Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-04-22

| ROBERT EDGREN'S EXPLOIT.
| ever came ont of the University of Cali
fornia, and everybody knows that Edgren
is one of the very best hammer throwers
In the country. He went east with tho col
| lcge team last year and he is going again
this year. Nearly every day after a ten
hours tramp up tho mountain side they
would tumble and vault around their
campfire for the cdification Of those on the
road.
| One day the party divided Edaren
climbed the Sentinel Dome trail to Glacier
point and Roblee and Trefcthen tra{nped
around by tho Nevada Falls trail to the
same point.
Edgren reached the top first. There is
an abutting rock on Glacier point about s
feet broad and about Is feet long, which
| overhangs in 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
n friendly interest in tho lilliputian objects
1000 feet below him. 1t was sheer drop
below, nothing intervening to break the
straight descent. Most people would have
fallen off the point through dizziness, but
Edgrcn didn't mind it any more than sit
ting at table and looking at a stcroopti-
con view Of the valley.
Whilo waiting for Trefe.hen and Roblee
| to come up he began to amuse himself by
tossing pebbles into the air and watching
them 90 down, down, down till they grew
SO small they disappeared from view.
Then he tried to think of all tho daring
feats that could be done on such an eerie
point. That led him to thinking of doing
some hair raising feat that should daze his
| companions and force O dare" that would
hold the record on the trip. "I'll 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 over
hanging 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 consider
ably 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, tho
giving of an arm muscle, and it would
have been ali up with the vcnturesome fol-
low. 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 care
fully and accurately balanced as he went
| up.
He was still in the air when Trefethen
and ROblee came over the trail and caught
sight of him. They were half scared out
| of their lives on account 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 somo-
thing 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 caro-
fully toward the spreading fingers ON tho
rock n moment more, and Edgrcn, very
red in tho face, BEGAN to creep in on tho
shelving rock. Trefethen and Roblee ran
forward and grabbed him and DRAGGED
him back several yards from the edge of
| the cliff
In speaking of the venture Edyren said :
Il didn't regard it as such a fooIbartiy
trick ut the time. was used to standing
| on great heights and did not feel the
slightest dizziness. If had been the least
bit scary. OF course I never should have
attempted it. Standing on my head was
| ABOUT as easy to me as standing on nv
feet. At the gymnasium We used to con-
| test In standing on our heads. and I've
often Kept 1t up ten minutes at q stretch.
| My feet must have been in the air for
az least half minute. Once up, / realized
for the first time that 1 had to keep my bal
ance or was gone. Luckily for me. / had
been in some very ticklish situations on
great heights. and didn't lose my nerve.
The only shock got in that line was
from breath of wind 1t came from
down the valley and caught mo on the side.
If IT had been stronger, 1 don't know
what would have happened. But, soft rs
the breath was, it was big enough for me.
and came down as quickly as 1 could un-
Ger the circumstances. I confess 1 felt
bit relieved when my knees touched the
edge OF the clid all right. Then 1 could
| sishs irefethen and Roblee, and saw by
their faces that at last had made a dare
that would stand first on our erip That's
what was after, and was satisfied"