ON BLONDIN'S BACK.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 23, 2 October 1885, Page 13

ON BLONDIN'S BACK.

HABBY COLCOBD, artist, now of Chicago.ran away (from home and went to sea. Before he got through with his adventuies he rode across Niagara Falls three times on tbe back of Blondin on a tight rope. He says he would not do it again, but that he did not suffer fiom fear. One can readily believe him. In his deep gray eye there is a suggestion of self-control, and in his slight, litbe figure of strength and reserve pbyt-ical force which his gentle voice and his easy, courteous manner fails to entirely conceal. He is an artist as artists go, aud paints tolerable pictures.

•' In the year 1858," he said, " I joined Blondin in Boston. He was of the Francona tronpe, including Martinetti and tbe famous Ravels, i was their scenic artist, and painted scenes with a whitewash brush. We disbanded in Cincinnati, and there it occurred to Blondin to cross Niagara on a tight rope, and I went to the Falls with him. We had no end of trouble getting the necessary permits to extend the ropes. Blondin only spoke but little English ; that was on« difficulty, but finally we succeeded in getting them from Porter, who owned the American side, and the rest was easy. Blondin wanted to carry the rope from Terrapin Tower and across to Dayis's Hotel, which would have led over Horsehoe Falls, through the mist and the spray of the great cataract. They objected, because Blondin was sure to fall, they said. The spray would keep his rope damp, and I, who had engaged to go on hi 9 back, was very glad of it. Finally we stretched the iope from White's pleasure ground across to the Clifton House. Not far away from the place there is now a suspension bridge. There was 2,000 feet ot tbe rope. It was of Manilla, three inches in diameter, made iv a New York ropewalk. in two pieces. Blondin joined them with a long splice which, when tbe rope was extended, was in the centre of the span. It took us nearly rive months to stretch ihe rope and to get guy lines in pi ice. " It waa 260 feet above water at its lowest point, which was 50 feet below the highest— m other words, there was a grade of 50 feet in 1,000 feet. There were 75,000 feet of guy lines altogether. E-ich of them was weighted with a ten-pound sand bag to drop tbem out ot the way of bis balance pole, and in putting them up Blondin crossed a score of times. At last we were ready to mak« the first ascension ; that was what we called it. Belore I went over he made seveial public ascensions. It was advertised through the paper 3 that I was to ride on his back, and I was the subject of all kinds of attacks and criticisms. I w^s ready to back out, except Blondin began to tauat me, and I got into that corner of.pnde ana vaiu-gloriousness which I could not escape fiom. Meantime Blondin bad coached me as to what I should do. I was to put my weight on his &boalders by my arms, and clasp his body about with my legs. But I could not put my weight on his legs ; that would encumber his movement. I had to keep all the weight on his shoulders. In July, 1860 we went across. I took my place on Blondin's back, and he began the descent Irom the Canadian side on the rope. By reason of the fact that I had to bear my weight on his shoulders, and had to use my aims and with main strengtn to support myself, frequent rests were necetsary. I told Blondin when I wanted to rest, and then I dropped down on the rope on one foot and waited till my arms were relieved, when I would spring up again, using only my arms to lift and hold myself io place. There was a great crowd there. I did not see them at first. Ido not remember what I thought. From my place on BLndin's back I could look uut to ths other shore and see below me the stunted pines thrusting their sharp points up ftom the edge of the foamintr wat> r ready to split us if we fell. I lemember, too, that I was anxious to get over, and I recall, too, that the great rope before us made swings from bide to side. We afterwards knew that the rope swung forty, feet at the centre, and I felt the necessity of preserving my selfpossession, and I did it. '• There was a forty feet length between the guy on one side and those of the other that it was linpo-s ble to make sieady. It was the middle span. Below us 250 feet roared the river, and over it we swung from side to side, btill moving on steadily, however. Blondin never trembled. When we had gone about ten feet on this middle span somebody on the American side pulled tbe outer guy line. We afterwards found out it was done intentionally, and the rope was s opped in its swing. Blomlin stopped, and his pole went from side to side in a vain effort to enable him to tecure his balance. At one time it was up and down on the right side, at another time up and d»wn on the left, and I recall now with wonder that I was only curious io know whether he would succeed in getting co-itiol of himself or not. 1 didn't feel any fear. Failing in getting his balance, he started to run across the horrible span, and we safely reached the point where the guy rope came out from the American shore. Then to steady himself Blondin put his foot on the guy rope and tried to stop, but the guy line broke and with a dash of speed he ran swifily twentj-nve feet further to the next point, where the guys met the main rope. There he recovered bis balance, and whispered rather than said : ' Descendez, vous.' The perspir tion stood out on hia neck and shoulders in great Deads, and we balanced ourselves on the swaying rope. Prebently he said, ' Allous,' and I raised mytelf to his shouideis and we went on in satety and without incident toward the shore.

"It was not until we landed that I appreciated what bad been done. Then it occurred to me that the man who pulled the guy line was one of those who bet tbat the feat could never be accomplished, and my indignation mastered any reactionary feeling of fear. You see, many thousand dollars were bet upon the ability ot Blondin to carry a mau over, and human cupidity stops ,it no sacrifice. Then there were the congratulations and the praise of pluck and the rest of it, so that in my toolish boyish elation i forgoc everythi .g else. I do remember as we approached the shore the wondeiful tableau of the 100,000 people who stood gazing at us. Thousands of th. vi turned their faces away, or half turning, cast glances over their shoulders at us. I remember their white faces, their strained positions of anxiety— women who stared, white and motionless, and men who wept, and as we drew near the bank the crowd surged toward

us, and Blondin stopped, fearing they would push eacb other oTer the precipice. Then tbe crowd was still again, and with a quick run we came to the shore and sprang to the ground. I remember one man seizin? me in his arms and saying, ' Thank God. this thing ia over 1' From the other side there was a cheer, and then we were thrown into a carriage and drawn to the International Hotel by the people.

"I crossed again, twice, the last time under the patronage of the Prince of A\ ales. He congratulated us personally, and gave us each a purse of £100. N. P. Willis was present, and wrote a wonderful sketch of tbe affair. Tom Hyer, the prize fighter, was there, also, and he grabbed me up and shook me, and looked at me through the tears that fell so rapidly as to almost blind him."' ' What was your weight then, Mr. Colcord ? " ■• One hundred and thirty pounds." '■ And Blondin 'a ?" " One hundred and thirty-five." " Would you do ie again ? " " Not for all the wealth of the world."