Dan Poynters Sam Patch 2005 Dan Poynter, CSP, PIA Historian. PIA

Who was Sam Patch? In the 1800s Everyone knew of him Everyone used his name The press wrote about him People talked about him Young boys wanted to be just like him Sam Patch was a celebrity PIA

First BASE Jumper B A S E Buildings, Antennas, Structures, Earth. PIA

Presidents Named Horses After Sam Patch Andrew Jackson on Sam Patch. 1833. And to think you never heard of him PIA

Authors Wrote Books on Sam Patch 4 childrens 2 Fiction 1 Nonfiction PIA

Everyone Used Sams Name Commodore Perry 1853: Iron-clad steamships PIA

People were Re-named Sam Patch Adopted a castaway Japanese sailor named Sentoro. Re-named him Sam Patch One of 17 crew members rescued from a battered cargo junk after drifting 52 days in the Pacific Ocean. The only Japanese to accompany the Perry expedition that opened Japan to the West. The first Japanese to enroll in what is now Colgate University. The first Japanese person ever to be photographed. 1851. PIA

Map of the Western Pacific Perry stopped in Chi Chi Jima in 1853 500 Mile SE of Tokyo 1831: Inhabited by 7 (Caucasian) families from Massachusetts Where George Bush bailed out in 1944 PIA

Chi Chi Jima PIA

Boats Were Named After Him Erie Canal Rochester, NY PIA

Sam Patch was Remembered Immortalized in the works of Hawthorne and Melville His fame inspired portrayals of him on the London stage He shared the national spotlight with Davy Crockett, frontiersman. Mike Fink, legendary river man Mose the Bowery Boy, fictitious New York fireman. A cigar named after him PIA

Sams Words and Name Entered Popular Speech Some things can be done as well as others As cross as Sam Patch What the Sam Patch are you doing? Where in Sam Patch are you going? Explanations to substitutes for swearing. PIA

Americas First Professional Daredevil Factory hand Ordinary life for 27 years; famous for 2. 1820s: Americas first professional daredevil. Jumped from high placesusually aside waterfalls. He was a pioneer of sub-terminal freefall PIA Not a lot of high places then

The Travels of Sam Patch Massachusetts No. Reading (b. 1799) Danvers Marblehead Rhode Island Pawtucket New Jersey Paterson New York NYC Harbor Niagara Falls Rochester PIA

Sam Patch Loved to Jump (and talk about it) B.A.S.E. Jumping Pioneer Bridges (Spans) & Earth exits No tall Buildings or Antenna then Into the water No parachute Drank a lot Typical skydiver? He was one of us PIA

Sam Loved to Jump Over rocks Over fences Over pumps From a hen house Out of trees His parents figured jumping was all right for a growing boyhe would grow out of it. He didn't PIA

No Parachute PIA

Mule Spinning in Pawtucket Pawtucket: First textile manufacturing town in US. Abundant water power. 1807: Making Thread When he wasnt drinking PIA

Working in the Mills To work at age 7 in the White Mill Mills: Mostly children. Work not difficult or dangerous. Noisy and monotonous 1820: Became a boss spinner. Well paid. (When he wasnt drinking) PIA

The Falls at Pawtucket 1st from the bridge, 50 in the water. 1813: From roof of Stone Mill to the river. 100. Sam figured out that you should breathe in FF, keep your mouth shut and hold your breath prior to water entry. Called Pawtucket style. 50 feet. See the bridge. Learned to hold his breath PIA

Pawtucket Falls PIA

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The Original PLF PIA

More PIA

Sam Learned Know your landing area Avoid the rocks Enter the water vertically Take a deep breath PIA

Passaic Falls & Clinton Bridge, Paterson, NJ. So side of Clinton Bridge, 3-5M spectators. Paterson had a Population of 6M. Sam gave a short speech that none could hear. 70-75 Into a deep, shaded pool. A grand performer. Legs straight, arms to sides, entered the water like an arrow. PIA 1828, Sam found fortunePaid $15

From the Masthead of a Ship off Hoboken Sam found fame: General Public PIA

1829: He Disappeared for a Year Received an invitation from the innkeepers at Niagara Falls PIA

Niagara Falls Today PIA

War od 1812. Border. 2 men owned 4 hotels Needed attractions PIA

Niagara Falls in 1911 Completely Frozen PIA

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Innkeepers Staged Events Ships Explosions Sideshows Bands Vendors Sam became a showman Animals. 10 million tons of rock And now Sam PIA

October 6, 1829 Big show at 3 PM The Superior was drifted toward the Falls Did not go over Hung up on a flat rock Sam rescheduled for noon the next day PIA

October 7, 1829 From 130 ladder/platform First to jump Niagara Falls He partied for the next 10 days 80 ladder leaned 40 from the base of Goat Island. He climbed the ladder, bowed to the men, blew a kiss to the ladies and stepped off. Sam got 25 cents from spectator admitted to Goat Island. $75 Thousands did not pay. Survival depended on practiced physical skills and absolute concentration. Bought hands from over his head to his sides just before entry. PIA

He Advertised his Next Leap October 17 Dressed in costume Bought a tame black bear PIA

A matchless performer of vertical excitement Niagara Falls PIA

Now Sam was a Celebrity PIA

The Physics of Freefall (English) Little air to work with in first few seconds. Exit attitude is critical.PIA 99 feet: 2.5 seconds & 40 mph

The Physics of Freefall (Metric) Little air to work with in first few seconds. Exit is critical to body attitude. PIA

Off to Rochester And the bar PIA

Rochester, New York. Population: 9,000 Plus suburbs Rochester Recess (Bar) Exchange St. Genesee River Falls Erie Canal Aqueduct PIA

Basil Hall, Rochester, 1827 PIA

The Falls - Originally 7 miles up from Lake Ontario PIA

Sam Borrowed a Boat and Made Soundings in the Landing Area PIA

Nov 6, 1829 - 99 Feet Sam Patchs jumps were made from the area enclosed by the 'V' shaped retaining wall at the corner of the building Advertised leap. 6,000 to 10,000 people waited. Equal to 9,000 pop of Rochester. Sam showed up at 3 pm with the bear. He scanned the crowd and waved. People cheered. The Falls roared. Perfect jump and water entry. Bobbed to surface and swam to shore. SAM: This is the real Sam Patchno mistake. They handed him his jacket and a bottle of rum. PIA

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Rochester Grew PIA

The Falls Today PIA

Rochester Today PIA

Canal Aqueduct - 1825 Erie Canal went over the Genesee river in an aqueduct PIA

Aqueduct Over River PIA

Erie Canal Aqueduct Over the River PIA

Nov 13 - Last Leap Handbill Friday the 13th 125 Handbill posted everywhere in western NY and Canada Would return and throw the PIA bear over

Date JC died on cross PIA

Sams Platform See notch and canal aqueduct November chill PIA

Getting Ready Sam spent the morning at the Rochester Recess talking and sipping brandy 1 PM: They paraded up State Street to the Falls. Bars full. People bet PIA

12,000 People Near the Falls, on the Roofs & in the Windows Ascended the scaffold. Sam was very drunk. Short incoherent speech that few could hear. He faced the crowd, took off his cap and jacket. PIA

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The Leap Began Normally He arched his torso, threw his head back, arms outward. Subterminal. 1/3rd of the way down, his head dropped to his chest (probably looking down) and his body veered sideways. He flailed his arms. PIA

? He entered the water on his side. He did not surface People walked away There were rumors that he swam under the Falls and survived Sightings all over the Northeast PIA

The Search PIA

The Falls in Winter Months passed November December January February March PIA

March 17 Silas Hudson took horses to the river to drink Kicked a hole in the ice Up popped Sam 4 months, 7 miles, over the Little Falls. PIA

Battered but Recognizable Cold water Preservation qualities of alcohol PIA

Leapin' Sam Patch It was known up 'n down in every little town That was settled along the new canals Sam Patch was renown The young man from Rhode Island Who would jump from any height The crowds would gasp in horror As theyd watch him in his flight Chorus: LEAPIN SAM PATCH the young man oh so brash Sailin through the air hed come Like a lightnin boltin flash Leapin Sam Patch a legend far n near But, oh the price of glory is a price so ever dear PIA

Second Verse Genesee Falls 1829 Rochester New Yorkers gathered Waitin there in lines N down he soared the crowd it roared But when the curtain call came round Leapin Sam Patch he was no where to be found PIA

Even More Famous After Death Some things can be done as well as others became a popular saying. Farmers almanacs Comic annuals Newspaper stories Minstrel shows Stage plays Born into a world of fixed social rank where people like Sam Patch did not become famous. He rose from low beginning to become famousby leaping waterfalls. He was a pioneer at becoming a celebrity. He proved hat anyone could become famous. PIA

Before the Darwin Awards or he Would Have Qualified Natural Selection Survival of the fittest Where evolution meets the pavement PIA

Bestowed upon (the remains of) that individual, who through single-minded selfsacrifice, has done the most to remove undesirable elements from the human gene pool. Granted posthumously (by definition) Or, lives but is rendered incapable of reproducing PIA

Charlotte Cemetery The Grave of Sam Patch Who leaped to his death Over the Upper Falls and into The Genesee River At Rochester, N.Y. Friday, November 13th, 1829. His Remains were found In the Lower Genesee River March 17th, 1830 And interred in this Cemetery. PIA

1830 Obituary Itinerant showman who had no home, avoided useful work, was reckless, drank, sought fame for its own sake, and corrupted the young. Driven by applause, he went from waterfall to waterfall winning fame. Read PIA

3 One Leap Too Many And here our hero should have stopt, and husbanded his brilliant fame, bit ah, he took one leap too much, and most all heroes do the same. PIA

The Patron Saint of BASE Jumpers B A S E PIA

2 Sam Patch was born to jump. It was what he did best and what he wanted to do most. And some things can be done as well as others. PIA

Don't Drink and Dive Credits: Sam Patch: The Famous Jumper by Paul E. Johnson Mark Brine Music. http://www.MarkBrine.com PIA