Wichita eagle., 1888-09-15
A CHAT WITH BLONDN.
HE CARES NOW LORE FOR MONEY
THAN FOR GLORY.

Physique Of the famous Tight Rope
The Most DiHicalt Tea;-A Trip on uis
Back-His Method.
''If zey would pay mo I would cross Nj
agara again, but for 20 gloire, jeu al ASSET"
! OF course only one man in the world could
have made that remark, ard although it i
/ distinction To have done what no other man
Of woman born IN all tee ages has ever done,
/ Jean Francois Blondin seems 10 have in
measure survived himself When in his IN
| trepid prime be walked the narrow path Of
hemp above the mad swirling waters 50 dizzily
/ far beneath him, both the American ana
| Canadian shores were black with beholdsrs
who watched him with bated breath Now
when he returns TO America after decades
and exhibits the even more startling nerve of
| tripping blithely on the tight rope with G5
years on his back, sparse gathering Of
Coley Island visitors look with lansuid in
terest at the doughty funambulist before tho
Sea Beach pavilion
There is much of the same dissonance be-
tween the Blondin of today up nioft on his
serial pathway and the Blondin who treads
the earth. There, clad in tights, and soft
there is something of the quasi heroic about
his physique, despite his protaherant abdo-
men Straight as a crow Indian, motionlcss
a. the statue Of Me,nnon. he stands until the
brayins band ON toe portico of the paw zion
breaks into a tumultuous strain Them grasp
/ ing his long balancing pole he steps forth
hardly and with elastic abandon the
rope The cords stand out ON his legs and
h,tr hoe xtr,r. LII
and his straight ahead gao is US firm and
confident Us the unblanehing look Of Fate
His wonderful preservation, tie agility
which invests his SIX and bali decades with
the robust vigor OF youth. tell Of his mod
crate. carefully regulated life. In the morn
/ ing he takes breakfast of eggs and wine.
something equally light, and then touches
nothing till after no has walked in tho even
/ ing, when he takes hearty dinner and lin
+ gers at the board With frieoos over some cor
dial-quiet, res4fnl, content.
do you feel any weakening OF your pow
ersr was asked
''None There is nothing that have ever
done which l cannot do equally well today"
answered Blondin in French al am siishtIy
heavier, but feel AZ active as l ever felt"
Have you never felt any trepldation on
the roper
''No. OF course there is a certain tension
Of nerves, but / am as cool as / could wish.
have never had any accident or been hurt.
Once or twice | lost my chair | did this at
Niagara OCCASIONALLY some Of the gear or
guy ropes have given wsy, bu. have never
been in ured The ropc Is always subjected
to good test first Tais one Is capable o,
standing a pressure of forty tons. 80 | ash
L. g. o
intends all of thcs> details now, and ! can
feel the most perfect conGdcnce IA the safety
Of everything
We'll there mus. b. some fsat more din
cult than others, Is thsre nOtf
Balancing With the chair IN the most dir
cult % far as equilibrium goes Lat ths
bicycle work Is the r1ost dangerous, as recoy-
cry in case of Il slip would be 50 difficult, II
not impossible"
"How do you tell when the chair is Just
balanced la the rnidSlef'
81 am no. 50 particular abort that 80 long
as my center Of gravity Is night tell that
By my shoulders and my baknc.ng pola.
There is a se1ss Of heins balanced which a.
snres me II Il a. /, sfDuld t>>'
"In carrying a I1:sca ever on your back,
ere you indifsrsn. as 70 VINO Sc IL, or do ysa
"a
qualified 10 b. carried, ooa't supposs yOa
find many who covct tre trip"
"Oh, ye. Tb1e arp plenty who AZ. viii
ing 70 take IL I womb ~poa CAVITY crse a.
another II be bas nerve But vhx1 feel
anybody trc-ntias Or showing airy txaoe II
vertigo, s1vis theIa not 10 ga Alrhough
their segs are run ttrvash straps taey ooaid
slip cat II them Il ti.sy ~erotogSt fax. and
and a perxna rikjeet q. al to vertigo vii
shos It when BE Fsts up tAsr. gzr~Tsliy
carry over my SGT, though bss vie In Dr.
c.dstiy oyyoed 20 h4s tAA1ng ts-s trip. Bss
!. ia perfectly safe. an &C: a. dangerous
o hoo.A1 car ~ . nSs.ns u Transit"
when yoa cronsed EnSarA did you fs,d
the rt.sh Of The water ksi0~ yoo q nerve try
tnz thngF
s'No. Fer fortnight be.1re I esr.sst
used 70 70 aai look down sod - o. ~a.srz
rweep ovsr; bz, found tas. sa.x s~d 70
unusaEszn. s5sc: GA sss. X Aas hsr, . M.
annoTing beYs .. ConeJ Islx-A whez s,srss,
friends have taken TIE 60 tnso sss tower zsa
r.sn ssksd RIO II fefs The i<4SAt / void
o. H. walk q ru2e - oos hssess - aaosAsr.
TIE diss17lsy u u rrs.cHzx . rops securely
o; rleA gree. hsgx"
Have yoa ssa cAxzSei yosr rssssod e:
air
go Ny Dsehod is tn crccrne Ct ere
r1r.os -assss shAn theory. 4 bsxaa walking
~hea . ehisd Teer~ = eoeA . snsrx - =
rszizs for rvp- valkiaS - rSsvs Is Tor s--ry-
wong sl<A ta1ak Aav. IT, ss4d Lsasx.sn
nsocsssiJ. 'Eo~ ny SEA. tAoaSh ~ e-a xss
over ROPE, 10 10. . rvpe vAlxsr. he . .
god acro5,t asslesn, be. b hAs 10 do
c:3ed talsse for tee prrx-s<sca. cd soaho
rx.aez 90 ev~ cSns rope Ca NJ bsr& taAa
"a ala fs<sr-E@H yoxk TYfbs-.s lE.srvxw