Year: 1859

his dress, he started again, bare headed,
and went rapidly for short distance ;
suddenly he made feint. dropped on
the rope, aud a shudder ran through the
crowd, numbers exclaiming, He is
down p But he was only down on the
rope, and in twinkling he was standing
on his head, the balancing pole beneath
him, and to which he held on with his
hands. He moved little further, and
then, disencumbered of his pole, he rose
up on his head amid the widest enthu-
siasm of the beholders. Six times he
repeated this feat, interspersed with sum-
mersets and other daring feats. AT one
time he would be stretched upon his
back, presently he would fall forward,
and roll backward again. He next tied
his pole to the rope, and proceeding a
short distance by tumbling along, he sus-
pended himself from the rope by his
hands, and then by his feet, at last hang
ing by one foot over the boiling chasm.
A feeling of awe took possession of many
on beholding this fearless freak, while
others applauded to the very echo, and
made the welkin ring with their bolster
Gus cheers. The acrobat finally reached
the platform on the American side, hav-
ing occupied precisely nineteen minutes
five seconds.


This last attempt of M. Blondin's is
unquestionably his crowning feat, and
stamps him as the greatest rope perform
er in the world. The simple feat of walk
ing on a rope Il inch in diameter, and 3
inches in circumference, may not be
much in itself, but to think of a common
Manila rope, extremely coarse and hard
twisted, stretched across a yawning abyss
$50 feet deep, being crossed by a man,
and such feats performed on it as would
astonish an audience anywhere, cannot
but be regarded as the most astonishing
of modern acrobatic attempts. Such a
spectacle as that of to-day was probably
never witnessed before Hundreds stood
aghast as they gazed upon his daring an
tics, and trembled lest he might at any
moment be precipitated in the river. The
little steamer, Maid of the Mist. was be.
low the rope, with crowd on board,
but nothing could have saved the acrobat
from immediate destruction if he had
once lost command over himself, and
slipped from the rope. Such reckless
daring is almost past belief, but those
who have been eye witnesses of the real.
ity can no longer doubt that NJ. Blondin
is fully capable of performing any feat on
his rope across the Niagara River. AT
one time his freaks would be playful and
excite considerable merriment, at auoth-
er sensation would thrill the crowd a;
he hung suspended by his arms, with
the whole weight OF his body swinging
in the air anon the feeling of awe grows
stronger as he clings to the rope with q
single foot, and swings himself to and
fro, or bounding to the rope again imi-
tates swimmer Extraordinary as the
feet was, however, still more astonish'
ing one is yet TO be performed. 1t was
actually announced to the assemblage a
the close of the performance this evening
that Nj. Blondin would cross again Oh
the 18th inst. that he would walk across
the rope, and then. with a wheelbarrow
coil up the rope on which he walks, ant
wheel it to the other side Of the river
Of course people may think what the,
please about it, but many really believ
he will perform the astonishing feat.
is a pity such foolish announcement
was made, as the public will begin t,
think Mons. Blondin is a veritable hum
bug. He performs on the nth, not
withstanding.