St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-14
.BLOADIN'S GREAT FEATs.
The Famous Rope Walker Discourses
About Them Himself.
SENSATIONS IN PERFORMING.

How the Ability Il Keeping Perfect
Balance Is Acquired Difficult
Spscialties.
LippincOtt's Magazine.
am often asked as to my sensations
when walking the rope, but if by that is
meant whether feel fear or nervous
ness | must answer decidedly in the
negative. When walking look some
eighteen or twenty feet ahead of me,
and whistle softly OR hum snatch of
song as the humor may seize me. also
invariably keep time in my step to the
music the band is playing, and l find
that helps me wonderfully in preserving
my balance. With my own weight and
that of the balancing pole there must be
about 230 pounds bearing OH the rope,
which naturally gives considerably, this
sagging being one of the chief difficult
les we have to encounter i'll keeping our
balance. l prefer to perform in the open
air, for in a hall or a theater even of the
largest dimensions the vitiated air found
at the elevation at which my rope is al
ways stretched is most unpleasant to
breathe.
Nowadays never practice, and even
my most difficult tricks, such as turning
somersault over chair placed in the
middle OF the rope and landing with my
feet on the other side of it. are usually
performed without reconciliation, just
as the within seiZeS me. This enables
me without effort to vary my pro-
grammeS at every performance, and
prevents them from becoming mOnOtO-
nous to me. | could remain year or
even longer without ever setting foot on
a rope, and then go OH and tread it as
safely as though | had been in constant
practice. AS an illustration Of the
slight amount of practice require for a
new trick l may mention my bicycle
act. Some years ago, when bicycles
were somewhat of a novelty, it struck
HE that could utilize one in my
performance, and | accordingly had
one constructed according to my di--
rections, with a groove in the wheels
to- fit the rope, but otherwise of
ordinary, fashion. ordered it to be
sent to me some time before the per-
Torrance, so that could try it, but it
came just as was making ready to APP
pear. l was as pleased as child with
anew toy, and, mounting it a once, Ire
hearsed successfully in view of a large
been practicing for months.
/ never take any Stimuant before
walking the rope, and take no special
pains to keep myself III good condition.
my attendant rubs me down carefully
when my Journey is ended, and l then
take some light refreshment. ;. Other
wise only live plainly and regularly,
only avoiding eating a heavy meal
shortly before a performance. Finally,
may say thatI prefer exhibiting with
out net stretched below me. l think
it would make me SO nervous as almost
t0-1ead to the accident against which it
is intended as safeguard.
If myself do not feel nervous, L am
afraid the many persons have carried
on my back across the rope have felt
trifle perturbed, save when they have
been professional assistants. In reality
there is nothing in the world for them
to be afraid of. AL they have to do is
to sit perfectly still, refrain from clutch
ing me too tightly around the neck, and
rying any one over for the first time |
chat to him continuously OH any indif-
ferent subjects | can think about, and
try in this manner to relieve his anxiety,
and always caution him against look
ing downward when in mid air. Some
how, though, he never seems quite
happy. and | always detect gasp of re-
lief when the end of the rome and the
platform are reached. More than once
the victim has deyOutly exclaimed,
''Seversag -
My weil-known trip over Niagara
Falls was doubtless productive of merry
business to those gentlemen whom ] car
ried over on my back, and for myself it
was one of the experiences of my life.
was elevated some $50 feet above the
torrent and had to walk a distance of
1000 feet During the winter of 1858 I
took a journey to Niagara Falls with,
the idea of seeing whether the passage
were practicable or not. | found that
it was, and made up my mind to the
trip, but was obliged to defer it, owing
to the masses of ice and snow OH either
bank. Accordingly it was not until.
June 80, 1859, after several weeks of
preparation, thatI made my first "trip
across Niagara Falls on a hempen rope.
The rope itself was unlike that which
| use at the present time. 1t was
formed entirely of hemp, and was about
three inches in thickness, and its adj
justment in place was in. its way quite
an engineering feat. The rope cost
several thousand dollars. and re-
manned in position for nearly twoyears.
When the first exhibition was given
there was not a little excitement. Spe-
cial trains were run by the railroads, in
Guiding the New York Central and the
Great Western and Grand Trunk of
Canada: while an enormous stand some
half mile in length, erected on either
side Of the falls, was filled with people.
l continued giving exhibitions until
1860, when [ crossed over Oh stills be-
fore the Prince of Wales, who was mak-
ing his aforementioned tour through
America and Canada. l have been pho
tographed while standing still in the
center of the rope, and photography in
those days was no lightning process. |
have walked across enveloped in sack
made of blankets, have wheeled bar
row across, turned SOmerSaultS, cooked
a dinner, and, as l have said, carried
man over on my back.
1t is doubtful whether l shall ever re-
peat this performance: for it would be
difficult since the purchase by the nation
of Niagara park to arrange for the con-
gregation of spectators. When | crossed
thirty years ago the railroad companies
managed the whole affair, and the rea-
son for the enormously long spectators
stand and fence they erected was the
desire to shut out what are i'll this
country, | believe, euphoniOuSly re-
ferred to as ''dead heads" cannot
attempt to describe the feelings excited
in me by the sight OF the hundreds of