SINGULAR AND MELANCHOLY DEATH OF SAMUEL SCOTT, the AMERICAN DIVER
Yesterday afternoon, shortly after 2 o'clock, great
excitement pervaded the western portion of the metropolis by a rumour that
Scott, "the American diver," who had of late become so notorious by
his extraordinary feats, had met with his death during the performance of his
customary evolutions prior to taking his dive from the summit of Waterloo-bridge
into the Thames. It appears that in the morning a placard, of which the
following is a copy, had been posted throughout the metropolis:-
"Challenge to the world for 100 guineas! Monday next,
Jan.11th, 1841, and during the week, Samuel Scott, the American Diver, will run
from Godfrey's, White Lion, Drury-lane, to Waterloo-bridge, and leap into the
water, 40 feet high from the bridge, and return back within the hour every day
during the week, between 1 and 2 o'clock. S. Scott will be in attendance every
day at the above house, open to any wager."
This notice drew, long before the time appointed, thousands
of persons to Waterloo-bridge, and at five minutes past 2 o'clock Scott,
accompanied by several persons, arrived on the bridge. He was merely attired in
a blue striped shirt and white canvass trowsers, and had on neither shoes nor
stockings. On his arrival there could not have been less than from 8,000 to
10,000 persons assembled upon the bridge and along the banks of the river to
witness his extraordinary performance. Immediately over the second arch on the
Middlesex side and nearest to Somerset-house, was erected a species of
scaffolding, composed for two upright poles, and three others crossing them at
intervals of about four or five feet, the entire height of which above the
balustrades being about 10 feet. Scott appeared as usual, firm and undaunted,
and made several jocular remarks to those around him. Having ascended the
scaffolding, he attached the rope he carried with him, which was about 10 feet
long, to the uppermost cross pole, and after placing some tin boxes round the
necks of several of his friends who were to collect money for him, proceeded to
commence his performance, observing, "Why you all appear to be
cranky." He first put his head into a noose of the rope, and suspended
himself for a minute or two; after which he placed his feet in a similar
position, and swung with his head downwards. He again mounted the top beam of
the scaffold, and, taking a handkerchief off his head, placed it on the top of
one of the perpendicular poles. He then seized the rope, and placing it round
his neck, exclaimed at the top of his voice, "Now I'll show you once more
how to dance upon air before I dive." The unfortunate man again let himself
down to the extremity of the rope with his head in the noose, but had scarcely
hung more than three or four minutes when a person named Brown observed that he
much feared the man had hung himself in reality, as animation appeared
suspended. To this one of Scott's friends replied, "Oh, he has not hung
half his time yet." In two or three minutes after, however, shouts were
heard in all directions of "Cut him down." Mr. Brown immediately
ascended and raised the poor fellow's arm, which on being let go fell heavily
back to its original position by his side. This gave convincing proof of the
suspension of animation, and renewed cries were raised from all quarters of
"Cut him down, cut him down." Some time elapsed before a knife could
be procured, and then two persons ascended the ladder, and with the aid of some
of the F division of police, succeeded in cutting the man down. Mr. Havers,
surgeon of the York-road, and another medical gentleman who happened to be upon
the spot, immediately stepped forward and opened the jugular vein, and also a
vein in the arm, but only a few drops of blood followed; and to all appearances
Scott was lifeless. A cart was then procured, in which he was conveyed with all
possible speed, followed by hundreds of persons, to Charing-cross Hospital. On
his admission, it was ascertained by Dr. Golding, the senior physician of the
institution, that life was not quite extinct. Under that gentleman's direction,
the unfortunate man was, in the first place, subject to the galvanic process;
secondly, cupped between the shoulders; and then, lastly, placed into a warm
bath, in which he had been but a few seconds when it was ascertained that the
vital spark had fled.
Scott was a remarkably fine young man, about 30 years of age,
and, although he called himself an American, was supposed to be a native of
Deptford, where, he, together with his wife, was residing. She was not, as was
her usual custom, with him on the present occasion; but information, however, of
the melancholy affair was immediately despatched to her on its result becoming
known.
The cause of the occurrence is not to be attributed, as it
was generally rumoured, to the unfortunate man having indulged in drinking prior
to his undertaking his perilous exhibition, but to the mere accidental
circumstances of the knot in the noose having slipped from under his chin in
such a manner as to produce suffocation. It will be remembered, that a similar
accident occurred to the celebrated Blackmore, and which almost terminated
fatally, a few years since, whilst performing his evolutions at
Vauxhall-gardens.
The body awaits a coroner's inquest.
---
(From a Correspondent)
The extraordinary sensation created by the untimely fate of
this poor fellow will probably render a few particulars relative to his life and
career not unacceptable to the public; the principal portion being collected fom
the deceased himself, may add to the interest. The story that he was not an
American, but a native of Deptford, is untrue. Scott, according to his own
showing, was born at Philadelphia, in the United States; and at an early age
entered the American navy, and served on board several frigates, in which he
commenced his daring feats as a diver, by jumping from the topmasts of the
vessels he served in into the sea. His extraordinary courage and prowess as a
diver rendered him very popular, and after quitting the naval service, he
travelled about the Union exhibiting, and collected a great deal of money as the
reward of his daring, particularly in the cities of New York, Boston, and
Philadelphia. He subsequently visited Canada, and made some tremendous leaps
from the banks of the St. Laurence and the lakes which intersect that country;
but his chef d'oeuvre as a leaper was from a precipice below the Falls of
Niagara, where, according to his own statement, he jumped the amazing distance
of 595 feet into the water, which he accomplished without injury or
inconvenience. Incredible as this feat may appear, Scott solemnly averrred that
he had performed it, and was willing to attempt it again, in this country, is a
spot could be found of sufficient altitude for the purpose. He had been in
England upwards of 12 months, and has visited nearly all the seaports, and has
taken some astonishing leaps in the Isle of Wight and Pembroke Dockyard. We
first heard of him in London about three or four months ago, when he made
several leaps from the top gallant-mast of a collier brig, moored off the
Town-pier at Gravesend. He next came up to Deptford, and jumped from the masts
of a large American ship. Upon one of these occasions, an accident befel him
similar to that which terminated so fatally yesterday. He was going through his
usual antics, such as clinging with his feet to the spars, and letting his head
and arms hang down, fixing his head in the noose of a rope, &c., when the
noose suddenly slipped tight, and he hung suspended. The spectators, thinking
this merely one of his ordinary feats, vociferously applauded him, when it was
perceived that he was turning black in the face, and alarm was raised that the
Diver was strangling. A moment afterwards Scott made a desperate effort to
extricate himself by flinging his feet up aloft, and managed to loosen the rope
and get his neck out. In answer to the inquiries of the crowd below as to
whether he was injured, Scott replied in the negative, exclaiming, "The
hemp that is to hang me is not grown yet!"
It is a singular fact, that the subscription in his behalf
among the spectators amounted to nearly double upon this occasion to what it had
done before. After this Scott dived a number of times from a coal ship moored
off Cherry-garden-stairs, Rotherhithe, then off the Custom-house, and
Southwark-bridge, and took his "last leap" from Waterloo-bridge.
Scott, though by no means an intelligent man, was a very
civil, unassuming fellow, and very abstemious, seldom taking anything but a dram
of neat rum after his immersion in the water. He was very anxious to jump from
the top of the Monument, and was asked if he would attempt it if two or three
loads of straw were placed below him to alight upon, which he refused to do; but
was willing to attempt it if the corporation of London would provide eight or
ten feet of water for him to fall into, and he talked of applying to the Lord
Mayor on the subject. He spoke with a foreign accent.
The Times, January 12, 1841