The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-28
ARTISTIC BRIDGE JUMPING.
Tustin's 10O-FoOt Plunge Into the
Mississippi at st. Paul.
From the sd. Paul Pioneer press

MlsBfsStppt at st. Paul.
From the st. Paul Pioneer Press.
An air of mystery and a dozen people
were gathered on the Wabasha street
bridge yesterday afternoon. A hundred
others We're on balcony overlooking the
river Two men We're padding around in
dingy below. A parcel of small BOYS in
the fringe of bushes were exchanging
whispered "Hully gees" The policeman
kindly kept away.
The men on the bride came in two car
riages from the West ST. Paul side. The
tall one with the pearl hat and frock coat
was Z. A. Davis, whose delicious $685. tut
ter is known to half the newspaper. men
In this country. The short man with the
stubby cigar was Horace McVickar. who
manages the Mckee Rankin Company. Mr..
McVickar protested that It couldn't be
done. Mr.. Davis allowed that it could.
They admitted that they had bet $2Jc on 1t.
AFTER some waiting a porter appeared
about o'clock with a tWo-inch plank I'M
der his arm. The plank was rugged no on
the bridge sidewalk, where ID is about a
hundred feet down to the swollen current
OF the river. Two men stood at one end
and the other projected several feet over
the stream. 1t was all ready for Mr.
Iustin. Paul j. Tustin Is the man who
dives off platform into a Shallow tank
al the Forepaugh- Sells circus. When he
has day off he jumps from a hundred
foot bridge if there is one convenient He
came over from MINNEAPOLIS yesterday
afternoon, because St. Paul has a better
assortment of bridges than the mill town
He took look al the high bridge and was
sorry to learn that the water ran too shall
low under 1t; the Wabasha street bridge
was the next best
'IuStiD sbDclxaI OF q Ifot,4
pair OF trousers, kicked off his shoes ana
stepped out on the plank, slim, well-knit
IN lght tights and black trunks. He stood
tnere moment, gripping the edge of the
plank with his toes. peerng under the
Drldge 70 make sure no boat was coming
beneath, measuring the distance carefully
with MS eye. He looked thoughtful al
most sad. Mr.. NIcVickar said he would
not insist on it. That made Tustiu grin
tie tried his footing again, then straighten-
ed ms ngure, clapped his hands over his
head and jumped up and out over the
river. e
Now anybody, having stepped off
plank, could fall into the river without
previous practice. What Tusun did took
s ss Deli3erately ne drew his feet under
him, turned his head back and Ioun
lhen gracefully over over, until. Just as
ne reached the water. his feet were mn
der him again and he struck nearly IN
right. II was flight of some three seq
onds. The miscalculation of the tenth
part OF a second would have been fatal
He turned quickly under water and
without disappearing came 70 the surface
and struck out for the further shore.
round of applause went up from the snec-
tators. Tustin acknowledged il by rising
out Of water half his length and wavIns
both arms. The men in the boat offered
to pick him up, but he preferred 20 swim
ashore.
The men below thought they could find
use for the two-inch plank. Somebodv
showed it off the bridge. 1t sailed down
its hundred feet, struck the water kerr
slap as the diver might have done If he
had been thought too quick or TOO slow
and cracked down the middle while one
piece was broken square off. Some of
the spectators then realized for the FIRST
time the danger of the feat Tustin had so
lightly and gracefully performed.
Hell only pay 80 cents an hour for this
boat