Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-04-11
BLOND|N At NIAGARA,
His Famous Walk on a Slack
Rope Over the Cataract.

his Famous walk on a Slack
Rope Over the Cataract.
WITH A MAN UPON HIS BACK.
The Sensations Of Henry M. colcord,
Who Was Perched on the Aerobat's
Body, as Described by Himself The
~ Severed Guy Rope Incident.
Charles Blondin, the French rope
walker, though he died In bed at 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-
1 fession. His feats were tasks too
great for the skill as well as the cour-
age of his imitators.
Blondin's great trip over Niagara
falls in 1859 was the most startling
sensation Of that time, a thing talked
Of for a generation afterward. 1t was
Witnessed by crowd Of thousands.
The present king of England, then
Prince Of Wales, saw Blondin 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 a greater impression
upon him than any incident Of his
journey. 3''s
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 Inn
possible for him to keep his swaying
footing with the burden on his back.
Large sums were laid that he would
fail. Blondin's own feeling, however,
was one Of complete confidence.
But the feelings Of the man on his
back! That man had never walked a
slack rope. had never been suspended
in such a 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 M. Colcord of Chicago, gave an ac-
Ecount Of his experience to a newsga-
per. {E55 81 4
You ask what it feels like to be
| twelve hundred feet in midair over a
| raging torrent" he said. 81 cannot
describe it better than by saying that
the first sensation was an overwhelm-
ing one, in which it 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
4 In life. r 4 5ts la
Look up, Harry!' he said.
MY arms were about his neck, while
4 my legs were slung in hooks at his
waist. Out we went over that horrible
| gulf. j 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 II
l tAaI vast LAIOuE ,WuV u1u lOI 1Scl Q
greater strain than was ours. s
Unable to resist. / stole one glance
down at the black Waters. 1t seemed
for an instant as If / were poised
above the entire universe. There was
4 a feeling Of immensely such as had
never felt before and have never fell
since. Then looked up.
"Blondin walked on steadily, pausins
for one brief moment at each point
where the guy ropes Joined the MAR
cable. The line was trife steadiel
at those places and gave him chance
to assure himself Of his balance. There
was a wide space in the middle of the
rope to which it had not been possible
to attach guy lines.
cat the last resting place before we
reached this slender, swaying spar
Blondin said to me: s
Harry. you are no longer Colcord
you are Blondin. Until clear this
place be q part of me. mind, body and
soul. II ! sway, sway with me. Dc
not attempt to do any balancing your
| self. II you do, we shall both go dowr
to our death Nj N.
i 81 had dismounted while he was
talking to me and stood with one foo
| 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.
tried to think that Instead Of being
poised In midair, with nothing but 0
| manila rope between me and destruc
| ton, was shut up with Blondin in a
| confined space where the thought of q
fall was farcical.
"Blondin swung to the right and
4 then to the left. Each time went
| with him as though we were nodded
\ into one piece with immovable parts.
81 knew afterward that the line be
meath his feet was swayfng horribly
and that to the people on the shore Il
seemed that time and again our bodies
i were parallel to the rushing Niagara
rapids below. Blondin's marvellous
i skill toWaypr and Tho nrncisi0n with