three
times a week from rope stretched from
bank to bank 1876 feet above the surface of
the water. piece OF stout and very elias
tic rubber was fastened to the centre Of
his heavy rope. and after walking out on
the rope from the rivers bank the young
FrenChman would take firm hold of the
free end of the rubber band and spring
downward. He retained his hold OF the
band until it had stretched perhaps % feet
and then letting 90 be would shoot, feet
foremost, like an arrow into the river. |
This feat was repeated more than dozen |
times and the performer was in nOwise |
injured.
The attempts Of "Prof." Robert Donald !
son, young ScOtchman, to jump from the |
East river bridge in 1882 attracted much |
attention. Mr.. Donaldson first appeared |
on the unfinished bridge on May II of that |
year, attired in tights, and prepared to |
leap into the river below. He gave up |
the idea on that day in consequence of a |
strong gale which was blowing up the |
river. He publicly announced that he |
would try a second time to make the |
leap, but the custodiaus of the bridge |
kept careful watch of the New York |
and Brooklyn approaches and allowed no |
one to 90 upon the structure. Donaldson |
attempted to ascend the spiral staircase |
at the side Of the great stone pier on the |
Brooklyn side, in the gulse of work |
man, on Wednesday, May 81, 1882, but be |
was recognized and stopped. A third at |
tempt to get on the bridge was made by |
Donaldson on July 10, but had to be |
abandoned because a portion of the plank |
ing Of the foOtpath had been temporarily
removed.
John ID. Brumley, a painter. OF No. 402 |
East tOrtY-elghth street, New I ok, While |
intoxicated on Sunday morning, June f.
1882, made a wager "fOr the drinks with
some Of his companions that he would |
jump off High Bridge. He walked to the
central arch of the bridge, and after d.
vesting himself of his coat and shoes, he |
sprang from the structure. In his de-
scent he turned two somersaults and !
struck the water feet foremost. He was
taken out of the river unconscious, but |
.zrrl Il
from the top of the bridge to the water
where Brumley jumped is 145 fees.
A young Englishman named T. p. Don
aldsOn dived from the roof of a she'd on
the pier of the National Steamship Line,
at the foot OF West Houston street, on
Sept. 1, 1888. The distance from the top
of the shed to the river was 50 feet. The
feat was witnessed by a large number of
persons. The diver was not injured.