The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1907-05-24
TUMBLING BY RULES.
Every Move Of an Acrobat Is
Carefully Calculated.
CHANCE FALLS DANGEROUS.

n Tumbler Loses His Balance Aeel.
dentally and Goes Down He Skill
viii Not Be q Factor In Saving Him
From Getting Hurs.
'1f there is one thing more than an
other that pains me" said leading ac-
robat. ''its these stories you read some
times or hear told Of circus tumblers
and clowns who in falling accidental
~ have exercised their skill to escape
unhurt
"You read Of an acrobat falling out
OF a window, but with rare presence
OF mind, giving a sort of wrlggle Just
as the sidewalk draws near, landing on
the back Of his neck In precisely the
right way and then bouncing TO his
feet and bowling gracefully TO the star
tied spectators.
ooh. I've read Of such things time
and time again. but, take my word, they
are all fakes pare and simple. My ex-
perience has been that II a tumblef
loses his balance accidentally he IL Just
as badly or and win fall just as far
and Just as hard as the man or woman
who does not even know how to turn
q aOmeraault. ] speak. as say. from
bitter experience, aud no doubt any
other circus or vaudeville tumbler
would emphasize this should you
bother 10 ask him.
'sThe explanation IL simple enough,
Rf4Fa 90 al
ready, embodylng as It does the fact
that tunbling II a science and that
every move, however careless or slip
shod L may appear to the spectator, Is
a calculated move and that any tumble
or fall proceeds In certain definite
moves from start 10 finish an exact and
perfect as a problem in arithmetic.
'srhe act may incite roars of laugh
ter, but l wonder would the laughter
bo so great did the spectators know
how that mlrth provoking stunt had
heen worked over from point to point
and studied and practlced. Well.
suppose It's like any other business
where the glamour In all on the outside.
Speaking of tumbllng In real life.
you should have been with tho Fore
paugh show enc summer evening some
years back. We were doing a Sunday
jump from Topeka, think 1t was. to
some little one tent town down the
line. and the members of the troupe
were packed In a long eabooae ON the
r,ar Of a freight train which was
made MP partly OF our property cars.
1T was raining hard that night and
black as a tent rlgger's heart. The ca
0oose was so sitting hot that two or
three members of our troupe would 20
NJ Ia the ceboose tower every now
add then. open the lookout window
aud drink In the air
''i'iually the train came to n stand.
SIN, aud there we stood for at least
cen minutes. with all sorts Of rafting
and humping going ON ahead. At last
after about tlfteen minutes one Of the
girls up in the tower called down
that there was a DIRE ahead. We all
erawled up one after tho other. aud
took peep. Sure enough. there was
u big blaae up foFwarl-a railroad
station. every one thought Il was, but
Il turned out to be two OF our forward
cars.
Mind you. the night was 30 black
that ynu could not see three feet ahead
Of your nose. The whole crowd made
a rush fur the eaboose door Luke
Stark was the flrst. and Luke was the
finest aerial tumhlcr In the country.
He had the chance OF his life right
there, for as he stepped OF the last
step, thinking b hit tho ground. he
hit nothing AZ all The hloomin' car
was on a trestle.
We'll. a lady elephant tumhier was
right behind Luke. and n was a race
for the bottom. | was next. but as
saw the others disappear | reached
up and caught the hand rail Just as nay
feet dangled In the air II was a mat.
ter OF hut a second to pull up again.
but before I had my feet fair ON the
step could hear from below a sort OF
dull splash and screams OF gurgllng
terror.
eve got lanterns and ran down the
side Of the trestle. thinking 10 tind two
dead persons. but instead we discov-
cred in about foot Of water and six
feet Of mud the two tumblers aud
Uedged In 30 tight they could not