The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-01-15
GREAT DIVING FEATS
BURNS LEAPS FROM SPEEDING TRAINS
INTO RIVERS.

= Daring Ensaish Athlete Twice Perform
"a the Daring Deed, Both Times suo-
esssfully-stsvs Brodie Outdone- Burns
Challenges the World.
A greater than Steve Brodie of bridge
jumping fame has arisen in the person
Of Tommy Burns. q diver, of Liverpool.
England. who has just put startlingly
new twist on the rather overdone busi-
ness Of jumping into rivers from dizzy
heights. Burns has been treating as
many OF the British public as happened
TO be on hand when he performed his
3eats to dive from the top Of a swiftly
moving train over the parapet Of q
bridge and into river the waters of
which were blood curdling depth be-
low. Burns made several attempts to
perform the feat, but was prevented by
the railroad officials. He succeeded at
last, however, in hiding himself on the
bumpers Of passenger train as it was
pulling out Of Charing Cross station to
cross the railroad bridge over the
Thames, en- route for Dover.
A few friends had been notified to be
on hand, and these gathered on the mar
row footpath for pedestrians that runs
by the side of the railroad track. When
the train had almost reached the center
Of the bridge, Burns climbed quickly
from his hiding place in the rear Of the
carriage, mounted the roof and, throw
ing off long overcoat that he wore.
stood up dressed in q close fitting gym
nasium suit.
At the spot selected by the diver for
his daring feat there is between the
trains and the parapet of the bridge
footpath about three feet wide. Stand
ing up. Burns steadied himself on the
moving train and then plunged head
long over the rail. He cleared the para
pet by so narrow margin that the spec
tators shivered and struck the water
head down, making very clean and
graceful dive. He was pulled aboard
boat that was in waiting and taken
ashore, showing no i'll effects from his
daring feat.
The success Of this first attempt con-
vinoed Burns that the royal road to
wealth was by way of the moving train
bridge jump. and he speedily made ar
rangements to repeat the dive in consid-
GRAFTON of purse gotten up by select
few who, in return for their coin. were
to be present at the performance.
This time Burns chose the Chelsea
Battersea bridge as the scene of his ex-
plot. This bridge Is not as difficult to
jump from as the Charing Cross bridge,
for the reason that the trains run close
to the parapet, but the bridge is higher,
and the trains, having been moving for
some distance when they reach the
bridge, have considerably more speed.
The second attempt was as successful |
as the first. The time was chosen so as
to insure the tide being on the ebb, and
at the agreed moment Burns appeared |
ON the top Of train that was crossing |
the bridge from the Chelsea station. |
Once the train was fairly ON the bridge,
Burns stood up and took clean header
for the water. It was q splendid dive,
and the spectators oheered the daring
diver to the echo. He was rowed ashore
q particularly jubilant man.
Burns is now out with challenge to
any bridge jumper in the world to equal
his feat, and so far no one has appeared
who is willing to take the risk. Burns
has expressed his intention of coming to
America and repeating the feat here il
he cannot find any one in England with
nerve enough to accept his challenge.
He will probably learn lesson on the
difference in speed between English and |
American trains should he keep his /
word.-New York Herald.