JUMBO’S TRIP OVER THE GREAT BROOKLYN BRIDGE—DESCRIPTION OF THE STRUCTURE,
ETC.
I had a great feat to perform in New York City the second year after our
arrival in America. I must inform my readers in America and Great
Britain that the greatest bridge in the world is the bridge over the
East River, which empties, through a very deep channel, into the bay of
New York. This bridge connects the cities of Brooklyn and New York. It
has a span of nearly sixteen hundred feet, suspended by four metallic
cables, made of twenty thousand miles of steel wire. The height of
roadway is one hundred and twenty feet from the river level at high
water.
I was invited to take Jumbo for a processional walk over the great
Brooklyn Bridge so as to test its strength. Of course “the greatest
showman of the earth”—Mr. P. T. Barnum—had a business object in view;
but even he, with his vast and comprehensive mind, hardly realized the
grandeur of the show he was about to give to the thousands and tens of
thousands of the people of the United States—_Jumbo, the largest known
animal in creation, walking on the best and finest promenade in the
world_.
Every available space on the tops of the towers and other high places of
advantage, as well as on the banks of the river, was covered by
thousands upon thousands of human beings, of all kinds and colors, and
from all climes, gazing upon the greatest and most sublime works of man
and God—the like of which, in my humble judgment, has never before been
seen on earth—surpassing, in many respects, the mighty pyramids of
Egypt, the handiwork of the ancient world; and showing, to my mind, not
only the wonderful skill of the human race, but also the power, wisdom,
and goodness of the “Great Architect of the Universe.”
I had my doubts about the experiment of marching Jumbo over this great
structure. I calculated that if I could coax him into keeping up regular
marching order I might possibly get through the performance with safety,
but then I also knew if he would commence any of his antics up aloft on
that bridge, and begin to dance a hornpipe, so to speak, I expected he
would shake the whole concern down into the river.
My readers may not readily understand what is meant here, so I will
explain a little. If you will think for a moment you will see that when
Jumbo put his foot down on the bridge, as he marched along from New York
to Brooklyn, the bridge rebounded after the shock given by his foot. The
rebound was met by his second footstep, and there was a great vibration
caused by it.
I am said to have a pretty strong nerve, but it was something terrible
to feel that vibration as we walked quietly along the promenade of the
bridge. I assure my reader that I was thankful when we arrived on the
Brooklyn side.
Of course the tens of thousands of spectators who perched and stood on
every available space of the bridge and the banks of the river knew
nothing of the danger. I alone, perhaps, was the only party in the
transaction aware of it, and I was fortunate enough to keep Jumbo in
good humor.
I may add that Jumbo was very much interested in what was going on
around him. He knew just as well as myself that we were passing through
an experiment (for had I not spent most of the previous night explaining
to him what we were about to try and do), and as he looked down from the
great promenade to the two lines of rails, one on each side, the two
carriage drives, one on each side, and the railway underneath, all
heavily freighted with human beings, he seemed to appreciate his high
position. There were steamboats and ships sailing on the river, the
beautiful islands lying out in the Bay, and the “City of Churches” in
front of us, with all its array of spires, chimneys, and house-tops. I
can tell you, my readers, it was no ordinary event, and neither Jumbo
nor I had much time or disposition to think of the great crowds of
spectators who were so intently looking on. I may be pardoned if I say,
for the information of my readers of both countries, that I know of
nothing in the world equal to the sight which I took in at the moment I
looked at the uplifted faces of that mighty crowd of the human family.