The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-08-05
BRoDIE JUMPED.
rHe BRIDGE JUMPER TELLS OF HIS
FEELINGS WHEN he LEAPED.


Brooklyn bridge on July %, 1885, and Lar
ry Donovan ON Dec. 90 Of the same year,
and both ieaped into fortune at bound so
u speak. Poor Donovan, who was print
er and a good one, was killed the follow
Ing year in jumping from Hungerford
bridge, London.
The accounts Of their sensations while
making the fearful leap, as told by Brodie
and Donovan, are decidedly interesting.
Brodie's yarn runs something like this:
"Ye see, was only a miserable boot
black, slavin away polishin up blokies'
shoes and not gettin rich at II by q long
shot When got to be 20 years old, said
TO myself: Steve, old fel. II ye're goin to
get up in the world and make a hit, ye
must get large move on. Do somep'n to
attract attention - somep'n that'l put
money into your pocket
II looked about for q long time for n
chance to get foothold somewhere. i
Thought of goin on the variety stage as a
jig dancer and learnt q lot of new steps. I
used to have my stampin ground down at
The entrance to the big bridge, and me and
The other bootblacks used often to talk
about poor odlum's jump.
I'VE argued that Odlum hadn't known
how to hold himself while maxim the Jump.
/ said / thought is q Teller put some
weights on his shoes to make him strike
the water feet first he could make II all
tight. Then somebody said II he did that
he'd sink when he struck water. hadn't
thought OF that, but lay awake purity near
Rll that night thinkin over the bridge, and
made up my mind to try the jump wild
IN L..
clothes. II I was killed, all right; that
would be the end of me, and wouldn't
have to polish any more II made the
jump widout KILN myself or hurting my
self badly, then knew could get big
salary from some museum.
II determined to make the jump right
away. The next day l spent in plannin
how would do 1t. That night went to
bed early so as to get good sleep in order
ito be strong for the next day and have all
my wits with me. l didn't seem to feel at all
scared. had perved myself to expect
death and came to the conclusion that
might Just as well be dead as to cut no fig
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 / walked
down to the bridge. got sort of nerv-
GUS chill and shook like as IL 1 had the ague.
II had let four of my bootblack friends
into my secret, and they was waitin down
on the river front in big rowboat. Invent
down and told them was ready to make
the jump, and they rowed 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 a truck came along and
asked the chap drivin il he'd take me
across. He told me to jump on. My heart
was beatin so could hardly breathe. My
legs seemed to give way, but / managed to
climb on the truck. / sat on the tail end
with my legs haDgin over. The driver
did mt turn round to look at me-
II sud to myself that must brace up
that1 needed all my courage and strength
ito make the jump, and somehow no long
er felt scared bit. The water didn't
seem SO all fired far down, and said to my
self: Steve, this is dead easy. You've got q
cinch. You'll make the jump all right,
land then your name won't be mud any
longer
"As soon as the truck reached the middle
of the bridge l slipped off and quick as a
wink climbed up on the outer rail. felt
strong as bull, and my legs seemed
stronger'n l ever felt them before. My
hand didn't shake a bit.
7 Il stood up on the rail and looked down.
IL had to wait a minute for tug to get
,Iaway from underneath. A bridge copper
and lot of people on the footpath saw me
land began yelling and ran toward where |
was standin.
/ II stood up straight as could and looked
up and down to see that no boat was comm
under where ] was Then put my hand.
close down by my sides and jumped, just as
lif was jumping from height of six feet
i 1.-THE sky, water, the big buildings OF
New York and Brooklyn, the network oil
cables and iron beams of the big bridge all
seemed in whirl. All my life seemed tc
lwhirr through my brain like lightnin. II
seemed as though everything had ever
done jumped up into my mind in the in
Istant it took me to reach the water
But it didn't seem an instant that ]
was fallin. 1t seemed an hour-several
hours.
I suddenly I felt shock that nearly
broke my backbone. 1t seemed rs il had
struck stone wall My ankles seemed
broke off short. The soles of my feet tin.
igled and burned like fire.
i "Then didn't have time to think of any
thing, for ! seemed shootin down to the
very bottom of the river. The water wa.
4 Jail black, went so far down. 1t seemed
like had shot down a mile into the water
II had the breath all knocked out of me
and had just sense enough left to swim aw
full hard TO reach the air on top of the wa
tier, and tried to swim and began to kick
Jas hard as could. | swum and swum, I'M
It'll l could not remember anything, but
] Just sort of went off into a sleep, like as If
Twas in bed, and funny enough didn't care
ANY more whether come up out of the wa
tier or not.
81 didn't know nothin more until l found
myself in the bottom OF a boat, which was
the boat my friends had rowed out after
me in.
II was bleeiin from my nose, and every
Ibonc in my body seemed broke. l felt toe
weak to move n open my eyes. Iwouldn'i
have tried to move If an elephant was fall
: in on me.
/. II was arrested as soon as l got on shore
but didn't cure for that nor for anything
else. l felt as If l was dead. The police
didn't do nothin to me, and found that
had suddenly become an object of great
J 'curiosity, and the offers from the museum
managers came thick and fast.
But, say, wouldn't jump of the bridge
-Iagain to save my life. No, sir. tell you
, anybody that has done it once will never
do it again It's just somethin awful"
John G. HaGgerty, the other young man
; who made the jump to gain fame and sur.
! vived, was far more noncomnlittal in re-
u gard to his sensations than Steve. lie af
a 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. He
: admits that he docs not care to make the
+ leap again, however.-New York Recorder
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