The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-27
THE MAMMOTH SWING.
A Glory OF Bronson Canon and the HAIR
Raising Experience Morley Bacon Had
when He Tried to DO the Biggest
Thing Of Its Kind on
Record.


WY rH'ulu HdNF HuDilNi's a "HI SUM . wv !
understand. as they did nothing mean or I'M
derhand.
Morley Bacon was the one who planned the
swing and Morley Is a boy Of about IL years. |
guess, a handsome little fellow with the head
Of an inventor. When | say he has the head
Of an inventor I mean that he has invented a
number Of things and therefore he is an in
ventor and as he has n head it must be the head
Of an inventor.
Morley had read about the Ferris Wheel, an
enormous mechanical contrivanCe for giving
people rides in the air and he had actually seen
the EIfel Tower. for he had accompanied his
father TO France on one Of the latter's business
trips, and 1t became his ambition upon his re-
turn to devise something equally big that
should be engineered entirely by boys.
Bronson Canon was about three miles from
Maxon City and II II 1900 feet deep. or zoos
feet high according TO your position in relation
to il. 1t is just 50 feet across and one mile
long and AT its bottom runs the Iittlefork River.
One day Morley and his bosom companion.
Ardsley Merriweather a boy Of about the same
age, were standing on the edge Of the canon
looking across.
Wouldn't that be a great pole jump" said
Ardsley. looking across the great chasm,
mighty chasm.
Mimi" said Morley. but suppose the
pole broke or you didn't quite clear it?"
Both boys stood on the edge of the canon
with their toes over the brink and looked down
the sheer 1000 feet.
II would be easier TO fall Town there than
TO come back " said Ardsley. without n shudder.
II his mother had known what he wns doing she
would have tainted Just as promptly as she
could, but fortunately she did not see him. and
as Morley's a. clear headed rs he. he did NOT
faint or think Of such a thing, He gazed into
the gloomy abyss and thought n minute, run
ming his eye up and low the canon with n
swinging motion. Then How'd You like TO
swing in the chasm?"
How do you mean" asked Ardsley,
why, ! mean how would YOU like ,oputa
great beam across 10 the other side and then
have a rope about 1900 feet long and make a
swing ont Of IL? Wouf, wouldn't 1t make a
fellow tingle 10 go sweeping through the air."
You bet II would. What If you dropped?"
"Oh, Id tie myself 10 the seat. Id risk II II
there was a swing there. Say We make one.
TN be the biggest thing Of lis kind in the United
States"
How can we?"
why We can set a beam across the top and
then tie a rope TO it. It's only a question Of
length 4 i2-inch beam will stand the
strain all right"
Boys. IT, you think I'm carpenter enough
to tell You just how those fellows did that en-
gineering job you're mistaken. Morley has told
ma a half dozen times since ] decided 10 write
this NJ. but | must confess to a certain stupid
nv about such things, and don't know now
they did il, but when ! saw il, after tho affair,
y was across the "hasm all right and in no
danger oil slipping, ana the boys oi MaNon tltN
had done the Who'll" job without help from
their elders
The thing that Interested me most was the
fact vouched for by all the boys that Morley
fastened the ropes in place after the beam was
secured instead OF tying them on before they
put the beam across Yes, sir, he walked over
beam and be got down on his knees and calmly
tied first one end and then the other end of that
rope with nothing but 1000 feet between him
and the littlefork River below,
The seat had a hole in either end through
which the rope had been passed before 4 was
tied 10 the beam. and when Morley had finished
his Job they paid out the rope slowly with
the seat AZ the end of II until il swung IN the
breeze 1000 feet below.
The boys feared grown-up interference. and
nothing had been said about the affair 70 any
one not engaged in the work. But little Esther
Nerriweather had overheard the boys talking
about 1t and she told her father, big Sheriff
Merriweathor and lust about th" time that
way 10 the canon from MaNon city mounted
on his bronco.
There were ten fellows Interested in the
scheme and not one of them but was crazy TO
have first swing, but a. Morley had planned IL
he insisted upon being the first 10 try H..
He put a piece of stout clothes line in his out
side pocket. drew on n pair Of gloves, 50 that
Me wouldn't skin his hands, and then he slid
down that rope 10 the seat rs coollv ~ II ha
had been in his sisters eight-foot swing IN the
back yard.
Daring as the boys were. they all held 'h"tr
brpaths n ha made his way down. for they
knew he had not one chance In n million II he
los. his hold But Morley had muscles of ron,
and he didn't loose either his grip or his grlt,
bur made his way 80 the seat and then dashed
himself To II.
But. will Won believe it? Those clever boys
had fashioned the biggest swing since the crpa-
tion Of man. but they had forgotten to COntrive
q way 10 start il, When Merely was securely
dashed he sat still moment and then he burst
out laughing. How hollow that laugh sounded.
oming up ont Of the depths.
SAY. fellows, how an ! going TO start ~"
II struck all the boys IA being very funny,
| and they slapped their knees and each Others
bacps rs they thought of il. Then MerTiw Gather
said You'll have 10 come back and walk way
up the edge and then lump of
And br dashed to pieces on III" other side
| Of the chnsm9 guess not " rame ny Morley'-
voicc from below.
Then Mortimer West said IF YOU stretch u
| rope across the canon about n thousand feet
m Won can 90 out to the middle of II and then
| make your start. and you'll swing or all right -
That's II" said Morley. go ahead and III
rome MP"
eight feet across. and he lassoed n tree on the
| other side and drew the rope taut.
In the meantime Morley had made the dscove
| erv that he didn't know how to get up again
II was out Of the question for him to come mp
| a thousand feot hand over hand II was equally
! ont Of the question for n boy TO stand on tho
beam and qull him mp. II began 10 look as Il
he would have 10 stay down there for the rest
of his lie and have his meals lowered 10 HIM.
Ii was ArdSley who had made that suggestion
and II led to another Immediately.
The BOYS had about three times ms much
! rome ~ they needed. for Ardslev had Ind the
buving of il and he was one ~ those bows who
boon 20 NC To n picnic with another fellow, he
would hav" taken along i've dozen eggs instead
Of two dozen. He had n large Western way Of
doing things. and So he had bought thrna thou
sand fnet Of rore NJ Mayon city.
They hung the r0T" over the beam and let
down the two ends TO Morley, and he pulled
himself and the swing M 10 tho beam and made
his WAY to solid ground
Then he walked back 10 the iaut rope and got
the swing ropes clear of kinks With tho swing
sin hound 10 him he went ont 20 tho middle Of
tho rope. hung for n minute 10 he sure that the
roncS we're even, and then he swung Of with a
crv Of triumph.
crv Of triumph that changed in n moment
10 one Of horror and then became inaudihle aS
he swung in n mighty arc of nearly 3,Nnr"e'
Ills hands dropued from the rOue~ and II he
had NOT been fastened ~ the scat h. would have
dropped to the river below.
lies tainted said two or three Of tho boys.
And he had such n tremendous rush through
,ba mir vns moro than he could stand. phICkv
few hundred feet
Rack and forth 10 swung. involuntarily let
ting the old cat die
And such u largo old cat.
.IuSt before no came 10 a stop Mr. Ninrri-
weather on his bronco appeared among the
boys II did not take long 10 explain matters