The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-11-21

Precipitation"
Blondin had acquired international
fame by his wonderful feats on the
tight rope. He was a native Of Calais.
| France, and his real name was Jean
] Francois Gravelette. At the age of
/ four he was sent to L'EcOle gymnasium
and soon obtained the name OF the
| hoy wonder" His people were poor
i and exacting and they made him work
hard. HIS daredevil feats made him
fascinating and renowned He was the
4 first to throw a double sOmersault on
| the tight rope-the first and last and
only one. When he visited Niagara he
promptly formed the ambition of cross
/ ing the river on the tight rope
The place chosen was opposite the
| Clifton House, where the rope, a three
! inch manila, was stretched across to a
place called Whites pleasure ground.
! The rope was in two pieces of 1000 feet
| each, united by long splice. 1t hung
at a distance of 30 feet above the
river and sagged about so feet in the
| center by its own weight
The performance was well advertised
and was a big money maker. About
/ 300 900 persons were present, mainly at
/ tracted by the PROSPECT Of seeing two
4 human beings going to probable and
spectacular death. Heavy bets were
placed as to whether the two perform
ers would succeed in their feat or per-
Harry Colcord, who agreed for a sub
stantial consideration to be the man
carried was a native Of Attica. N. Y.
! he was 81 years OlQ at the llIIles Ills
muscles had been tensed and hardened
by roughing it for four years on an
arctic whaler, and he weighed only 49,
pounds. Blcndin's weight was 40
The start was made from the Ca
madam shore. Blondin wore his pro-
fessional tights; his burden wore a
] conventional black dress suit. The
balancing pole was thirty feet long
and weighed sixty pounds. The tight
rope taut as a violin string. was kept
/ in place by guy lines stretched at in
tervals of twenty feet save for a
space of forty feet in the center.
Harry, be sure to let yourself rest all
the time like a dead weight on my
back If I should sway or stumble on
no account attempt to balance your
self" This advice Colcord strictly
obeyed.
MY first thrill occurred as we
started: over the pine trees. whose
sharp tops bristIed far below US be-
tween the cliff and the river, it SEEM
ed far more terrifying than out over
the water. My heart was in my
mouth as we started. but I had abb
solute confidence in Blondin, and I
/ believed that he would set US across
all right. Our progress seemed to be
| drea dfuIly slow. The sight OF the
rapidly flowing river gave me a queer
sensation: it was that we were moving
up it at a great rate and going, but
very slowly, toward the opposite
bank. Every now and then. in order
to give him a rest. ] had to get off
( BlOndin'S back and stand behind him
on the rope stea dying myself with my
| bands around his waist while he ball
| anced with the pole.
Imagine the situation-getting
down off a mans back hundreds Of
feet in air. feeling for and standing on
taut vibrating rope. and holding on
/ tn him. clad in slippery tights when
/ the least false move or loss Of pres
1 ence of mind on the part Of one or
other might plunge you both into
| eternity. And this getting on and on
had to be repeated seven times
when we reached the middle of our
| Journey. at the 20 feet unsupported bv
| guy lines. Blondin suddenly tottered
and swayed, and his balancing pole be-
gan furiously thrashing UP and down.
He had lost his balance and was I'M
able to regain It. He broke into run.
In that awful moment his advice forci-