The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-04-23
u MAN WITHOUT FEAR.
The Wonderful Featu Performed 81
Blondin the Great.


Blondin the Great
Jean Francois Gravelet, known the
world over as Blondin, the great tight
rope walker, died at London. Blondin
performed many feats which his imita-
tors dared not attempt and was un-
doubtedly the greatest acrobat in mis-
line, but his fame rests chiefly on the
fact that he was, the first man to cross
Niagara Falls on a tight rope.
Blondin was born in France and his
father was soldier of the great Ma
poleon. AS boy he displayed agility
and daring on the tight rope, and as a
young man became famous throughout
Europe. He came to America in 1855,
and in 1859 conceived the daring de-
sign of crossing Niagara. He was called
a madman, but he determined to carry
out his idea. The rope was stretched
above the wide gorge at about height
of ITO feet above the water He crossed
for the first time on June 30 in the pres
ence of an immense throng of people.
He crossed again ON the 4th of July
with the upper part Of his body and
his head enveloped in several thick
nesses of blanket that completely shut
out his view of the rope and the roaring
waters; then he crossed wheeling
wheelbarrow.
Another time he threw somersaults
on the rope and went through several
other acrobatic feats that We're difficult
to some gymnasts on solid ground. He
also crossed with a man on his back,
IL 4;o1x1s 1srIl,
at night amid a blaze Of fireworks,
standing on his head as they We're go
ing off. In the summer of 1860 the
Prince of Wales saw the famous
Frenchman cross on rope below the
suspension bridge. He then went over
the slender walk with a man on his
back, and set the man down six times
while he rested. He also went across
on stills.
Since his performance at Niagars
Blondin has crossed the rope in many
parts Of the world more than 4.OO0
times. He had many thrilling escapes
In one Of his performances at the Crys-
raj Palace, the man who set off the fire
works threw the ropewalker off his bal
ance, and he just missed falling 12O
feet by pitching away his balancing
pole and throwing his right leg across
the rope so that he just managed to
hook it with his knee joint. Mrs. Blon-
din, who was watching him, tainted
and many persons shut their eyes
thinking the rhud of his 4O-pound pole
was the sound of his falling body.
He once advertised that he would
wheel his little girl across the rope in a
wheelbarrow filled With flowers, which
she was to scatter right and left.
The British Home Secretary thought
this was q little too strong for the
nerves of the populace, and he inter
fered. He delighted to spring sensations
on the theater-going public. Most of
his acts he rehearsed, but there was
one that he could not, and that was
taking young lion across the rope in
the open air at the Geological Gardens
in Liverpool. There was a stiff gale
blowing, the rope sagged good deal,
and there was 4 steep incline from each
mast. The lion was strapped in the bar
row and line attached to the barrow
to prevent it running away with Blon.
din as he went down the incline.
The line slipped out of the attendants
hand and the barrow, without its
check. ran down the rope at a great
rate. The line became entangled in the
top branches of tree, and it looked as
If the daring acrobat. when the line be-
came taut. would be hauled from his
perch He restored the equanimity of
his anxious watchers. checking the
speed Of the barrow. knowing that he
could not reach the opposite mast, he
began to move slowly backward to the
mast he had left. Then he took the
lion across, as he had started at first
to do. Within year persons passing
the neighborhood Of the Blondin home
have been surprised to see the old fellow
turn somelSaults in the road while on
his way to or from his house. which he
called Niagara villa. He performed on
the rope in London when he was 10
ears old.