The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-28
BLONDIN, THE ROPE WALKER.
Interesting Sketch of the Recently
Deceased Acrobat.

Deceased Acrobat.
Blondin was the stage. or rather tight
rope. name of Jean Francois Granele,
who won worldwide fame thirty-seven
years ago by crossing the, Niagara Falls
chasm on a tight rope.
Prior to this wonderful feat, Blondin
had been only a gymnast, as his father
was before him. He conceived the idea
of conquering Niagara with his balance
ing pole, and came quietly over from
France and studied the ground. Then he
startled the world by the mere announce
ment of what he was going to do, and
laid the world PROSTATE at his feet by
doing it.
But that was not enough. BlondIn next
dressed himself up in a way that made
him look like an ape of prize fighter
proportions, and In this guise scampered
over the rope, cutting up all sorts
of monkey antics on the way-hanging
by his toes, skinning the cat and other
similar playful capers, all in midstream.
After that he trotted gayly over his
rope wheeling a wheelbarrow before him
as he went. But his eliminating feat
was when he walked over with an able
bodied man hanging to his back. The
name of the hero who took that exhilarat-
ing ride is now unknown to fame.
There were two or'tlTTee Things about
Blondin's walking which went to make
up the secret OF his success. One was
that he never unsteadied his nerves by
the use of tobacco in any form and the
other that he always put up his rope
himself. But the great secret OF his
skill, he used to say, lay simply In the
fact that he did not want to fall. This
was his laughing explanation when asked
to reveal the mystery. Whatever the
key to this skill is, Il certainly was a good
one, for he made something like 1900
journeys on the tight rope in various
parts Of the world, and had only had one
accident, and the result Of that one was
only few scratches.
Four years ago when he was So years
old Blondin was still vigorous and as
agile on the tight rope as he ever was.
He appeared In Manchester, Eng, and
among other bits of mid-air playfulnc O
cooked an omelet on the tight rope ana
passed II down TO the admiring audience
below. OF late years he had lived near
London in a pretty house, which he called
Niagara villa.
Since Blondin's day several venturesome
spirits have made the journey on a rope
across Niagara. Clifford Calverly of To-
ronto broke all previous records az a tight
rope Splinter over the chasm. His time
from shore to shore was six minutes and
eight seconds, something like half that OF
fast at twelve and one-half minutes. Call
verify walked solely for glory and contin-
gent future profits, and got little OF eth
err The great Blondin secured all the glo-
ry there was on the 10th of August, 1869.
Talking of his career Blondin once said:
II was a rope-walker at four. My IA
Their was q gymnast. have never felt
fear--no not even when crossing Niagara.
in 1860 crossed on stills. There was a
danger in crossing Niagara. In straining
n rope Of that length to the requisite tight
ness Il was liable to snap. The shorter
the rope the easier II is 10 walk on, for the
dip in the middle is less.
81 once offered to carry the Claimant
across a rope, but he declined with thanks.
4 will not endanger your life he said,
and do not wish 10 expose mine.
"A tight-rope walker Is born; nothing
can make him None OF my family wa
over appear in the arena. because not ono
OF them has been born a rope walker. /
am always well when I am working.
When ! am lazy feel twinge of lum-
bago. and that Is ALL
Not tho least interesting OF NJ Blondin's
collection OF mementos was small libra
ny Of scrapbooks containing cuttings
from all the newspapers OF the world
French English, German, Austrian,
American, observation-disclosures reports,
interviews. caricatures, Jokes. He was
called In these clippings tho king OF the
Tight Rope" "The Lord of the Hempen
Realm" "The Emperor of all Manila"
There are wonderful woodcuts, plain and
colored, verses, too.
Did nervous terrors ever Cypress your"
Blondin was asked.
'Nevor, sir: never. Not even when
FIRST crossed Niagara. Pouf They laugh
ed and said: There's a fool OF a French ]
man going TO commit suicide or 1 don't |
believe he'll ever try, and so on, but 1
have crossed Niagara 900 times since then. |
Il carry three sets Of ropes, which are |