Some Good Trick Jumping.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3121, 5 February 1889, Page 2

Some Good Trick Jumping.

, (Pall Mall Gazette) _ Of the man who lays claim to tho title "World's: Champion Juniper," at present performing at the Royal ■ Aquarium T sing. Mr Darby's performances in the way. of jumping ■ ■'• ■ maybe olassed under two headsnamely, "trick" jumping and long- ' distance jumping, and at both he ' seems equally proficient. • As an - ; instance of what he can do in the way of tho former, I may mention : that a part of his repertoire consists in placing, an ordinary low-owned' hat on the stago in iront of him, and : 1 exactly seven ieet distant from his ' ' toos, when standing in position, feet ■'■'•■'■ '■ close together and ready to make a - spring, and; having chalked/the ' '•' soles oi hjs boots (light canvas shoes in this instance), he does his jump, •■ and en passant—unmistakablytouohes the said hat, as evidenced by ,the i tqll-tale chalk mark he leaves a|Lv behind, and alights a- foot or two 'wt± further on, Not content withthis, :'Si

n he next essays the same feat : with :" v f ;: io this difference—that in place of an ;" ; - inanimate hat his attendant places '• '. his face in the" same position; and. • \■ ■ ho(Darby) jumps on and off the vV same man equally expeditious and : ■' clever manner. • There is no triokery : ' about it in any way, for I was . sufficiently near him (at the wings) / B to. note clearly that botlfin thecaaoV-v : B of the hat and the man's face his : .: : e feet did come in contact .with them j;V V e and were any further proof wanting, ' ■' '■% , there wero the -white marks left by '' : '-:' : V j- the chalked shoes, His triok jump- '. ing is by no means confined to the; v ■ '' s above, examples; but as it is as a-'' • .:< . long jumper that he has. gained most'' > ; . • e notoriety, the two named;will suffice - : '-V;0 j for" the purpose of illustration, .In - y one important detail his get-up when "". I .ongaged in distance jumps varies :' ;. materially, and that is in the matter; ; of hoots Iwhendomg "trick jumps" ':-':'' , ', lie, wears the lightest of' shoes, but :. > ' .when jumping these are, replaced ;' stout wooden clogs, weighing; ■:'■■ Where about one pound each,- arid ••-sjs* ;; fitled heel and toe with a sharp; .-" rim.to prevent slipping; in .; to r 'this,:; •• junipirig'iri public;'he ■■' - -£J I L dumb-bell suapojone; in -,each/lianS,.-^£;vs I TOghii)glOJlb;v: ; j pcoaiwnsrbe^S/ipeas^

, peotivo weight of each.to as much as • 121b. On boiug asked how'long ho • liad practised junipipg,; he replied fwith a smile'.and a very decided Worcester dialect, <"Amoostisolongasl remember. I was always aat it when a hit of a kiddy, jumping against tho other lads, and I could always best thorn fair and easy." ' "You began when 'you wore at school, I suppose ?"-" It was not much schooling I got," was his response ; " ten months at tho outside, , and half-time at that. 1 was at wok nail-making, the same a3 my father, when I was seven years old; and then I used to pop out between whiles and havo a jump with any lad tliero . was about; but I did'nl go in for it regularly until I was getting a man you might say." " But you are not muoh more than that now, surely, I put in. You don't look abovo two or threo and *""'• twenty." . " I was born on tho Gtb of August, ■■ 1881, and that makes mo twenty ttiL seven and a bit over, I fancy. Any1 have been in training, running \ and jumping, but mostly jumping, any time' these last six years, and' have only been beaten (fair and square) once. I lost one other match I admit, but I matched myself the same day to jump tho same man on equal terms, and then I beat him hollow. I thought I might as well take a regular engagement," "Have you ever hurt yourself jumping, may. I ask?" "Not to any serious extent. I turned my ancle once an practising, but I had a match coming off in loss than a fortnight, and I got all right before the day and won the match into the bargain, so there was not much damage done." " I suppose you find it necessary to restrict yourself in the matter of wliet'to a great extent." Itm "Not so much as you would TCiagine; I eat four good meals a day breakfast about 9,80; dinner one o'clock; tea, five o'clock; and supper (my heaviest meal of the day as a rule), about eleven o'clock, after I

have done uiy last turn, My weight isl2st 41b (jumping dress), and to v 'i> s muß ' e m y weights, ~ 191bs, which bring it up to 14st 91b; and don't think I have varied more than a pound or two since I began jumping, more or less for a livelihood, nix years ago, Of course 1 have no waste flesh about me; it is all solid muscle, as you can see, and the leg muscles have naturally developed protty consideraby." " And yet you do not strike me as having a very big pair of calves," " No, they are not, but I am willing to measure any man above the knee. Jnjt try, will you?" A tape is speedily produced, and on being passed round just above the kneecap gives tho size at no less than eighteen inches, and increases in proportion higher up. im " ave ou '° e l' ai ''' ou ' ai ' as t° **tvhat you eat and drink ?" • " Not very; Ido not eat much vegetables, my'' diet being chiefly a meat one, not too much cooked; and for liquids 1 confine mysolf chiefly to port and sherry, drinking on an average two or three glasses of beer a day, not more." Having already referred to MiDarby's "trick" performances, a word must be said as to bis distance

_ jumps. Thestageatthe Aquarium is admirably adapted for a display of the kind, being both wido and deep, and Mr Darby puts its capabilities to the test by jumping over three lots of chaira (seven in each), representing a little over 30ft., in three successive standing jumps; in addition to this he is announced to jump a bar sft in beight (also standing), but ■ as in this case he " takes off" from an upended brick Oft high, the «tual distance jumped is only 4ft a. but even that cannot be "regarded as otherwise than a very fine performance by a man whose height does not exceed sft B}in, and as he modestly observes " it certainly does take doing"—an opinion in which I fancy most will agree with him.