The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-01-27

"The rope was stretched m the Sull7 | mer of 1858 and was left out all winter without injury. Blondin made his first crossing in the summer of 1859, and subsequently, went over blnatoldad His crowning piece of daring was walking on stilts. How he did it IS something that I have never been able to explain, and doubt if Blondin him self could give a satisfactory eHplana- tion. It required masterful nerve. | "One day he said to me: want to carry you across on my back thought he was joking, and turned DIT
 the subject. He urged, and hnaily consented. There were three huudred
 thousand people present on the atteF- noon that l put my arms around Sion din's neck and placed my legs in two barrel hoop-iron hooks, which he at tached on either side of his belt. l will
 not attempt to tell all felt as we wett out over that abyss. I cannot tell It. know that I kept my eyes open end
 looked down without feeling dizzy. 1t
 was a supreme moment, and perhaps
 the situation gave me the nerve that
 carried me through the ordeal
 looked to the further shore and could
 
 They stood silent and fearful. I do not
 believe one person in that throng en-
 joyed the perilous scene.
 Tn order that Blondin's limbs might
 not be hampered in action, all my
 weight was thrown upon his shoulders,
 my legs resting very lightly in the
 hooks For this reason my arms be-
 came so tired that before we got out
 forty feet was compelled to dismount
 three times to rest myself The first
 time I did this I heard hoarse mur
 mur from the crowd. When dis mounted I placed my hands lightly on Blondin's shoulders and stood with my
 right foot on the rope, the left leg
 pointing outward and downward to be used as a balancing medium. Reach
 ing the last guy rope on the Canadian
 side from which we had started, there
 were ahead of us forty feet of line un- , supported by lines. With his foot rest ing on the last guy rope, Blondln said
 to me: Harry whatever you do, as We
 cross this unsupported place, do not at
 tempt to balance yourself. Be perfect ly passive, as though you were part , of my own body. If lean, lean with 7 me. On you depends the safety of our
 passage Then he stepped out toward , the swaying center. In moment he
 had lost his equilibrium. He leaned
 away over to the right; to me it : seemed our bodies were parallel with
 the earth, I nerved myself however.
 In a moment he regained his equilibri- n um and then leaned as far to the left.
 Blondin could not regain his balance
 lo- like those of boy who attempts to
 walk on rail of a track. He started 3 and ran. his object being to reach the e first guy rope on the opposite side : where he knew that he could secure a I steady foothold and regain his poise e 4 He reached the place. At that instant o I felt something shake beneath me ! There was a momentary but violent os d cillation of the rope, and Blondin hat t started to run again. He made th'
 knot of the next guy line and there SC ;" cured a firm footing
 d "tGet off he said. I dismounted q and stood as I had done before. Thi 1t time it was he who was exhausted h He stood there like statue. Beads Q if sweat were on his face. His vein @ stood out like cords.
 "We reached land in safety. As w II drew near the American shore ever, Q man. woman and child within one hun ,e dred feet of the lines end had arm < outstretched to receive us. Their lip st were parted and their eyes had some l., thing of almost agony in them. l hay m believed to this day that there wer ', people in that crowd undergoing ic greater nervous strain than eithe ,a Blondin or myself.
 -i There had been an enormou Ia amount of betting on the result of tn ra crossing. Many did not believe tha ,- the feat would be accomplished. in was one of these who, seeing succes f. lprobable, had gone to the shore end ( ,e one of the guy lines and pulled it har m enough to break it at the main cabl ,d just as BIondin had placed his foe of upon the knot. Nothing but the mag nc nificent nerve of the rope-walker save V him and me from being hurled to ou e, death in the river below.
 "Blondin carried me across agai ,,a that summer and again in the summt ,,r of 1S60 The last trip was made in tE 1d presence of the Prince of Wales, WI .7 was one of the enormous crowd in a ,1s tendance. The prince begged us to ( a5 nothing unusual because he happene k to be there Blondin told him that Il
 usual performance would be enacta , unless your Royal Highness wishes ,,r vary the program by letting me cari aa you across The prince 'grinned 8 oa over.'
 After I had gone across with Blol ,zo din for the last time. Erastus Cornin .t of the New York Central railroa ,to handed me a check for one thousar as dollars, and then, putting his hand ,,t my shoulder, said: My boy, I'll gi' a,, you 8 check for another one thousal .t dollars if you will promise me never tar do it again
 aa 'At the time of our first crossing [ os gether the Washington Grays, Ne ;,, York military organization, were pre- ,s ent. A woman had seen the man WI . attempted to break the guy rope. T
 Washington Grays sent out dascri
 tion of him and offered one thousal
 dollars reward for his capture, but
 was never found
 'Blondin is still alive He IS ov
 seventy years of age, and is yet gjvil
 tight-rope exhibitions in London