The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-08-23
JUMPING SAM PATCH.


'zho lntsrostlne "Reminiscences Of an Oi1
Patterson Farmer.
Agrizzled old farmer named William
p. Brown was IN Middletown, N. r..
the other day, and fell TO giving rem
'iniscenses OF Paterson as he remem-
bored the place sixty years ago. II
was born on Manhattan Island," ho
said, ''when all the upper part was
nothing but farm lands, and went to
work In cotton-spinning factory In
Paterson as sweeper and errand boy
when / was eleven years old. Pator-
son was small place thcn, and the
factory was small affair, too, but one
lof the owners was Sam Patch, who aft-
erward became famous as high jump
or. saw him make his first big jump
at Passaic falls.
"The story Of the jump is this: Sam
Patch and man named Brannigan
were partners in the factory and they
failed in business. Sam was a Cape
Cod man by birth, and had been q
sailor from boy up till he came to
Paterson. He was daring and reck-
less fellow and could swim like q duck.
II IL said that while he was a sailor he
often exhibited his skill and daring by
jumping from the high masts Of ships
into the sea- After the failure Sam
Patch hung around Paterson with
nothing to do until he got pretty hard
up. Thon, I suppose. the thought oc-
Cured to him that he could make o
raise by jumping of tho rocks at
Passaic falls. So notice was given
,that at u certain day and hour Sam
Patch would jump of the cliff
at the falls into the river below, a dis
tance Of about eighty feet, for q purse
of fifty dollars, made up by somc Of the
sports Of the town. Few people be-
lieved that he would make the jump,
but there was big crowd on hand to
see It oil the same.
''Sam came to the falls stripped to
his undershirt and drawers. He showed
no fear or nervousness, but his faco
was flushed, as I thought, by drink.
He took n couple of small stones in his
hands md went to the brink OF the
cliff and dropped them of one nftcr
the other, and watched where they
struck the water down below. Then
iho walked back few yards and turned
and took little run to tho brink Of
the cliff and jumped of, clearing the
rocks about ten feet He went down
feet first, but with his body inclining
considerably to one side, and in this
shape he struck tho water and disap-
peared A few seconds later his head
!bobbed up ut point down stream, and
he began padding for the shore. Then
the crowd gave him big cheer.
"Sam's jump Mt the Passaic falls
was considered a marvellous fent in
those days, and made him famous the
country over. So he took to jump
ing for money from tho masts Of ships
and from bridges and other high places,
and went about the country giving
exhibitions. Unfortunately for him,
too, he took up another practice that
soon cut his career short. didn't
see him mako his last jump ut the
-GanHssce falls ut Rochester, Novem-
Der -. 1929, but those who did sec the
tragedy toll mo that whom he ap-
preached tho brink to make the leap
Of 1875 feet into tho soothing pool be-
low he was dazed and unsteady from
drink. He made the jump 30 bum
glingly that he struck the water flatwise
instead of feet first, tho concussion
crushing in his breast and sending his
dead body to the bottom like stone. :"
IN Y. Times.