Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-08-30
HOW BRODIE JUMPED
THE BRIDGE JUMPER TELLS OF ms
FEELINGS WHEN Ne LEAPEo.

FEELINGS WHEN ne lEAPen
A Dsep Frsa ~ nrseklya nrsass D.
/ srrssea ~ Ssas of the Hsa W. Va
A~e.g tho First Few 70 Hazard DsasA
ror r.ns In such nssaaxkaAas Way.
Steve Brc,iie made the leap from the
| brooklyn bridge on July 81 lSsA and Lar
n Donovan On Dec. - Of the same year,
and both leaped into fortune at bound &c
/ TO speak. Poor Donovan. who was print
| er and goad one, was killed the follow
Ing year in jumping from Hungerford
| bridge. London.
| The accounts Of their sensations while
making the fearful leap, IS told by Brodie
and Donovan, are decidedly interesting
| Brodic's yarn runs something like this;
'Ye see. was only miserable boot.
| black, slavsn away polishin mp hlokies
| shoes and rot ge;tin rich at il by Ions
shcs. When got to be - years old, said
10 myself: Steve, old fel. il ye're goin to
| get up in the world and make hit, "
| must get large move on. Do somepn To
attract attention - somep'n that'n put
| money into your pocket
| II looked about for u long time for n
| chance to gct foothold somewhere
thought Of gon on the variety stage as u
| liz dancer aud learnt lot of new steps l
| used To have my stampin ground down at
the entrance TO the big brAige, and me anu
| the other bootalacks used often to talk
about poor Odlum's jump.
| I'VE argued that odlum hadn't known
| how 10 hold himself while maxim the jump
| said thought if II feller put some
weights ON his shoes to make him strike
the water feet first he could make it all
| right. Then somebody said il he did that
| he'd sink when he struck water hadn't
| thought of that but lay awake purity near
| ali that night ,hiukin over the bridge, and
| made up my mind to try the jump wild
out weights or anything but my regular
clothes IL l was killed. all right; that
would be the end of me, and wouldn't
| have to polish any more. Ii made tn,
| Jump widous KILN myself or hurting my
self badly, then knew could get biz
salary from some museum.
| Il determined to make the jump right
away. The next day spent in plannin
how would do IT, That night went to
bed early SO as TO get good sleep in order
/ To DC SlTput. buS utAt taN uo'S Nii
my wits with me- didn't seem TO feel at all
scared l had nerved myself to expec,
death and came to the conclusion that
might Just as well he dead as to cut no Tx
ure in the world got up early the next
day and dressed myself in a flannel shirt,
trousers held up by leather belt and a
pair of thick soled shoes. Then l walked
down to the bridge. got sort OF u nerv'
Gus chill aud shook like AS II had the ague.
| IL had let four OF my bootback friends
| into my secret, and they was waitin down
on the river front in big rowboat. Invent
dowh and told them was ready to make
| the jump, and they bowed out To the
middle of the big span, where told them
was goin to jump from.
II hung around the New York entrance
| To the bridge until IA truck came along and
asked the chap drivin if he'd take me
across. He told ME to jump on. My heart
was beatn SO could hardly breathe. My
legs seemed 70 give way. but managed to
climb on the truck. sat on the tail end
with my legs hangin over. The driver
did MT turn round tn look at me.
| 81 said TO myself that must brace, up
| thar needed all my courage and strength
| 10 make the Jump, and somehow no long
rr felt scared bit. The water didn't
seem SO all fired far down, and said to my,
self: Steve, tAis is dead easy. You've got
| inch. You'll make the jump all right.
| and then your name won't be mud any
longer
"As soon a, the truck reached the middle
| Of the bridge slipped oil and quick rs =,
| wink climbed up on the outer rail. / felt
| strong rs II bull, and my legs seemed
| strongern | ever felt them before. My
| hand didn't shake "a bit.
Il stood up on the rail and looked down.
| had To wait IA minute for a tug to get
| away from underneath A bridge copper
and lot OF people ON the footpath saw me
and began yelling and ran toward where
| was staiid!p.
~ stood up straight as could and looked
| up and down To see that no boat was comiu
| under where was Then ! put my hauds
| close down by my sides and jumped just as
/ il WAS jumping from height Of six feet
THE sky, water, the big buildings of
New York and brooklyn, the network of
| cables and iron beams of the big bridge all
| seemed in IA whirl. All my life seemed to
whirr through, my brain like lightnin. 1t
seemed as though everything l had ever
done jumped up into my mind in the in
slant it took me to reach the water
"But it didn't seem an instant that !
was fallin. 1t seemed an hour-several
hours
suddenly | felt shock that nearly
broke my backbone. 1t seemed as If had
struck stone wall. My ankles seemed
broke off short. The soles Of my feet tin
gled and burned like fire.
Then didn't have time to think Of any
| thing, for ! seemed shootin down to the
very bottom Of the river. The water was
all black, went so far down. II seemed
like had shot down mile into the water
II had the breath all knocked out of me
and had just sense enough left to swim aw-
| ful hard to reach the air on top Of the wa
| ter, and | tried to swim and began to kick
rs hard as could. swum and swIIm, un-
til ] could not remember anything, but
] Just sort of went off into a sleep, like as II ]
| was in bed, and funny enough didn't care
| any more whether l come up out Of the wa,
| ter or not.
81 didn't know nothin more until found
myself in the bottom of boat, which was
the boat my friends had rowed out after
me in.
II was bleeoin from my nose, and every
bone in my body seemed broke. felt too
weak to move IN open my eyes. Wouldn't
have tried to move if an elephant was fall
ia on me
II was arrested as soon as got on shore,
but didn't care for that nor for anything
else felt As if l was dead. The police
didn't do notbiu to me, and found that !
had suddenly become an object Of grea
curiosity, and the offers from the museum
managers CANE thick and fast.
"But, say, wouldn't jump off the bridk'
again to save my life. No, sir. tell yo
l,..,t, tf,,.N L., L .
do it again It's just somethn awful"
John g. Haggerty, the other young NAL
who made the jump to gain fame and sur
vived, was far more noncommittal In re
gard to his sensations than Steve. He af
fected to make light of the leap and said
anybody with sand" could do it success
fully. He is a hero in Cherry hill now. lie
admits that he does not care to make the
leap again. howeyer.-New York Recorder