A PERILOUS FEAT AT SEA BY BLONDIN

Patea Mail, Volume I, Issue 73, 22 December 1875, Page 3

A PERILOUS FEAT AT SEA BY BLONDIN

A gentleman, who was a passenger on hoard tho P. and. O. Mail steamer Poonah, writes: The P. and (). mail steamer Poonah was on her first voyage to Calcutta, alter the. completion of tho alterations and improvements which have been made in her, and at 5 o’clock in the afternoon of the loth October, when the ship was between Aden and Galle, Blondin announced that ho would try the feat of walking on the tight rope in a seaway, and undertook the walk from the main to the mizen-mast and back. A seven inch hawser having been made fast to the mizen-top and rove through a heavy block in the maintop, and hauled taut by tho steam-winch on dock, l iteral motion was prevented as far as possible by guys made fast to tho sides of the ship ; but tho motion of the vessel herself could not bo avoided, and the main difficulty was the long, slow, confused swell which at the change of the monsoon seems in those seas to come from different quarters at once. When Blondin stood in the maintop, pole in hand, he hesitated long enough, with one foot on the rope, to make many think he had repented, for the task was difficult enough to try even his nerves. The mizon is, of course, low'er than the main, tho steadying guys had pulled the rope down in tho centre, so that he had to start down a rather sharp incline. Blondin is accustomed to guide and steady himself by fixing his eyes on the rope about twenty feet ahead ; but what with the rolling of the ship and the vibration of the powerful engines, the rope he had now to walk on was drawn into such contortions that ho described it as looking more like a snake than a rope. Before he had gone five yards he was forced to sit down to steady himself, and avoid two or throe rollers which came in succession. He rose on one leg, and it was worth much to see the great muscles on the outside of his thighs spring into bold relief. Twice again he sat down, and reached the mizenmast amidst hearty applause. This part of tho journey was made more difficult by the sun shining directly in his eyes. Plis return was quick and easy till ho had passed over three-quarters of the distance, when a swell caught the. ship. Ho had to stop, and sway from side to side, till he seemed to be qnite out of the perpendicular, the fact being that the masts and funnel by which the eye was guided were themselves ont of the perpendicular. The pole wavered violently, and once or twice appeared to be held almost straight up arid down. Much anxiety was felt, not only by the passengers, but by Captain Angrove and the officers of the ship. Blondin never lost his nerve, but coolly waited till the troublesome rollers had passed, walked on and reached the mainmast in safety. He said that his task was a most difficult one,’ and thkT hß’ could’ riot e

gone tin Ollgli any of Ills usual performances on such a rope as that. Captain A.ngrove, who had eased the engines and varied the course of the ship from time to time, so as to keep boras steady as possible, congratulated Blondin warmly upon his safe descent. Tho whole thing was gratuitous, Blondin’s only recompense for having did what no man ever done before, being an unanimous vote of thanks from the passengers.