The evening bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1887-1905, 1896-05-02

IOBElNl EDGIsbN > EAILOll'
ever came out 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 the col
lege team last year and he is going again
this year. Nearly every day after a ton
hours tramp up the mountain side they
would tumble and vault around their
campfire for the ediflcation of those on the
road.
One day the party divided. Edgren
climbed the Sentinel Dome trail to Glacier
point and Roblee and Trefethen tramped
around by the Nevada Falls trail to the
same point.
Edgren reached the top first. There is
an abutting rock on Glacier point about
feet broad and about 10 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
friendly interest in the lilliputian objects
5000 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 a table and looking at stereopti-
con view Of tho valley.
While waiting for Trefethen and Roblee
to como 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 disappeared from view.
Then he tried TO think of all the 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 dare that would
hold the record on the trip. "Ill 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, the
giving of an arm muscle, and it would
have been all up with the venturesomo fell
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 no 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 some
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 care
fully toward the spreading fingers on the
rock. a moment more, and Edgren, very
red in the face, began to creep in on the
shelving rock. Trefethen and Robloe ran
forward and grabbed him and dragged
him back several yards from the edge of
the cliff.
In speaking of the venture Edgren said
81 didn't regard it as such foolhardy
trick at the time. was used to standing
on great heights and did not feel the
slightest dizziness. If had been the least
bit soary, OF course l never should have
attempted it. Standing on my head was
about as easy to me as standing on my
feet At the gymnasium we used to con-
test in standing on our heads, and I've |
often Kept IL up ten minutes at a stretch |
My feet must have been in the air for |
at least half minute. Once up, l realized |
for the first time that had to keep my bal |
ance or was gone. Luckily for me- had |
been in some very ticklish situations on |
great heights, and didn'tlose my nerve |
The only shock l got in that line was
from a breath of wind. 1t came from ]