Cañon City record., 1899-04-06
! 1arud sd1 al iaa5iioiatb =
.Rk MAhAeiNQioHT qNAioa

Wife4x1k1nR eftf6i6 f6fii5 . e0n-
sl1ena4ls tfelturef n the histosy Of ad-
vsntueess At NiAEars Falls. rhsy be-
gan with abe feat Of Blondin, the FAM
90 French rope-walker. who threw .
cable across the chssm In ths summer
Of 1889 and made his hrst trip across
On June goth of that year. He had
been refused permission to stretch the
wire from Goat Island to the Canad-
Ian side-the newspapers denouncing
him ~ fool and fraud-and was
compelled to run 1t to private pleas
ure ground on the Canadian side. the
work. moreover, having to be done dur
ing the night to avoid Interference
from the cautious residents.
Not many people witnessed Bion-
din's frst crossing. the impression
having been general that the man was
insane or would fail at the last mo-
ment- When he had accomplished the
feat. the utmost aulazement was ex-
pressed. which. however. was again
turned to incredulity when he an
nounced that he would cross the wire
again, and this time with a man on
his back-Darry Colcourt, Blondin's
business manager, man Weighing one
hundred and fifty-fvs pounds The
feat was successfully accomplished on
the afternoon of August IT. 1853. amid
roars of applause frora the multitude
that looked on
On August 24th in tide game year.
Blondin crossed on the rope chained
hand and foot, and on his return car
ried with him a cooking stove on
which he made an omelette.
In the summer of the following year
he had the cable removed to a point
below the suspension bridge, and i'm
mediately over the whirlpool rapids,
where he gave several further exhibit
tions, one being on August 2. 1860.
when the Prince Of Wales and the
governor-general of Canada looked on
Before Blondin started, the Prince.
having looked at the wire and the
rapids. became nervous. went to Blon-
attempt But the rope-walker smiled,
said It was not SO dangerous as 1t
looked. and soon went across with
Colcourt on his back
There have been many imitators of
Blondin. In 1873 an Italian named
Rellini stretched a wire from opposite
the ferry landing to Prospect Park.
and three times he jumped from the
middle of the cable into the river and
swan to shore
Steve Peer. celebrated American
wire-waiker. repeated Blondin's feat
on June q, 1857 IN connection with the
Queens Jubilee celebration on the
Canadian side. He crossed in nineteen
minutes. A few nights sftervard
Peer. while intoxicated. determined. 20
It is supposed. to repeat the perform
ance. and unknown to any one vent
out and climbed ON the wire with the
result that next morning he was found
lying dead on the rocks below.
An exhibition of wire-walking that
attracted considerable attention at that
time was that of s. J. Dixon, Toronto
photographer. who used the same cable
that had been used by Peer. This
amateur rope-walker, thirty-eight
years Of age. had practiced almost
daily for some weeks ON = wire
stretched sixty feet above the water
OF Toronto Bay, before he essayed the
tremendous adventure which made
Blondfn 20 famous This he under
took dressed in tights and moccesins.
and carrying ! pole twenty-five and =
half 80 lone, weighing thiru pounds.
He sh6Ged no unessiiess or nervous
ness. although slight unsteadines a
the long cable caused him to pause fre-
quently to regain the balance that he
nomentarily lost
When he reached the center of the
gorge. this amateur lay down ON his
back on the wire. with his balancing
pole under him. Two hundred and
fifty feet below ran the furious rapids.
ready 70 devcur him should he make
. misstep.
He did . number Of other daring
feats ~ he neared the other end Of the
wire. and finally touched soil ON the
American side thirteen minutes after
he started A few minutes later he re-
Appeared with = hoop around his
ankles. and in this way walked out on