Houdini’s Yarra Plunge

On Wednesday February 16, 1910, the following advertisement appeared in Melbourne Newspapers.

Daring Dive.
Houdini, the world famous escapologist will appear at the Queens Bridge
Tomorrow, Thursday afternoon February 17 at 1.30pm prompt.

Harry Houdini had been performing at Harry Rickards’ New Opera House for over a week to great acclaim. He wanted to further advertise his show by jumping into the Yarra River wrapped in chains.
It was hot that Thursday. People started gathering around the Yarra at 12.30pm. There were men in straw hats, working class men in peaked caps and rolled sleeves and ladies with hats and veils holding parasols to shield their faces from the sun. Many of the spectators sat in wooden row boats on the river, leaning on the oars, waiting for the showman.
By 1.15pm almost 20,000 people were milling around the Queens Bridge.
Shortly afterwards, Houdini arrived. He was clad in a tight fitting blue bathing costume which covered him from neck to knee. He leapt onto the top of the bridge and held his hands outstretched, laughing and joking with his assistants.
Franz Kukol, his chief aide, looped a heavy chain around the escapologist’s neck and padlocked it beneath his chin. Another chain was woven around his shoulders and handcuffs locked onto his wrists.
Houdini stood above the crowd and a hush fell over the multitude. Some bystanders were called to test the bonds. They were pronounced secure.
Houdini surveyed the crowd and declared dramatically, 'If I don’t come out of the water in two minutes, dive for me.'
Then he sprang into the river.
The crowd waited.
Whilst they waited a man dressed in black approached Franz Kukol.
“Excuse me, are you connected with chap who has just gone down?” he said.
“Yes,” said Franz,
The man pressed a card into his hand.
“In case he shouldn't come up.”
Franz read the card; it bore the name of a local undertaker.
Still the crowd waited.
A man with a stop watch timed a few minutes. The police, in their boats, anxiously fingered their corpse grappling gear.
Suddenly a curly haired head broke the surface of the river.
A cry went up,
“Houdini!”
The crowd roared in delight, and the escapologist swam breaststroke towards a boat. He scrambled aboard and like a conquering hero pointed towards land.
Houdini played in Melbourne for another month. He presented the milk can escape and accepted many challenges from the public. His tour was an astounding success, but was overshadowed by his achievements in aviation, when he claimed to be the first man to fly a powered aircraft in Australia.
Leann Richards

Visit Leann's blog www.hat-archive.blogspot.com/