Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-06-17

0
come to the Spanish Princess Eulalie,
her visit to our shores has wildly re.
called to the mind Of old residents here
memories OF another royal visit paid to
this wonderful cataract more than go
years ago. Il was in September 1850,
that Albert Edward. England's prince
OF Wales, came to Niagara Falls for the
iBt and only time In his life. His tour
Of this country had been one continued
ovation. aud where was he more warmly
received than hcrc} Everything that
ingenuity could diyisc and money carry
out was done for his amusement. or
al the diversions provided for him the
one with which tie prince expressed
himself best pleased aud which he said
he Thought even more wonderful than
the falls themselves, was marvellous
exhibition Of skill and daring given cN-
rrcssly for him ON September IS, 1850,
by two famous rope danccrs-an Ameri'
can aud Frenchman both long since
dcad-upon tight rope stretched
across the Niagara river midway be-
tween the suspension bridge and the
falls at a height OF 100 feet above the
irighuul whirlpool rapids.
OF the two men who halardcd their
lives that day for princes amusement,
VI. B.ondin the frenchman, was the
first 10 attempt the feat. This rope or
cable was 900 feet In length, and IN the
middle Of his passage across u he stop
| ped, aud after profound obcisancc 70
the prince, which the latter couftcously
returned. he proceeded 10 perform a
variety of ielts, such as turning somer-
saults. hanging head downward 10y his
| feet and plrtaking Of Refreshments
which he drew up with cord FROM the
little steamer Maid OF The MIST float.
ing beneath him.
But though Blondin came Of a family
| OF French rope dancers. and had been
bred up 10 rope dancing from his earl
| lest years, his icats were fully cqudl-
| led and even cXccIled by those Il an
| American named Hunt, who, under the
| nnciiul appellaton OF "Sig Farini, also
| rave a special exhibition before the
| prince OF Wales that same day, perform
! Ing on a cable stretched across the falls
at a point 80 much wider than Blondin's
/ thar il was 1850 feet in length, all the
same ieats that the Frcnchman had done
and others even greater, ior whereas
Rlondin mad carried across ON his back
man weighing iA5 pounds, Hunt
carried man weighing i55 pounds
| across and back again, thus tfavcrsing
nearly four times the distance walked by
| Blondiu, rs the laucr's cable was only
halt the length OF Hunts. Hunt also
walked forward and backward across
his cable and stood on his head while
envclopcd IN sack, aud performed
many other feats more difficult and
hazardous than any Biondin ever al.
tempted. yet Hunt was only a grocery
| clerk and had never thought OF rope
waking I'LL few weeks previous, when
Blondin's fame had fred him with a
desire to emulate II.
These performances in the presence
OF the nations royal guest created In.
tense excitement and enthusiasm
| throughout this country aud England.
! The special correspondent OF the Lon
don 7imss stated in his account that the
| prince had said that he regarded these
ieats as almost the eighth wonder OF the
| world, and an editorial In tie same
paper said OF Blondin and Hunt "They
beat the world IN point OF reckless dar.
ing"
Today, while recalling, in company
with the oldest iuhabitant, these and
other memories OF that long gone visit
OF the prince Of Wales, we fell TO talk
| ing about other marvellous igats tina,
had been performed and attempted in
connection with the worlds great cata.
! flct. From time immemonal these
falls seem TO have possessed some
strange, mysterious fascination that has
lurcd men to seek glory Or death In
their scething waters.
After BlOndn and Hunt had made a
worldwide reputation by their perior.
mances before the prince Of Wales,
there came host Of imltators, and rope
walking across Niagara Falls has been
made SO common as TO be OF little note,
| Harry Leslie, Z. 5. Peer, and many
others including one lady-Maria Spel-
terini, an Italian by birth-haye success
fully performed here nearly all the ieats
OF Hunt and Blondin.
SWIMMING FEArs.
The first recorded attempt to cross
the Niagara by swimming through the
rapids was made by John Purden, native
Of Queenstown, Canada, who on Aug
ust ~. 1860. endeayored TO swim over
| and was drowned. {. ID. Graham, now
keeping saloon here, has passed
through the rapids from the suspension
bridge to Lewiston In a barrel three
times, the dates Of his ventures being
| July II, 1880, August 10th Of tile same
year, and June IS, 1857. On the second
OF these occasions he made the passage
with his head projecting from the barrel,
rubber collar which extended from lis
top, being tightly laced about his neck
10 keep out the water. Though nearly
dead when picked up and brought to
shore, the proper administration OF res
toratives soon revived him.
The barrel used was peculiar kind,
invented and built by Graham himself.
| Ii was between six and seven feet In
length and smaller at one end than the
other. Inside Of this cask was slung a
hammock in which the bold navigator
reclned while making the voyage, and
thus avoided brusing,
On August $, 1880, two young men
named Potts and Haslett passed
through the rapids together In a barrel
similar to Graham's. Haslelt and a
young woman named Sadie Allen
repeated this feat on November -, 1857.
Though not killed both were much the
worse for wear when they landed. Miss
Allen who Is now living on Carroll street
in Buffalo has never fully recovered from
the effects OF the trip, and probably
never will. She says that not all the
money In the world could tempt her