CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1902-01-09
.luDEAT's DARING FEAT
Climbed Up Dizzy Height While
Yale Men sto. d III Ave.
HAD ONLY TIE sLIeHrEsr rclD.

J. A. Whitehead scaled IN sh..,
Side OF East Rock. "a ronr luad..
! Foo' New Haven ciia - rinre .
Torn and BruIsed--wui Try Steep
er One.
The feat OF W. S. Merrill. Harvard,
/ 'Ol. who ate three steaks. two muitJu
chops and two dishes of peas ard
! drank two plnts OF apollnarIs water
aud two cups of coffee the other night
Tor a three dollar wager. is dwnlfed
IN the estimation OF the oiller students
aud the residents of New Haven by
! the recent feat OF ] \. Whitehead.
student al Yale. In climbing Lie
East rock. n granite ciifi nearly 100
[ feet high. In front OF which stands the
Soldiers monument. says the New
/ York Evening Telegram.
| The rock Is sheer precipice and for
hundred feet offers only the slight
est hold for foot or hand. but White
head climbed to the top of IL. 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 u hero by his classmates
and In looked upon wonderingly by the
townspeople. Whitehead does not
seem to think he has done anything
very remarkable and is ditfidcnt about
telling OF his experience.
An odd feature OF the performance
Is that II was accomplished at night.
when young Whitehead did not care to
have too large u crowd watching him
He was prompted TO try the ascent OF
the clln by hearing other students tell
Ing Of the impossibility Of doing IL
Whitehead was with party In the
city that had been at restaurant
where liquid refreshments were i'm
bIbed freely. On the way home. rs 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 your said young Whitehead.
well. I'll crafty your desire" He
thereupon approached the side OF the
clin aud began iaborious ascent. IL
Is understood that he had intended TO
perform the feat before. but wanted TO
make II more remarkable 10y pretend
Ing II was Inpromptu
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 plucky stu
dent climbed. He would rest at every
very far his fingers were torn nnd
bruised by the rock. but he couldn't
turn back even II he had wanted to-
which he didn't.
II was a weird picture. his tall form
apparently glued to the side OF the
precipice and the crowd below watch
ing with breathlcss Interest made In
the dark. The men watching White
bead were almost afraid to move or
talk. fearing that the slightest commo-
tion would cause the student to lose his
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 IaboriousIy
climbed. and then In n short time.
which seemed an age to the watchers.
he reached the top and fell exhausted,
while the shouts OF the crowd below
awakened the echoes OF the night aud
drew many others to the scene.
His was the FIRST performance. nc.
cording TO the oldest Inhabitants. 9th
ers In years gone have tried II. and In
at least one instance the attempt has
resulted fatally.
Mr.. whitehead. whose home is In
London. has come to Yale to prepare
for n course In civil engineering and
will shortly enter the Sheffield Sclen.
tific 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 ledges and then lift
myself up. Half way up there is n
ledge OF six inches width. sat down
on II and looked down. The scenery
was so fne that | felt well repaid The
remainder Of the climb to the summit
was easier.
''rwice l almost slipped and let go
my hold II was not easy. but | was
surprised TO be told that II bad been
considered impossible
Mr.. Whitehead intends to attempt