St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-14
BL0NDlN'S GREAT fEATS,
The Famous Rope-wafker Discourses
About Them. Himself.
SENSATIONS IN PERFORMING.
How the Ability Of Keeping q Perfect
Balance Is Acquired Difficult
Specialties.

when walking the rope, but II 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 a
song as the humor may seize me. l 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 he
about $50 pounds bearing on the rope,
which naturally gives considerably. this
Sagging being one of the chief difficult
les we have to encounter in keeping our
balance. prefer TO perform in the open
air, for In a hall or 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
middle of the rope and landing with my
feet on the other side of it, are usually
performed without premeditatiOn, rust
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. l could remain year or
even longer without ever setting foot Oh
a rope, and then go on and tread it as
safely as though had been in constant
practice. As an illustration of the
slight amount of practice require for
new trick | may mention my bicycle
act. Some years ago, when bicycles
were somewhat of novelty, it struck
me that L could utilize one in my
performance, and | accordingly had
one constructed according to my di-
rectionS, with 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 ap-
pear. ! was as pleased as a child with
anew toy, and, mounting il once, Ere
hearsed successfully in view of a large
audience, who probably thought | had
been practicing for months.
| never take any stimulant before
walking the rope, and take no special
pains to keep myself III good condition.
my attendantrubs me down carefully
when my journey is ended, and l then
take some light refreshment. Other
wise i only live plainly and regularly,
only avoiding. eating heavy meal
shortly before performance. Finally,
L may say that prefer exhibiting with
out net stretched below me. think
it would make me so nervous as almost
to lead to the accident against which it
is intended as safeguard.
= al IL f.,.,l. r
afraid The many persons 1, have carried
on my back across the rope have felt
trifle perturbed, save when they have
there is nothing in the world for them
to be afraid of. All they have to do is
to sit perfectly still, refrain from clutch
ing me too tightly. around the neck, and
leave the rest to me. When | am car
rying any one over for the first time L
chat to him continuously on any indif-
ferent subjects l 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 rope and the
platform are reached. More than once
the victim has devOutly exclaimed,
Never .again.''
My well-known trip over Niagara
Falls was doubtless productive of nerv-
business to those gentlemen whom car
ried over Oh 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 distance of
1,2OU feet. During the winter of 1858 /
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 on either
bank. Accordingly it was not until
June 80, 1859, after several weeks of
preparation, that | made my first trip
across Niagara Falls Oh 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,.
| continued giving exhibitions until
1860, when | crossed over on stills be-
fore the Prince of Wales, who was max
ing his welf-remembered tour through
America and Canada. | 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 a sack
made of blankets, have wheeled bar
row across, turned SOmersaultS, cooked
dinner, and. as | have said, carried a
man over on my back.
1t is doubtful whether l shall ever re-
peat this performance; for it would be
difficult since thepurchase 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 in this
country, | believe. euphoniously re-
ferred to as ''dead heads" cannot
attempt to describe the feelings excited
III me 10y the Slgnt OF The nunQr6uS OF
thousands of people who thronged the
Enclosure, but as to the trip itself was
perfectly unconcerned: knew I,should
be as safe as though | were walking
down Broadway. However, though l
cannot truthfully say that l feel any
symptoms of old age creeping over me.
it is probable that l shall not much
longer remain before the public; but
y, |lo fnof INV,
taken down for the last time and lay
aside my balancing-pole, never to re-
sumo it, L shall doubtless feel in no fit
mood for congratulations
A Great Assumption.
Irish World (aep9.
2. The great mass of Americans. and es-
pecially our workingmen, will rejoice
g., G,,l -saf<>