The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-07-10
JUMPING SAM PATCH.
"reminiscences of an Old Paterson Farmer
Sanl's Last ,yuinn,

MIDDLEToWN, n. Y, July "a grizZled
old farmer named William p. Brown was in
town the other day, and fell to giving reminis
oences of Paterson as he remembered the
place sixty years ago. 81 was born on Man
haitian island,' he said, when all the upper
part was nothing but farm lands, and I went to
work in cotton spinning factory in Paterson
as sweeper and errand boy when was II wears
old. Paterson was a small place then, and
the factory was small affair. too, but one of
the owners was Sam Patch, who afterWard be-
came famous as a high jumper. 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 Cape Cod man by birth, and had been
sailor from boy up till he came to Paterson
He was daring and reckless fellow and could
swim like duck. 1t was said that while he
was sailor he often exhibited his skill and
daring by jumping from the high mast of
ships into the sea. After the failure Sam
Patch hung around Paterson with nothing to
do until he got pretty hard up. Then, | sup
pose, the thought occurred to him that he
could make raise by jumping off the rocks at
Passaic falls So notice was given that at
certain day and hour Sam Patch would jump
off the cliff at the falls into the river below, q
distance OF about SO feet, for q purse OF $50
made up by some of the sports of the town.
Few people believed that he would make the
jump, but there was big crowd on hand to see
it all the same.
"Sam came TO the falls stripped to his under
shirt and drawers. He showed no fear or nerv-
BUSINESS. but his face was flushed, as thought,
by drink. He took a couple of small stones in
his hands and went to the brink of the cliff
and dropped them off one after the other, and
watched where they struck the water down
below. Then he walked back a few yards and
turned and took a little run to the brink of the
cliff and jumped off, clearing the rocks about
ten feet lie went down feet first but with
his body inclining considerably to one side,
and in this shape he struck the water and dis
appeared. A few seconds later his head
bobbed up at point down stream, and he be-
gan padding for the shore. Then the crowd
gave him a big cheer.
''Sams jump at the Passaic falls was con-
sidered a marvellous feat in those days, and
made him famous the country over. SO he
took to jumping for money from the masts of
ships and from bridges and other high places,
and went about the country giving exhibitions.
Unfortunately for him, too, he took up an
other practice that soon cut his career short. /
didn't see him make his last jump at the Gen
esee falls, at Rochester,, November IS, 1929,
but those who did see the tragedy tell me that
when he approached the brink to make the
leap of 125 feet into the seething pool below he
was dazed and unsteady from drink. He
made the jump so bunglingIy that he struck
the water fiatwse instead of feet first, the con-
cussing crushing in his breast and sending the
dead body to the bottom like stone"