The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-13
"UIVER CAME up TOT MEET me-"
BRIDGE JUMPER URELL TELLS
OF HIS I36 FOOT DIVE.
Burrenders 20 Police and Is Held by Admir-
ing Magistrate for Special sessions
Narrowly Missed DerrIlct Telegraph
POIe-WIn Try q Niagara Bridge Next.

tale that the recital in the Tombs police
court Yesterday OF nineteen-year-old
Thomas II. Urell, the Brooklyn boy who
deliberately Owed from the high spar ON
Monday, stands out. The boy, who looks
more like II than 10, lives with his mother
and aunt at 81 Second place, Brooklyn.
For two years Urell has been a profess
sional diver. He got $50 a week for making
asixty-hve foot dive at Dnsamland, Coney
Island, and a little more than that for doing
twenty feet additional at a summer resort
in Brockton, Mass. But Of high divers
under the hundred foot class there Ia no
dearth. To become the King OF the High
Divers Urell decided he had to do two
things. First he would try the Brooklyn
Bridge, 1873 feet above high water. With
success to crown that attempt he would
silence all competitors by diving into the
Niagara River from one Of the high bridges
there, a distance not less than fifty feet
greater.
He Owed on the Brooklyn Bridge at l
O'Clock last Monday afternoon, succeeded
beyond his fondest hope and save for two
days spent lodging the cops until he rested
up he felt no inconvenience Tie heard
yesterday that there was a warrant out
for his arrest and he surrendered to the
police OF tnS washington eJIott btdNiOh
house, Brooklyn. They sent him over TO
the Tombs court to Magistrate Cornell.
When Urell, rosy checked and smiling,
was arraigned and the policeman said he
was the man who had jumped of the bridge,
Magistrate Cornell looked at him incredu-
lousy.
What this boy jumped on the bridgeT
he asked. Bring him up here 10 l can get
l~zlx - L.. III, l., -aol,y pfaroatinn-
q really new case in a police court"
Urel was brought up and he and the
Magistrate had a little talk about how it
feels to dive 1875 feet and receive no injury.
The boy ia about S feet 0 inches tall, 1872
pounds in weight and hard a. nails.
"Why, my dear boy, you might have
struck a tug or other boat and been killed.
There would have been nothing left OF YOU"
said Magistrate Cornell as he surveyed the
youth.
replied Urel.
They say a tug picked you up. Did you
have that a~rranged?"
Nope, never saw the captain OF the tug
Stanley II. Miner until he was good enough
to fish me out Of the water" said the young
diver.
well. how in the world did you expect
10 get ashore?'
"Oh, l saw the tug was coming and took
q chance that they'd pick me up. II not,
then some other boat. You see, Judge, I'm
a diver. That's my business. l knew l
could make this dive that everybody said
couldn't be done and | went and did it,"
Didn't you hurt yourself at all2'
~Oh, yes, l bunged up my right eye a
little, AZ you can see" showing a slight
discoloration, and | wrenched my shoul-
der, but that was because | went over a
little too far on that shoulder. Otherwise
I'm o. K"
Magistrate Cornell cbuckled, and it was
plain that he would nave liked to release the
prisoner, but as he expressed it half the
crazy boys in Brooklyn will be doing the
same thing without this boys skill, il he
goes Free" Sc he held him for Special
Sessions under $50 bond, but agreed that
the household goods profiered by the boys
aunt would be acceptable security. Then
he released the defendant.
For anybody else l suppose il would be
q risky thing" said Urell TO the reporters.
but I've often done ~ feet and several
times the hundred. When | made upAmy
mind to do this trick l said to myself, Can
! keep my headT decided could. l
HAUL Oh ANU hOOhl lOA N lAuN iIOhA 4 dlllC
is light and the cops are not 80 careful.
] put on a light undershirt, a pair of thin
rousers with a be IL, my coat and a pair Of
loose shoes. Not knowing if I'd come
out all right 1 left a card in my coat.
when l got out on the bridge l loosened
nv shoes, but did not take them of, as /
was afraid l might hurt my feet OF the
roadway or climbing up on the iron girders.
You know they're full OF sharp little iron
splinters. knew the shoes would come
Oh when l hit the water and they did, all
II knew 1 had to be quick for somebody
would try 70 grab me-, yet / had to make the
dive In my own way or get hurt. Watching
my chance l got out OF that car In a few
seconds. l threw Oh my coat as / ran and
was up on the bridge girder in less time
than 1t takes to tell. l saw several persons
running to stop me. One man was ahead
OF the others but / did not get ratified. You
eee l couldn't jump or spring, as that would
Q me spinning. had to keep my nerve,
stand bolt upright and slowly fall forward.
Ny plan was to make one complete somer-
sault and hit the water head first with my
hands In q V over my head. Well, that
guy was almost on top Of me and, tust as /
began to tip myself over, he reached his
hand and missed me by a few inches.
Not this time Bill, some other time
] cried and then down I shot. You know
you don't think you're going down once you
start. It's like going up In a balloon. The
balloonist says the balloon doesn't seem to
40 up at all, that the earth Just drops away
from him. Well, that was my case, only
reversed. There / was with my eyes wide
open after / completed the somersault and
the East River coming right up to meet me.
QuickP Why the whole thing was over in
almost q second. I was down like a heavy
shot. You know in diving the further you
20 the faster you go. Ever see a baseball
start DOWN. Well; that's II. I made a
dandy dive, only a little bit over on my
right shoulder. I went under about ten
feet and was on top almost right away.
st looked kind O. funny to see that fringe
of people up on the bridge all shouting
and calling 10 me and TO see the people
excited on the shore. Just then the tug
Miner pulled alongside OF me. was swim
ming strongly and could easily have made
the shore. Just as I shot out OF the water,
md not more than two feet away, l saw
the charred end Of a telegraph pole about
ten inches thick and fifteen feet long. Il
was almost the color OF the dirty river water,
and OF course / didn't see It from the bridge.
l figured on not hitting a boat, but forgot
about stray planks. II I'd ever hit IL mead
first I'd be sleeping with nice wreaths ali
around me over in Second place now.
"The captain Of the tug wanted to put
me ashore, and l, being wise to the O
asked him II / couldn't staV aboard until [