Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-08-20
ANOTHER MANIAC
Oontempfates Jumping from Brooklyn
nridsc-Charles +. Bishop of Gardner,
MAINE, Believes He Can Excel Brod,e.

BosToH, Aug. 10.
young man about 25 years of age. of
ia'her shght build and modest demeanor, with
cieanly shaven face well Drowned by long
exposure to the sun, and features indicative
oi inteliigence above the average, walked
briskly into the Office of the Globe. Wednes-
oay morning, and said that he would like to
nnd some one firm enough in their belief that
young brodie's feat of jumping from the
Brooklyn bridge into the East River could
not be excelled, to accept the wager offered
in the following telegram =
~ RICHMOND, Me-, Aug. II, 1886.
Charies +. Bishop, Portland Me-, care
Preble House.
Tell Boston Globe editor will wager $1,000
you Will drop nifty feet higher than Brodie
mas vet, and live. DR.. j. H. HAMILTON.
''Dr. Hamilton is practising physician of
Gardiner, Me-. and is fully able to stand bv
what he says" remarked the young man
when the telegram had been read when
read of how Brodie dropped into the East
river. and what great excitement it created,
determined that ] would try and see if |
coulo DO something better. talked with my
Irlenos, and they all agreed that | was full v
aole 10 drop greater distance than he did,
so have come on to make the attempt
am all ready now, and will leave tonight for
New York, aud unless I am arrested and
locked up, you will hear from me in a few
days"
Am not afraid to drop such a fearful
distance! Why, certainly not, what is there
to be afraid of? | do not consider Brodie's
drop as anything remarkable never drop.
/ Ad frnF Rra. III, L~.l 1 !
times jumped off the Richmond Coal Scissors
IN the kennebec river, los feet below, and
never felt the slightest bad effects from it,
Brodie went down a distance of l2O feet, but
he dropped, while l jumped, which, of course,
makes great deal of difference; indeed, |
think 1t would be much harder to Jump lO8
feet than to drop l20 feet, because in jumping
1t is much more difficult to straghten out
your body so that it will come down perfectly
straight. Of course if you don't come down
straight the chances are that you will get
pretty badly hurt.
81 never have any trouble in coming down
straight, however, for | have little arrange
ment which attends to that. | attach a
couple of iron clamps to my feet, each weigh
ing six and half pounds, and they are so ar
ranged that when strike the water they
automatically release themselves from nv
lScl, leaving Tree W bWlLn u0lUCumDeTeQ.
Weights like these are amply sufficient to
keep your legs down straight while going
through the air. You have to take care of
your arms, however, and you have got to be
very careful too, that you keep them down
close to your sides if you once let them up
you can never get them down again as long
as you are in the air. l have jumped into
the water from great heights 80 often that
have not the slightest fear"
"What arrangements will you make to out
wit the viglence of the bridge police?"
ooh, have some friends who will arrange
that for me all right. But suppose | am
caught, what does it amount to? 1t can be
nothing more than a small fine or short i'm
prlsonment. They cannot by any possible
means prove that have any suicidal inten-
tions for | assure you have none, and was
never more desirous of living than l am at
the present time"
"Whv do you attempt such feat?"
"Oh, because | want to; that is to say,
enjoy doing things of this kind, and if l can
make little money out of it, why, | will not
object. 1t seems to me pretty easy wav
of making so much money as Brodie has out
of his drop
You say that you intend to come dow n
from height fifty feet above from where he
did?"
eyes, that is what want to do, If can
find nybody who will wager some money
that can't do it. Unless | stand a chance
of making something out of it, it would not
pay me to go to the expense of making the
necessary arrangements for dropping from
that height. But if don't find anybody who
wants to risk money on me will drop from
the bridge where Brodie did, anyway NV
idea is to make arrangements with Professor
Allan to let ME drop from his balloon, fifty
feet above the bridge. 1t will be very nice
to drop from the basket of balloon and
don't think that the authorities will find any
way of stopping me.
have a padded suit which shall wear,
and which will, think, prevent me from
being injured. 1t is wool, covered with rub
ber cloth, and fits my body like a suit of
tights.
When Brodie made his jump don't be-
lieve he struck bottom, as stated. When
jump from the Richmond Scissors it is
thirtv-four feet deep, and have never yet
struck bottom. | would quickly have known
it had done so. | think if | wanted to
could safely drop down from an even greater
distance than 10 feet. | mean to say that
could safely drop just as far as | could go
and not die of suifocation before reaching the
water"
In reply to question of whether or not he
had II family, Bishop said that he had a
wife III Gardiner, but that she knew nothing
of his proposed long drop. His father resides
in Boston, and is in the -four business.