The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-22
STOOD ON HIS HEAD
Dangerous Skylarking Feat on a
Mountain Precipice.
SCARED HIS COMPANIONS
Had Robert Edgren's Nerve Failed
Him for an instant He Would
Have Shot Down 5000 Feet
into the Yosemite Valley.


Fancy standing on your head on the
very edge of a precipice 5000 feet high
and kicking your feet in the air. It's
wild feat at the best. but that's what
Robert Edgren did in the Yosemite
valley Just to raise the hair on the
heads of his camping companions.
They were all muscular, athletic young
fellows. bubbling over with animal
spirits, and throughout the trip each
one tried to outstep the others In some
venturesome prank. But Edgren's feat
on the edge of Glacier Point capped
them all. That daring risk OF life So
bered the others and thereafter they
were content to tell stories and exer-
else their superabundant vitality with
racing and Wanting.
The whole trip up the Yosemite had
been a series of fiips, cartwheels, SOM
ersaults and running jumps. Not one
of them minded the so pounds OF pro-
visions, blankets and guns he carried,
but ran and skipped like school boy
juts out of school. Their muscles had
been developed and hardened by sew
eral years course in the Berkeley
gymnasium. Will Roblee had been a
gymnasium instructor and could tum-
BILE and turn somersaults like pro-
fessionai. Eugene Trefethen was one
of the best runners that ever came out
of .the University of California, and
everybody knows that Eugene is one OF
the very best hammer throwers in the
country. He went East with the col
lege team last year and he Is going
again this year. Nearly every day,
after a 10-hours' tramp up the noun
tain side. they would tumble and vault
around their campfire for the edifca-
ton OF those on the road.
But their skylarking reached Its
limit when they were in the valley and
had nothing to do but to see sights and
skylark One day the party divided.
Edgren climbed the Sentinel Dome
trail to Glacier Point and Roblee and
Thefethen tramped around by the Me-
vada Falls trail to the same point.
Edgren reached the top first. There
Is an abutting rock on Glacier Point
about five feet broad and about Is feet
long, which overhangs in a perilous
fashion the valley below. Edgren
coolly walked out TO the end of this
rock, sat down. with his feet dangling
over the edge and began to take a
friendly interest in the Liliputian OBJ
jects 5000 feet below him. At that
height men in the valley looked like
dots, the big Stoneman house was no
bigger than a card house, and as for
cattle, they looked as small as ants.
1t was a sheer drop below, nothing In
tervened to break the straight descent.
Most people would have fallen off the
point through dizziness, but Edgren
didn't mind IL any more than sitting at
a table and looking at a stereopticon
view of the valley.
While waiting for Trefethen and
Roblee to come up he began to amuse
himself by tossing pebbles into the air
and watching them go down, down.
down till they grew so small they dis
appeared from view. With his dang
ling heels he kicked on the side OF the
rock and watched the dust and rock
and rubble go sailing down through
the clear air.
Then he tried to think of all the dar-
ing feats that could be done on such
an eerie point That led him to think
ing OF doing some hair-raising feat
that should daze his companions and
force a dare" that would hold the
record on the trip. I'm try standing
on my head" he said.
SO he turned over, with his knees
resting on the perilous edge of the cliff
and his feet pointing out into the blue
air overhanging the valley. With his
hands spread out and close up to his
knees. he began to elevate his feet and
body, slowly. very slowly. One elbow
was crooked considerably more than
the other on account OF the slant of
the rock. Upward his feet slowly went
till his body was straight as an arrow.
An instant's dizziness, the giving of an
arm muscle and IL would have been all
up with the venturesome fellow. Had
he even fallen backward there would
have been no hope, for his body would
have rolled off the shelving rock be-
fore he could have righted himself.
His only safety was in coming down as
carefully and accurately balanced as
he went up.
He was still in the air when Ire
fethen and Roblee came over the trail
and caught sight of him. They were
half scared out Of thier lives on ac-
count of the too evident danger. but
they did not dare shout, didn't dare
run TO his assistance, didn't dare move
for fear that they might do something
that would startle Edgren and make
him lose his balance. SO they stood
like statues. and saw his feet descend
slowly, while the knees crooked and
edged carefully towards the spreading
fingers on the rock. A moment more
and Edgren, very red in the face. be-
gan to creep in on the shelving rock
Trefethen and Roblee ran forward and
grabbed him. They dragged him back
several yards from the edge of the cliff.
Then they began to belabor him with
their fists and call him a foolhardy
fellow and certain things given to
blithering and to trifiing with common
sense. Bert Dyer and young Joseph
lie Conte Of Berkeley came along, and
when they heard what Edgren had
done they Joined Trefethen and Rob-
lee In the proposition TO handcuff the
venturesome fellow and dragleg him
with the butt Of sugar pine. Finally
the whole matter was compromised
by Edgren solemnly promising never
TO do so any more. Everybody con-
coded that he had made the record
breaking dare" and then they all
went out on the point and had their
pictures taken in a group.
In speaking of the venture Edgren
said: II didn't regard IL as such a fool
hardy trick al the time / was used
to standing on great heights and did
not feel the slightest dizziness. II /
had been the least bit scarey OF course
/ never should have attempted Il.
Standing on my head was about as