The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1902-12-18
STUDENTS DARING FEAT
Climbed Up Dizzy Height While
Yale Men Stood In Awe.
HAD ONLY THE SLIGHTEST HOLD.


Side of East Rock. q Four Hundred
Foot New Haven Cliff - Fingers
Torn and Bruised-wi1l Try Steep
er One.
The feat of W. s. Merrill, Harvard,
O4. who ate three steaks, two mutton
chops and two dishes Of peas and
drank two pints Of apollinaris water
and two cups Of coffee the other night
for a three dollar wager, is dwarfed
in the estimation of the other students
and the residents Of New Haven by
the recent feat of ]. A. Whitehead,
student at Yale, in climbing the
East rock, a granite cliff nearly 400
feet high, in front Of which stands the
Soldiers monument, says the New
York Evening Telegram.
The rock ig a sheer precipice and for
a hundred feet offers only the slight
est hold for foot or hand, but White
head climbed to the top Of it, where he
fell almost exhausted, while the shouts
Of several hundred students and 9th
ers who had gathered to watch his
perilous ascent rang indistinctly in his
ears.
Whitehead risked his life in climb
ing the face Of the precipice, for mis-
step at any stage of his upward prog
ress after he had gone twenty feet
would undoubtedly mean death. He is
regarded as a hero by his classmates
and is looked upon wonderingly by the
townspeople. Whitehead does not
seem to think he has done anything
very remarkable and is diffident about
telling Of his experience.
An odd feature of the performance
is that it was accomplished at night,
when young Whitehead did not care to
have too large crowd watching him.
He was prompted to try the ascent of
the cliff by hearing other students tell
Ing Of the impossibility Of doing it.
Whitehead was with a party In the
city that had been at q restaurant
where liquid refreshments were i'm
bibed freely. On the way home, as the
party passed the Soldiers monument,
one student remarked:
''I'd like to see the man who could
climb that rock" pointing to East rock.
Would you?" said young Whitehead.
"Well, I'll crafty your desire" He
thereupon approached the side Of the
cliff and began laborious ascent. It
Is understood that he had intended to
perform the feat before, but wanted to
make 1t more remarkable by pretend
ing it was impromptu.
Some Of the students tried to dis
suade Whitehead from making the as
cent, but he only laughed at their
warnings.
Slowly, inch by inch, the piucky stu
dent climbed. He would rest at every
new foothold he got. Before be got up
very far his fingers were torn and
bruised by the rock. but he couldn't
turn back even If he had wanted to,
which he didn't
1t was weird picture, his tall form
apparently glued to the side Of the
precipice and the crowd below watch
ing with GREATNESS interest made In
the dark. The men watching White
bead were almost afraid to move or
talk, fearing that the slightest comma
ton would cause the student to lose h4.
grasp on the naked rock.
Gradually the plucky young fellow
forged his way up. Fifty feet he got,
and the crowd could hardly repress a
cheer. Seventy-nve feet he laboriously
climbed, and then in a short time
which cn0ron6 a fO %hn "a,
he reached the top and fell exhausted,
while the shouts Of the crowd below
awakened the echoes of the night and
drew many others to the scene.
His was the first performance, ac-
cOrding to the oldest inhabitants. 9th
ers in years gone have tried it. and in
at least one instance the attempt has
resulted fatally.
Mr., Whitehead, whose home is in
LondOn, has come to Yale to prepare
<or course in civil engineering and
will shortly enter the Sheffield Scien-
tifc school, He served with the British
South African police during the Boer
war.
He said modestly of his climb:
II went to the summit by the road
last Sunday and climbed down twice
to familiarize myself with the face.
On Monday / made the ascent. The
first twenty feet was really diff
cult distance, the hardest OF the climb.
The rock for that height leans toward
one, and with my fingers | had to hold
on tightly to the lodges and then lift
myself up. Half way up there is
ledge Of six inches width. ! sat down
on it and looked down. The scenery
was SO fine that felt we'll repaid. The
remainder of the climb to the summit
was easier.
''Twice / almost slipped and let go
my hold. 1t was not easy. but / was
surprised to be told that it had beer
considered impossible"
Mr.. Whitehead intends to attempt
the ascent of West rock, on the other
side of the city. which is still more
difficult to climb.
"Private" Aliens Latest Story.
Private" John Allen, who is not in
congress- now went nm tO thn canitnl