The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-03
HE JUMPS on Eggs.
The Remarkable Feat of an English
Athlete.

The Remarkable Feat of an English
Athlete.
From the San Francisco Examiner.
There is an Englishman named John
Higgins at the Orpheum theater who
/ jumps into a basket Of eggs every night.
/ That fact alone is strange enough 10
arouse comment but it IS not nearly so
/ strange as the farther fact thar Higgins
does not break even one egg in the bas-
ket. though he lands on them with both
feet. They are sure enough eggs, for
the house warrants them TO be hen fruit
of good quality. but why they don't break
when struck by the feet of the flying
Higgins is one of the peculiar things about
the performance. 1t was thought when
the trick jumper gave his first exhibition
that he had brought the eggs to the city
from London with him, and that with adj
vancing age they had become sufficiently
powerful TO hold him on their shells with
out danger of fracture. Higgins, how
ever, declares this statement to be libel
circulated by the athletes who are envious
/ of him.
The little man certainly gives a wonder
/ full performance. He claims TO be the
| champion standing and trick jumper OF
| the world, and the distances he has COW
| cred in his particular games make the
/
| jumping is far more interesting to the
| spectators than the long distance eXhi-
/ billions, for in the former he illustrates
/ the perfect control an athlete may gain
| over his body even while in flight The
| egg jump, though one of the most pop
| ular, is by no means the hardest OF the
/ feats of Higgins. 1t Is no harder, for in
stance, than jumping on a mans face,
| which, strange to say is one of the best
known feats Of the men OF springy mus
/ Gle.
The basket of eggs is placed upon the
| stage upon two campstools. The eggs are
| piled up even with the rim Of the basket,
| which is about two feet from the floor.
| Higgins stands upon one side, looks at
| the treacherous white hen products for
| a few minutes, and then with a sudden
| spring he IS in the AR he Jumps at the
basket. and just as his body reaches
point over the eggs Higgins seems TO low
| er himself. his feet touch the eggs, and
| then, like a swallow on the wing, he is
| up again and over the basket 1t Is
| very pretty trick, and always evokes APP
/ plause, for to the spectators II seems GER
| tain that the jumper Will sink through
sea of scrambled yolks and fall, sticky, to
Higgins had a very narrow escape from
/ a bad accident last Sunday night Just
as he leaped at the egg basket his toe
| caught the edge Of a board upon which
| the basket rested. There was sudden
| slump in the egg market, and the stage
was covered with omelettes. He was so
| convulsed with laughter at the frantic
| efforts of his manager 10 scoop the
|
| athlete nearly made another mess of his
/ next trick. fti
This was the water jump, a far more
| jumps over a bucket Of 4vater and in
| his flight drops to the. water, wets the
| soles Of his shoes and then clears the OBJ
/ Stacle without a splash. 1t Is a very
| pretty exhibition TO show his ability to
control his body while in. the air, and 10
raise from the surface OF the water, the
| athlete frequently has the bucket only
| difference hptWaan
| jump and the first is very marked. The
egg jump is made by lowering the toes
| while in the air. The eggs are thus touch
ed very lightly and the trick is done In
| the water jump, however, the whole foot
| has to be placed squareiy on the surface
far more difficult matter than merely
| tripping with the toe A number of local
/ jumpers are able to do the egg trick but
/ none have yet performed the water jump.
! 1t used to be a favorite sport at the
| Olympic Club for a practiced athlete to
| Jump on a mans face This was done
as in the egg trick, by jumping over the
face and touching 1t lightly with the toe
| sensational about 1t to make even the
most accustomed spectator very nervous
| at times The local jumpers have also
| apparently ruined valuable watches by
| jumping on them. The watch crystal Is
merely grazed by the feet of the athlete.
| Higgins does this trick very neatly
one of his turns which il greatly adj
mired is that known as the bell Jump.
An ordinary call bell is placed on top of
| a
gins clears the obstacle and rings the bell
in the flight. This is done by planting a
foot on the mob of the bell as he ilnps
over 1t. In all his trick performances he
keeps both feet together, so that If one
should miss the object, be it egg water
or bell the other may reach II. The lit
tie Englishman thinks it nothing at all
to vault over two horses, each sixteen
| hands high, or to jump from a stone
matchbox as large as brick and clear
a chair over nine feet away. In a hop,
/ step and jump he goes about half way
down the block, Sometimes he forgets
his powers of flight This happened the
| other day when he was running for a
| Market street car. When at about thir-
| ty feet away from 1t he took a hop step
| and jump, and such was his velocity that
he went over the car and landed on the
other side.
Higgins says he is willing to meet all
Corners at any and every kind Of jumping
for love or money the latter preferred.
His records are as follows: One spring
jump, IA feet M inches; two springs
jump, Is feet inches; three springs Jump
AZ feet 2 inches. two hops and Jump, IS
feet; one hop and jump, 25 feet inches
stand hop. two strides and jump. As feet
az inches run, one cross and Jump, 50
feet inches two back jumps % feet ~
inches; four hops and jump IS feet.
Higgins always jumps with weights and
the greater the distance to be covered tho
heavier are his weights For ordinary oc-
casions he uses ten-pound dumbbells He
is a native of Blackburn, Lancashire Eng
land, is % years old, stands ) feet 3& inches
and weighs 145 pounds. Higgins would
make a star walter in a big restaurant.
for man who car cover half the room in
two jumps, who can walk on water with
out splashing 1t, and jump on eggs with
out breaking them is long-felt want in
busy hotels.