The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1885-07-11

~ hNh WV hNW . VI
Odlum's fatal leap from the para.
pet of the Brooklyn bridge reach.
ed here, says a letter from San
Antonio, Texas, to the Philadel.
phia Times, we were talking over
the affair in tho "Gold Room.n
Sam Graham, ex.sergeant Of Rang |
ers, called attention to q parallel
incident which attracted a great
deal of attention on the frontier
at the time aud gave the name of
"Hammond's Leap" to n lofty can.
yon 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 whirl by the trainmen will
point out the spot where Robert
Hammond made o sheer leap of
l55 feet to the muddy water Of
the Rio Grande below. This leap
was made in the early summer of
1882, when the railroad was in
process of construction.
IIammond worked 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 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 camp were aroused by a Sc.
ries Of startling yells, which came
; from Hammond's tent. Before
3 they could collect their senses
D and settle in their mind whether
!, or not the camp had been attacked
4 by Indians, Hammond dashed
I from the tent, and although helt
T. by his companions, finally tore
t himself away, and yelling at every
n jump, made giant bounds towart
Q the river. The drillers and blast
d ers in the cut stopped work ant
7 run out on the bank to see wha
0 was the matter. They saw Ham
Il mond as he dashed toward then
0 and heard his agonized yeIls. A
cry of horror burst from their lips
4 as the yelling man reached the
r brink of the precipice, and with
j out q seconds hesitation leapet
. out and shot down like a plummei
q to the boiling food, 155 feet be
d low. They heard the loud splash
y made by his body when 1t struck
Q the water, and then, with blanch
0 ed faces and hushed voices hurried
g down to the river level to search
T for the poor fellows mangled
4 body. What was their surprise
+ to meet the supposed dead mar
. alive and uninjured. He was
i shivering with cold. however, and
J. the muddy water cripped from hit
0 clothing.
J. What was the matter Z cried the
i group of searchers in chorus.
o One of them singing lizards got
Q in my ear and nearly drove me
j. crazy, answered Hammond, but
l. he popped out when | struck the
Q water. BY the way, boys, what
d do you think of that jumpf
d 1t ought to have killed you, said
o one man.
;. 1t didn't though, cried Ham
II mond, with a laugh. III make il
!, again for a $40 bill.
Q The next morning Jack Harris
e had the distance measured, anC
the tape line, held close to the
$ cliff edge, marked 155 feet and .
y few inches when the other enc
Il touched the water. Hammond
Q did not appear to suffer FROM his
T terrible fight through the air. He
q was in his underclothes that night
q and his feet we're protected only
J by thin socks. He struck the
II wotar foot frat ond daoor;had Al =