50 Never Say Die

On October 17, 1829, Sam Patch did what he had said he would do. He perched on a platform built beside Niagara Falls and jumped into the water a hundred feet below. A big crowd had gathered to watch Sam’s well-advertised leap. The spectators held their breath as the daredevil hit the swirling water. At last his head burst out of the foam thirty feet clear of the falls, and the crowd let out a mighty roar. Men waved their hats and yelled out the expression that had become Sam’s trademark: “There’s no mistake in Sam Patch!”

Sam began his career as a leaper in 1827, when he jumped eighty feet into the Passaic River from a bridge that was still under construction. Delighted with the notoriety he received, Sam traveled from town to town, jumping from masts, cliffs, and bridges. Then he made his great conquest of Niagara Falls.

Sam was spurred on by the widespread public excitement over his successful leap from the falls. He returned to the Genesee Falls for his next feat. On November 13, a scaffold was constructed 125 feet above the base of the falls. A huge crowd gathered on both riverbanks. At 2:00 p.m., Sam climbed the shaky scaffold, made a brief speech, and jumped. Once again there was a hushed silence as his body smacked the water. But this time Sam didn’t resurface.

Sam’s body was pulled from the mouth of the river the following spring. Even so, for years afterward, a legend persisted that the great Sam Patch was still alive.

1829年10月17日，山姆·帕奇做了他说过要做的事。他栖息在尼亚加拉大瀑布旁搭建的一个平台上，跳入了下方一百英尺的水中。一大群人聚集起来观看山姆这场广而告之的跳跃。观众们都屏住了呼吸，看着这个亡命之徒坠入漩涡般的水中。最后，他的头从离瀑布三十英尺远的泡沫中冒了出来，人群爆发出震天的欢呼。人们挥舞着帽子，喊出了那句已经成为山姆标志性的口号：“山姆·帕奇绝无差错！”

山姆于1827年开始了他的跳跃生涯，当时他从一座仍在建设中的桥上跳入帕塞伊克河，跳了八十英尺。因获得的名气而欣喜，山姆辗转于各个城镇，从桅杆、悬崖和桥梁上跳下。随后，他完成了对尼亚加拉大瀑布的伟大征服。

山姆因从瀑布跳下的成功而引发的广泛公众关注而备受鼓舞。他回到杰纳西瀑布进行下一次壮举。11月13日，在瀑布底部上方125英尺处搭建了一个脚手架。两岸聚集了大量人群。下午2点，山姆爬上摇晃的脚手架，做了简短的演讲，然后跳了下去。他的身体再次撞击水面时，现场又一次陷入寂静。但这一次，山姆没有再浮出水面。

第二年春天，山姆的尸体从河口被打捞上来。即便如此，在此后的多年里，仍有一个传说流传，称伟大的山姆·帕奇还活着。