When the weather permitted, the boys who worked at a large cotton mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, ran out to swim after work. This was about a hundred and fifty years ago, so it is difficult to say with certainty whether they continue to do so now.
swearing or have already quit. I should go to Pawtucket and check it out.
In any case, in previous years this is exactly what boys did.
What's the fastest way to get into the water? Well, of course, by jumping from a bridge into the water. The bridge was quite high and the river quite deep, to say the least. I can't think of a better place to jump into the water, especially after a hard day at work.
One of these boys was named Sam, and his name was Sam Patch. He wasn't famous for anything else. Another thing: he didn’t just jump from the bridge into the water, but in a special way, everyone noticed it. He climbed onto the top crossbar of the bridge and from there threw himself down. Feet forward, stretched out, toes together, hands at your sides.
Later, however, he changed his style.
As Sam prepared to jump, boys and even adults gathered around him. When he decided to jump from the factory roof, which was much higher than the bridge, there were even more spectators. The highest point at the ridge of the roof was about fifty feet from the water and even a little more, can you imagine?
But it was easy for Sam to jump from such a height. But the crowd on the bridge was buzzing and making noise with excitement. Why, there were curious spectators all along the bridge on the bridge.
And then Sam moved to another factory, it was much higher than the first. Its roof was flat, even though you could run after it on it. On such a roof it was very convenient to run up and fly into the water feet first, back straight, arms at your sides.
But as soon as he touched the water, Sam bent his knees under him and - wow! - he tumbled and went under the water, and then flew upside down.
Gradually fame came to Sam. Even those who were simply acquainted with him basked in its rays. For example, newspapers published the name of his schoolteacher, who told them how Sam got started.
It often happened that he skipped across the class, she said. Not in the sense that he jumped from first class straight to third. No, often he simply did not look into the school, so to speak, he skipped by. And he always skipped over difficult words when reading his homework. And in arithmetic class, I was in a hurry to jump to the answer.
See how early Sam’s talent for jumping began to manifest itself!
Yes, so after that factory Sam moved to the third, which was even higher. She was in New Jersey and stood at the very Passaic Falls. It was a pleasure to jump into it!
At the foot of the waterfall, engineers were just building a bridge across a deep chasm at that time. First, on the high bank of the river, they assembled the frame of the bridge, and then wrapped it with ropes to throw it to the other bank.
A big celebration was being prepared on the day the bridge opened.
Sam Patch promised that he would also take part in the celebration and, on such a special occasion, would jump over the waterfall. He boasted so much that he alerted the police. They were very afraid that he might crash or, what good, kill himself to death. But most importantly, the audience will be more concerned about his jump than the opening of the bridge, and this is no good.
However, it was impossible to stop Sam. He hid in a dense grove located on the bank above the waterfall. When they began to throw the bridge across the river, some part came off it and flew into the water. But only Sam noticed this, because he stood above everyone else, right above the waterfall.
Trouble was inevitable. And Sam jumped out of his hiding place, screamed, waved his arms and threw himself from a height of seventy feet into the river. Underwater, he somersaulted and jumped to the surface. Then he swam to a steel squiggle or something else that had fallen into the water, and returned the necessary part to the engineers.
The crowd cheered. Even the police were happy. Now it was possible to calmly build the bridge.
It was a solemn moment in the life of Sam Patch. On this day, he decided to make jumping the goal of his life.
Right in front of a surprised audience—and in front of the police, who watched and remained silent—Sam walked out to the middle of the new bridge and jumped.
Then Sam jumped from the top of the tallest mast of the largest ship in New York Harbor. Wherever Sam went, he drew a crowd. And the more I jumped, the more attached I became to this activity. Over time, he added something to his performances. Now, before running up and jumping into the water, he made a short speech.
- Higher and higher! - he said. - Nothing is impossible in life. Sam Patch won't let you down!
But that was not all. He added a bear to his performances, Sam got a bear and also taught it to jump. The bear always jumped before him, but only after Sam made his speech.
So they jumped in different parts of the United States, wherever they encountered deep rivers and waterfalls - first the bear, then Sam. And, gradually improving, Sam reached the highest point on American soil that he had ever heard of. You probably already guessed that we are talking about Niagara Falls.
He solemnly announced that he and his bear were going to jump from the top of Niagara Falls. For this occasion, a wide platform was chosen at the top for a run-up before the jump. From this platform, at a height of one hundred and seventy feet, a sheer wall of water fell into the whirlpool. Sam Patch carefully examined the site, then tied his neckerchief in a knot and made his speech.
- Higher, higher and higher! - he shouted, trying to block the noise of the waterfall. - Nothing is impossible in life! Sam Patch won't let you down!
Thousands of spectators gathered along the banks of the river below Niagara Falls. They didn't hear Sam Patch speak, but they saw his gestures. They saw him take the scarf from his neck and tie it around his waist. Everyone knew that this was a signal - now he would jump.
But first Sam shook the bear's paw, whispered something in his ear, and gently pushed him down from the platform. The bear jumped perfectly. And he immediately emerged, safe and sound.
Then Sam kissed the edge of the American flag and said again:
- Nothing is impossible in life!
He quickly walked to the edge of the platform and flew down.
The moment he cut the water stream, there was complete silence. Will it float or not? Is Sam okay or...
And then the thunder of applause drowned out the roar of Niagara Falls - it was Sam who emerged from the water.
And new was the explosion of applause when Sam casually waved to the rowers on the rescue boats circling under the waterfall and ready to rush to Sam’s aid if anything happened.
Sam bobbed on the waves like a great swimmer should - and wasn't he a great swimmer? - and swam to the shore.
So, Sam Patch did not disappoint again!
Yes, but after jumping into Niagara Falls, it was difficult for Sam to come up with something more complicated. And yet, one idea dawned in his head.
It was possible to build a special platform higher than any waterfall, and then he, Sam, would, so to speak, surpass any waterfall.
And such a platform was erected over the Jenisi Falls in New York State. No one had ever built higher than the platform, but Sam and his bear climbed up there with ease.
When Sam was at the top, the spectators gathered below saw that he was wearing a new fashionable suit. True, he had a familiar scarf tied around his neck. And
The bear has a red bow on his head.
It was immediately obvious: a JUMP was coming.
Sam was balancing on the very edge of the platform. It seemed that he could fall down a thousand times, and the audience gasped loudly every time - a-ah!
Finally Sam gave the signal and gave the bear a little push. Bounce! And now the bear appeared on the surface of the seething river. He swam ashore, shook himself and sat down to rest. What a lesson!
And then Sam pulled the scarf from his neck and tied it around his waist. The crowd froze in suspense. Sam Patch is ready to break the world diving record.
Once! - and he flew down like an arrow. Great jump! Everyone agreed on this opinion, while Sam had not yet managed to swim out.
But Sam didn't swim out.
People waited for his legs to appear from the water, but in vain. The surface of the river remained flat and smooth. Maybe Sam has come up with some new trick? Or swam underwater and came out somewhere downstream, where no one was waiting for him? Or maybe he hid behind a snag?
There were thousands of guesses. But a lot of time has passed, and Sam has not been found. And everyone decided that he had drowned.
This time Sam Patch had overstepped his bounds, everyone said.
But people were wrong. One decrepit old man who left for Australia shortly after Sam Patch made his last and highest jump later told what really happened.
When Sam jumped, he miscalculated and went too deep under the water, so it was easier for him to swim to the other side of the Earth than to return to his shore. He surfaced just off the coast of Australia.
There he taught kangaroos to jump. They say they have not forgotten how to do this to this day.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru