A DANGEROUS EXPERIMENT.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 450, 1 March 1890, Page 5

A DANGEROUS EXPERIMENT.

A

YOUNG face with a light moustache, a long, well shaped nose and sparkling black eyes, topping a figure six feet high. That was Esuria, and Esuria was

myself. Yes, Bill Esuria—ib don’t particularly matter what the meaning of the name is, or bo what nationality it belongs. If nob very handsome, I was very young, and every muscle had been through a training. I was daring, and made my living in break-neck pursuits. My father lost his life while ballooning, my brother was killed in Paris in the act of catching a cannon ball lired from a gun. My heart was hung on a reckless string. I One summer I did tight-rope walking for my bread and meat; but time 3 were hard on the Pacific Coast; moneys came in slowly, and my services were but poorly paid for. A new hotel of several hundred rooms had been built, and the manager was talking of securing someone who was willing to risk his neck to draw a crowd for the opening. I sought him out, and told him that I was just the fellow he wanted. ‘ And what’s your line ? ’ ‘ Tighb-rope walking.’ ‘Humph ! Is that all? Can’t you eat beer bottles and jack-knives ? ’ ‘No ; my forte lies in harder feats in the air.’ 1

He laughed a little derisively. ‘ And what can you do on the rope ? ’ * Wheel you across in a wheelbarrow.’

‘ Pshaw ! ’ ‘ Carry you across on my back.’ * Stale ! ’ ‘I can cook, eat, dance, and burn a somersault on the rope.’ ‘ These are all stale—good enough for an ordinary entertainment; but, sir, I want something fresh.’ 1 Well,’ I said, thoughtfully, ‘ I can give you something new.’ ‘Out with it.’ ‘You see that canyon? I want you to erect a mast on either side of it—put ib up strong, say two hundred feet in the air; that would be four hundred feet from the ground, for the canyon is about two hundred feet deep. Advertise it six hundred feet if you wish—l’d rather ib were twelve hundred feet for my purpose. You can fib up these masts cheaply and yet strongly with wire ropes, and then I want you to stretch a tight wire rope from mast to mast. I will go through all the stale feats and eat a water-melon into the bargain.’ ‘ Humbug !’ *No humbug about it. I'll jump down into the bottom of that canyon and ib will not hurt me a bit.’

‘ You’ll do that, will you ?’ the hotel man cried, rubbing his hands together, and his eyes glistening with pleasure. ‘You’ll jump whether it kills you or not ?’ ‘ Yes, I will.’ ‘ And your price ?’ ‘ Five hundred dollars.’ . ‘ I’ll give you three hundred dollars for the risk—that’s all it is worth. Bub I won’t give you fifty cents unless you jump without a rope attachment.’ * All I want is a strong umbrella.’ * I thought that was the idea. Don’t you want an elevator to lower you down gently, so that you won’t soil your clothing ? Shall I lower you in a basket ? You’re a bx-ave man—you’d draw a brilliant crowd !’ I turned angrily away, but bad gone only ten paces when he called me back and said that he would give me two hundred dollars for the feat. I refused. After considerable arguing he finally concluded that he would pay me five hundred dollars, and at once went to work to have the masts put up.

An enormous parachute was made according to my directions, and I thoroughly tested the rope the day before I was advertised to exhibit. I had dropped from a balloon in a parachute several thousands of feet in perfect safety, but this was a somewhat different and far more difficult affair. A parachute in a four hundred feet fall would hardly have time to resist the force of gravitation ere it reached the earth. I realised the full force of my danger, and meant to test the parachute well ere I made a final descent.

Here was peril, look at it in any way I would. My heart failed me as I gazed down into the depths of that canyon, with its sharp, jagged edges and projections of trees and shrubs. If my parachute should catch on one of these I knew it would be the end of me and my ambition. I studied the science of the drop long and well. I had been through a great many hazardous exploits in my day, but this was the most reckless thing I had ever attempted. 1 made my parachute on the same general principle on which they are all made—a strong umbrella, with a hole at the apex. This hole lets the air escape upward, thus lessening the violence of the compression that might otherwise tear the parachute to fragments. The largest that I had ever used would present insufficient resistance to the force of gravitation in so short a distance ; so I had this parachute made twenty four feet in diameter, with a heavier swell than usual. It was manufactured of stout duck and strong cords, with a perch on the end of the handle on which I could support my logs, and also one for my hands. I carefully weighed myself, and as carefully weighed a bag of sand of my own weight, which I fastened upon the perch, and after considerable trouble raised to the tight rope and let go. „Jt actually spun through the air, with a whining, shrieking noise that suggested to me that I might put a horn in the safety escape and have a strain of weird music as accompaniment. It went down the first 150 feet with terrific speed, the bag of sand swinging like a pendulum, and the parachute dodging about like a sea-gull. I watched it closely ; if that bag reached the bottom of the canyon in safety, I could reach it. Frightful as the descent was, I would venture upon it, and I would have a horn attachment to add to the excitement.

Just before the bag entered the canyon it swung back and forth frightfully, turned with a jerk, came almost to a stop, then gave a plunge and a side dart, and, floating some sixty feet north, struck a current of air that almost brought it against the north wall of the canyon. I expected to see it thrown from its fastenings, so sudden was the stop, and knew that if it struck or caught the smallest twig it would be torn, and must then sink like a stone. But at the critical moment it righted itself, began to descend gently and easily, and in a few seconds landed in safety at the bottom of the canyon. Not a grain of sand was lost; if the landing had not been easy, the bag would have burst and the sand been strewn all about.

The feat could be done, then. Though I disliked the terrible speed of the first 150 feet, it did not alarm me as those cross currents had. One current might carry me into a tree and destroy my parachute, which meant death; or another might throw me on the sharp rocks with a deadly force.

But what was the use of borrowing trouble ? I had been fortunate so far, and why not on this occasion ? If I came down in safety, I should be a hero, or something akin to it. If I could have regulated my course and selected my landing-place it would, have been a rare satisfaction ; but that was clearly impossible. Well, Professor Esuria had a horn attached to his parachute at ten o’clock the

next morning, and was ready to do as advertised. Ib was an eventful day for the hotel man. The crowd was something enormous. Betting was carried on extensively. I had been advertised far and near with my remarkable jumping feat. Ib wa3 not encouraging to hear someone say, ‘I know he’ll break his neck, and he oughter, if he don’t know any better,’ but I felt that the remark was deserved. Now that I was on the verge of my feat, I felt that I was worse than a fool to thus risk my life. The hotel man was happy; he patted me on the shoulder, and told me that if I lived through the feat he would make me a handsome present. I was dressed in a new and fancy suit of tights. The people stared at me as though I were mad. Well, I suppose I was. The day could not have been better chosen. A balmy air and a rich blue sky, with a summery haze in the west. The elements were favoui-able. Hardly a lock

of hair was disturbed by the wind. I felt no unusual fear as I climbed up on the rope and w’ent through the usual progi’amme, with a few variations. I set the table on the two-inch rope over the yawning canyon below. I made a fire in my oil-stove, cooked my dinner and ate it; cub a watermelon into fancy pieces, and, throwing these pieces into the air, caught them in my mouth. I sat in a chair and smoked a cigar, burned a somersault, and landed safely on the rope. The applause was tremendous; I was a great success : but I could see that the people were all on the tiptoe of excitement for the greatest feat of all.

When the parachute was in readiness a deathlike hush fell over everyone pi-esent—-a hush that could nob but affect the most insensible. While I examined the machine I sang a comic song in order to keep myself from thinking. Then I crossed one leg over the perch and plunged into the air. Shall I over forget the sensation ? lam used to sensations of this sort, too. If J had been a novice the way in which I shot thi-ough the air would have frightened me so much that I should have lost my hold on the machine at once ; but, as it was, I clung all the tighter. The pax’achute did nob seem to offer a particle of resistance to gravitation. I went down, down, down, like a stone. My head seemed about to fly off my shoulders. The air whizzed and fluttered tei’ribly, the horn sent forth the shrieks of a maniac. I believe I was never more confused in my life. It seemed as though I should never stop. I felt that my time had come. Then, when I had giver, up all hope of a change, the parachute commenced to dive and dart, and I knew that it had commenced to feel the power of insistence.

With every dive the speed slackened, and finally I came to a stop that almost jerked me from my perch. The machine righted, and I commenced to float on the current I had noted the day before. I felt myself slowly descending, and had time to take breath and look below me.

I was surely and slowly drifting over to a clump of trees that would prove anything but a safe place on which to alight. I kicked my legs loose in the hope of directing the parachute northward to a slope of green grass. But the current had it at its mercy. If I should come down gently among the branches of a tree I might escape with a few scratches ; but if I struck it heavily I was sure of death. Suddenly I became aware of a collision, and a number of shrieks that came from a woman. The air seemed full of pins and needles, which penetrated even my eyes. I caught a glimpse of a dainty foot, and have an indistinct memory of hearing somebody calling to John and Maria. Then I felt a warm arm about my neck, and the firm grasp of a man’s hand. Then I think I fell asleep. When my mind became alive to what was going on about me, I looked about, bub could see nothing. ‘ Are you awake?’ asks a sweet voice that was very welcome bo my ears. ‘ Yes. Why is it so dark here ?’ ‘ You can’t see me !’ ‘ Not a bib of you. And my eyes feel as large as a couple of oranges. Where is my parachute ? How did I come here ?’ ‘ You fell,’she said, with a pretty little laugh. ‘Did I? I thought I i - ode here on the points of ten thousand needles.’ ‘ Worse than needles. You fell into a bees’ nest. ’ ‘ Ob, I did ? ’ I felt my hands, which were as lai-ge as any four hands ought to be. ‘ How long xnust I lie in bed ? ’ ‘ Until you are able to get up, I suppose,’ with another little laugh.

‘ Oh, you think it funny, I suppose ? ’ ‘ Indeed Ido not. Don’t you know you nearly lost your life ? ’ The owner of the sweet voice told mo that all hei people had gone out to look at my parachute descent, and that after 1 had fallen into the tree and the bees’ nest, she and her father carried me to their house in an insensible condition. Hundreds of people had come down into the valley to learn my fate, the hotel man among the number. He said he would pay all my expenses, and sent me down the best physician in the city. My feat was considered something wonderful, and roy escape marvellous. In five days my eyes were open, and I saw the owner of the soft hand the hand that had nursed me through my days of blindness and so diligently applied lotions to my face. I was very much in love with that hand, and when I saw the sweet face that accompanied it I was a lost bachelor.

I have given up rope-walking ar.d all such dangerous feats. My wife won’t allow me to risk my valuable life. Yes, she calls it valuable, so you see I must have turned over a new leaf. But I don’t regret my muscular training ; it comes in handily on the farm ; and I can find plenty to do with the strength which was once a mere excuse for reckless daring.