The Portland daily press., 1895-09-16
BLCNDIN IN HIS OLD AGE.

BLoNDIN IN HIS OLD AGE.
The Exciting Story of His Life AS Told In
the New York Home Journa1-Now
Quiet Country Gentleman.
Rope-walkeys, lion tanners and poets are
born and not made. Blondin began TO
walk along rope when he was only 1our
years old, and at twice that age gave q
special exhibition before tho king of Italy
at Turin. And last Christmas, although
over 70 years of age, when performing on
the high rope in the agricultural nall,
Islington, he appeared as nimble ana
active as ever. He went through much
the same performance as that when
startled the public at the Crystal palace
about 80 yeass ago. He ran along the
rope; he did the journey in sack and
blindfolded; he stood upright in a chair,
which he had previously balanced in the
center of the rope; BE stood on his head
on the rope, and concluded by carrying
his attendant across. When performing
at the Crystal palace in 1850. he made
one hundFad pounds day by his exhibit
lions, and one hundred and fifty pounds
when he had two exhibitions. rope
two inches in diameter and 24O yards
long was stretched from the level OF the
hand rail of the highest gallery in the
transept right across to the other side,
and kept from swinging laterally by 10
pairs OF guy-lines. The rope was made
steady, but not rigid, at no feet from the
ground. There Blondin disported him
self as if the narrow rope were as broad
and safe as q London street. he turned
somersaults, walked blindfolded passed
along the rope with his feet in waste
paper baskets. He even carried a cooking
stove, and fastened it on the center OF the
rope and cooked an omelet there. once
when he pretended to slip, two ladies'
tainted right away. A spectator has
written; 1--WE have seen enough to set
our pulses humping painfully, to send a
cold sickening terror crawling along our
veins, to make us very glad to look any
where but Oh the rope, when the 1ascl-
nation which riyeted our gaze upon 1t had
a little died away. When this happened,
and we looked around, we beheld more
curious spectacle than Blondln will ever
present reflected in the sea OF upturned
faces that were watching him. Ii this
was so in the Crystal place, what must
have been the terrible fascination and
tension of feeling in watching him cross
and recross Niagara?
Blondin is the nom de theater Oh Jean
Francois Gravelet, VIII was born at Hes
din, near Calais, on the 2Sth OF February,
1924 His father-whose nickname,
stBlondin, from the color of his hair,
has descended to his son-was soldier
of the first French empire, who had seen
service under Napoleon at Austerlltz,
Wagram. and Moscow, but died when his
son was in his ninth year.
The pluck and strength that young
Blondin displayed even in his fourth
year was marvellous: and when only
few years older, he was trained by the
principal of L Ecole de Gymnase at Lyons
in many gymnastic feats, and, after SIX
months there, was broughb OUT as Inc
little wonder He excelled especially
at tight-rope dancing, jumping and
somersault- throwing One of his jumps
was over a double rank of soldiers with
bayonets fixed. The agent Of an Ameri-
can company. the Ravels, aware OF his
success in the French provinces, gave him
a two-years' engagement for the united
States. which afterward extended to eight
years He went to America in 1855; and
It must have been about four years later,
when looking across the Niagara falls,
that he remarked to Mr.. Ravel: What
a splendid place to bridge with a tight
roper'
though called idiot and mailman, he en-
deavored to carry this daring project OF
crossing the falls on the tight-rope into
execution. In the spring of 1859 he took
rooms in the hotel at Niagara Fall village
and began to make his arrangements.
There was some difficulty at first in get
ting permission from the proprietors on
n Of bo rive A T.
was good for the necessary 500 for the
rope to span 1900 feet of roaring water
below the falls. The bank on one side
was about 100 feet in hight on the other
100 He crossed for the first time on the
Both of june in the presence of what was
600 people. On the Fourth of July he
crossed again, his body enveloped in a
heavy sack of blankets; with eyes thus
blindfolded his step was as steady as If he
saw. In the middle of the month he
crossed wheeling wheelbarrow: and
on the 9Th of August, in crossing, he
turned somersaults and performed vari-
GUS gymnastic feats on the rope. He
crossed with man on his back on the
18th, and on the 9th Siberian exile in
shackles On the I'd of September he
crossed at night and stood on his head,
amid blaze of fireworks. In the sum-
mer of 1860 he crossed below the Suspen-
Sion DIlQSo, puU previously iO i1eio SlObV
difficulty in adjusting his one-inch rope,
and nearly lost his life in fixing the
lateral guy-ropes. The difficulty and
danger in crossing were increased by a
dip Of 40 feet on the length of the rope.
His last performance here, on the 18th
of September, 1860. was witnessed by the
Prince of Wales and suite and a vast
assembly of spectators. The Prince
eagerly and anxiously watched his pro-
gress through telescope; and, on
Blondin being presented afterward, his
first words of greeting were, "Thank
God, it is all over At this time he
crossed with a man on his back, trayersed
the rope in sack and blindfolded and
even went across on stills. In traversing
the rope with u man on his back the
time occupied was As minutes; he set the
man down while he rested, six times on
the rope. Fancy the man thus climbing
again on his shoulders and inserting his
legs in the hooks attached to the hips of
the gymnast for his support.
The Prince of Wales sent special check
to Blondin after his great feat; another
of his gifts was cluster diamond ring;
and the inhabitants of the village gave
him a gold medal, as tribute of admira-
tion. with this inscription Presented to
NJ. T # RlOn0iD nv the citizaDc IF