Bonnie's Oddments

Bonnie’s Oddments

A small collection of curios has been piling up, and now seems as good a time as any to dump them into this space for our own future amusement, if for no one else’s. Bonnie, take it away -

We are blessed to live in close proximity to the Erie Canal, the local part of which is popularly known as the Barge Canal. Along with the usual complement of dedicated boaters, there are tour boats for those who wish to sightsee. One of these, a packet boat called the Sam Patch, is named after one of a number of idiots who were wont to leap from a platform built above the Genesee Falls for the express purpose of entertaining crowds and also, one presumes, for self-aggrandizement. To quote from Wikipedia -

"In September of 1827, Sam Patch jumped 70 feet from the top of Passaic Falls in New Jersey, just for the fun of it. Patch became a local celebrity and began a brief career of jumping off things to please onlookers. Nicknamed "The Yankee Leaper," Patch took a 120 foot plunge over Niagara Falls in October of 1829 and lived, becoming the first person ever to do so. On 6 November 1829 he jumped 100 feet from the Upper Falls of the Genesee in Rochester, New York, accompanied by a pet bear. A week later, on Friday the 13th, Patch made the jump again, this time without the bear, and didn't survive. His body was not found immediately, fueling speculation that he had somehow pulled a fast one. Four months later his corpse was found in the Genesee River."

Perhaps, if he had thought to take the bear along on his second jump, he might conceivably have survived. It would at least have provided a cushion.

For those who wish to know more, or to view photos of his headstone, here is a useful link -

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=3227

That was a long way to go for this small item from the Brighton-Pittsford Post, but hey -

"Deputies responded to the Sam Patch at 1:15 a.m. that morning (Aug. 17), according to the reports. One suspect ran from the boat and was caught, while a second suspect was found on the boat. They allegedly said they were at a party where the alcohol was almost gone, so they went to the Sam Patch to unload the contents of its coolers into their car."

Bonnie’s observation: "Why go to Wegmans and buy the booze when you can get it for free?"

A couple of items from the Police Beat -

East Rochester

" A man was arrested after police saw him standing on the sidewalk waving a stun gun at 12:13 a.m. Sept. 23. The police officer heard the man yelling and the crack of the stun gun. The man got into a car and tried to hide the gun when police approached."

Where, we are forced to wonder, does an average citizen of a small town acquire a working stun gun? We can assume that the gentleman was inebriated, given the place, time and date, but still - a stun gun?

An example of a local drive-by attack -

Irondequoit

"A woman was standing outside Starbucks on East Ridge Road when a female driver in a gray Saturn pulled up to her at 9:13 p.m. on Sept. 29. The driver yelled an expletive and then threw a wine glass at the victim. The glass, which did not hit the victim, broke when it hit the ground."

This is the worst kind of example of potable snobbery - simply because one chooses to imbibe (admittedly expensive) coffee as a beverage should not expose one to disrespect.

There are other items, but they will require us to hook up the printer, and time does not allow for that at the moment. So, until the next time,

Peace.