The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-02-26
A Daredevil Feat.

Apropos to the feat of a dare devil
workman OH the cantilever bridge nj
Niagara, related in The National Tribune
Of Jan. /, Lieut.. Asa w. Slayton. Co
b, 18th Mich, Grand Rapids, Mich.
writes:
1.-The first bridge over the Niagara gorge
was the noted Suspension bridge, complet-
Ell Tor railroad traffic in 1855. The bridge
was begun in 1852; the carriage bridge
completed, 1854; the bridges were "a feet
wide; the railroad bridge was directly over
the other, and was 245 feet above the
| water. Two stone towers on each bank
of the river so feet high, and 81 feet
from one pair to the other, sustained the
four wire ropes or cables which supported
the bridge. These cables and towers, also
| those which supported the Clifton bridge
carriage bridge, 1,26S feet long, up near
the Falis-are all gone and the bridges
are now supported on great arches of iron
| trestle-work.
An excursion party from Cannonsburg.
Mich, was visiting the Falls Oct 1,
| 1861, and on returning to the York State
side one day one of the party asked the
| bridge superintendent if he might 20 I'D
TO 10Th the top OF the tower, and was answered;
Yes, if you can get there" The appli-
cant took off his shoes, walked out about
| one-third the way across the bridge to
| where he could reach the stay-ropes which
supported the bridge from the cables.
On these he climbed to the highest
cable on the up-riyer side of the bridge,
and standing up ON that, he slowly walked
to the top of the tower being from 275
to $40 feet above the water during the
walk. From the top of the tower a wire
rope ladder hung down to about 40 feet
above the bridge. He climbed down that
ladder and hung by his hands to the low
est round; but his two feet would not
reach that 40 feet, so he threw his feet
up and caught them on the round and
dropped his head down; nor would his
hands reach the 40 feet, so he reversed
again and returned to top of the tower
He gazed up toward the Falls few min
utes, then walked back toward Canada
on the cable, some 20 or 80 feet to where
a two-inch cable ran across connecting
the up-riyer and down-river cables, and
being fully 20 feet above the bridge. On
this he crossed to the down-river side of
the bridge, stopping at the middle and
hanging by his hands, dangled his body
in the air below n few minutes; then
throwing up his feet and clinging to the
cable with them his whole body, head and
arms, swung underneath like pendulum
BY this time the grounds around We're COW
cred with people, who had run from every
direction shouting ''Blondin! Blondin!" He
next walked up the down-river cable to
tie top OF the tower, paused Il short time
to have a good look at the Whirlpool
Rapids, then walked down the cable to
its anchorage block, climbed down to the
bridge, jumped up on the hand-rail and
ran back on it to his shoes, put them on,
and descended to the ground, where he
received many congratulations and some
invitations to Come in and have drink"
which he did not do and never did. Col.
L. x. Bishop, now Postmaster of this
city, was there and saw it ALL l know
that the above is strictly true, for was
the fool who did it,