The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-05-01
BLOND|N AT NIAGARA
His Famous Walk en- a Slack
Rope Over the Cataract.
WITH A MAN UPON HIS BACK.

Who Was Perched on the Acrobats
Body, as Described by Himself-The
Severed Guy Rope Incident.
Charles Blondin, the French rope
walker though he died In bed at a ripe
old age in 1897, performed feats that
no other man has ever dared emulate.
There are few things in the way of
daring that some one will not repeat,
but Blondin was the cleverest as well
as the most venturesome of his pro-
fession His feats were tasks too
great for the skill ms we'll as the cour-
age OF his imitators.
Blondln's great trip over Niagara
falls in 1859 was the most startling
sensation of that time, thing talked
of for generation afterward. 1t was
witnessed by n crowd of thousands.
The present king of England, then
Prince of Wales, saw Blondln while
on his tour through the United States.
He once declared that the sight of
Blondin crossing the falls on a sway
Ing rope made n greater impression
upon him than any incident Of his
journey.
Though Blondin crossed on the rope
several times, his greatest exploit was
when he carried over on his back an
other man TO the spectators, unused
to the acrobat's feats, It seemed i'm
possible for him to keep his swaying
footing with the burden on his back.
Large sums We're laid that he would
fail Blondin's own feeling, however.
was one of complete confidence.
But the feelings of the man on his
backl That man had never walked n
slack rope. had never been suspended
in such dreadful position before, and
he had to depend for his safety abso-
lutely on the movements of another.
Many years afterward this man. Hen
ry NJ. Colcord of Chicago, gave an ac.
count OF his experience to n newspn-
per.
"You nsk what 1t feels like to be
twelve hundred feet in midair over Il
raging torrent" he said. 81 cannot
describe It better than by saying that
the first sensation was an Overwhelm-
Ing one, In which 1t was hard to sepa-
rate awe from fear. Then there came
what may best be termed an absolute
cessation of all feeling. Before start
Ing from the shore Blondin gave me
that Injunction which almost every
mother has given to the boy at her
knee when giving him his first lesson
in life
"'Look up, Harryr he said.
my arms were about his neck, while
my legs were slung In hooks at his
waist Out we went over that horrible
gulf. | heard the roar of the water
below and the hum which ran through
the crowd of 100000 spectators. AS
we cleared the brink the hum ceased.
There was not one person perhaps In
that vast throng who did not feel a
greater strain than was ours.
unable to resist stole one glance
for an instant as If were poised
above the entire universe. There was
feeling of immensely such as | had
never felt before and have never felt
since Then looked up.
"Bl0ndin walked on steadily. rauslng
for one brief moment at each point
where the guy rones Joined tho main
cable The line was triae steadier
at those places and gave him chance
to assure himself of his balance There
was wide space in the middle Of the
rope 20 which K bod no, hccn possible
to attach guy lines.
AT the last resting place before we
reached this slender swaying span
Blondin said to me:
"'Harry. you are no longer Colcord;
you are Blondin. Until clear this
place be part of me, mind. body and
soul If sway. sway with me. Do
not attempt to do any balancing your
self. II you do. we shall both go down
to our death
81 had dismounted while he was
on the line and both hands on his
shoulders. | climbed back into my
perch. and Blondin started across the
unstable part Of the line. | had clear
ed my mind Of all feeling save one. l
tried to think that instea Of being
poised in midair. with nothing but a
manila rope between me and destruc-
ton, was shut up with Blondin in a
confined space where the thought of a
| fall was farcical.
''Blondin swung to the right and
then to the left Each time I went
| with him as though we were nodded