19 Dixon crossing the Niagara River on a Tight-Rope
Dixon crossing the Niagara River on a Tight-Rope
Niagara has always held a fascination for those adventurous spirits who seek lasting or temporary fame some unprecedented act of daring. The first to challenge the perils of Niagara Gorge was the famous tight-rope walker, Blondin. He first crossed the Gorge below the Falls on a rope stretched from cliff to cliff, in 1859. His rope was twelve hundred feet long. A year later he performed the same feat just below the railway Suspension Bridge. He crossed and recrossed, performing many daring feats. Since that time many others have succeeded in crossing the Gorge on a rope. In 1876 Maria Spelterina not only equalled Blondin, but crossed on a rope wearing stilts. Dixon was the latest daring aerialist to perform the feat represented above.
Niagara has always held a fascination for those adventurous spirits who seek lasting or temporary fame some unprecedented act of daring. The first to challenge the perils of Niagara Gorge was the famous tight-rope walker, Blondin. He first crossed the Gorge below the Falls on a rope stretched from cliff to cliff, in 1859. His rope was twelve hundred feet long. A year later he performed the same feat just below the railway Suspension Bridge. He crossed and recrossed, performing many daring feats. Since that time many others have succeeded in crossing the Gorge on a rope. In 1876 Maria Spelterina not only equalled Blondin, but crossed on a rope wearing stilts. Dixon was the latest daring aerialist to perform the feat represented above.
Dieses Kapitel ist Teil des Buches Niagara - in Summer and Winter
