The St. Johns herald., 1890-06-05
A REMARKABLE LEAP.
Thompson's Prodig;Ous Feat of Jumping
 Down Mountain GS0 Feet.


 Thompson's Protlig;Ous Feat of Jumping Down iicuntai: ES0 Feet.
 The sport Of ski or snow-shce running, so Tong popular in tine Sierra Nevada Mountains, is beginning to be practiced in soe~smapthe northern of tile Atlantic Statei. Ski running. a Scandinavian sport, is becoming popu- lar in Minnesota The performer sides down hill on long wooden skates, or foot toboggans. and at a pre- pared jolt makes a leap into space. i Ninety-five feet is the longest ski ijump on record in Norway.
 Ninety-fve feet seems an immense leap, but it has been so far surpassed in the Sierras that no Fastener need ever try for the championship. The champion ski runner and leaper ofthe world was John A. Thompson-bett knowp as "Snow-shoe Thompson" - who died in Alpine County, Cal, about thirteen years ago.
 Thompson was born at Upper Tins, Prestiield, Norway, April 30. 1927, and died at his home in the Sierras May 15. 1876. He was the father of the whole race of snow-shoe runners of the mountain counties of Califo mia. He made the first pair of Norwegian snow-shoes ever seen on the Pacific coast.
 Thompson s greatest leap was made on the side of steep mountain just west of the town Of Genoa, Douglas County. Darting down the side of the steep mountain he made leap ol one hundred and eighty feet. This leap is vouched for by W. P. Merrill, postmaster at Woodfords, in the high Sierras, and by several citizens of Genoa. The leap was made from a terrace half way down the side of the mountain, and the leaper landed in a drift of snow over fifty feet in depth, where for a time he was buried out of sight.
 c. P Gregory (now decease6), who was for some years neighbor to Snow shoe Thompson in the mountains, said, in speaking of the feats of the great ski-leaper: ''I did not sec him make his great jump off the side of the mountain back of Genoa, but I have often seen him make leaps of fifty and sixty feet at Silver Mountain, Alpine County"
 The people of Silver Mountain min ing camp are wont to amuse them selves in winter by descending a big mountain near the town and then darting down to valley below on their snOw-shoes. They had starting point only about half way up the side of the mountain Snow-shoe Thomp- son sometimes joined these parties of ski runners. He was not satisfied with run down half a mountain-he wanted it all.
 He would circle around till he had reached the highest peak of the big mountain. He would then utter the wild war cry of the old Northmen, and then with his balance pole poised horizontally before him in both hands, would come flying down the side of the mountain like a iend of the wind. When he came near to the crowd of townspeople standing midway down The mountain, Thompson would stoop almost to the ground, then suddenly springing up. would go sailing through the air high above the men and women watching the descent At times he would make several leaps, each of from fifty to eighty feet in a single descent. His sky leaping was not a little like ''sky flying"
 Snow-shoe Thompson was a very sinewy and powerful man. He stood six feet in his stockings, and weighed one hundred and eighty pounds. He had the blonde hair and beard and the blue eyes of his Scandinavian ancestors, the old sea-roving Northmen.-Vir- ginia City Enterprise