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Title
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en
The Olympic Club Exhibition Last Night
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Date
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November 28, 1863
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volume
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15
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issue
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5 022
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page start
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1
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page end
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1
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content
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en
THE OLYMPIC CLUB EXHIBITION LAST NIGHT.
The Hall of the San Francisco Olympic Club, on Sutter street, was crowded with a brilliant assemblage last night, on the occasion of the complimentary benefit tendered to Mr. George S. Brown. Nearly eight hundred persons were present, fully one-half of whom were elegantly dressed ladies.
After an overture by Chris. Alpers’ band, the class on Parallel Bars appeared, and went through a variety of feats. The class consisted of the beneficiare George, S. Brown, the President George S. Ladd, the Leader W. S. Lawton, Assistant Leaders Henry B. Russ and W. H. Eldridge, and R. W. Eaton, Frank Ladd, C. C. Jacks, Durbin Van Vleck. Mr. Brown was greeted with prolonged applause on his first appearance, and was frequently complimented with similar evidences of good feeling. Mr. Van Vleck concluded this part by a capital enactment of an inebriated man attempting difficult feats, and saving himself from dangerous falls by surprising dexterity.
Brown, Lawton, Russ and Eldridge next appeared on the Suspension Bars, and did admirably.
The class then performed on the Swinging Rings, in which flying through the air with the head downwards seemed to the performers as easy a method of moving as any other way.
The Professor of Arms of the Club, Colonel T. H. Monstery, then gave an exhibition of the use of the sword and dagger, with the aid of three of his pupils, Messrs. Mel, Johnson and McComb. The bout was opened with a simulated duel with foils, by Mel and Johnson,—Colonel Monstery and Mr. McComb acting as seconds. Two thrusts each were recorded, and then the seconds engaged with the same weapons; the Colonel thrust his adversary twice, and allowed him to make one in return. Then Mel and Johnson were respectively challenged by the Professor to attack him with broadswords, while the dagger was only used to defend. And all the blows were successfully parried by the Colonel with his apparently insignificant weapon.
The Horizontal Bar exercises by the class, enabled Russ and Van Vleck to show the wonderful Giant’s Swing, and Lawton his perfect balancing.
The brothers W. H. and A. S. Gabbs then performed on the Double Trapeze, and did very well for such large men. The smaller brother fell from the lower trapeze, but sustained no injury, and went on with the performance.
Good summersaulting and tumbling was next shown by the class, which would have been creditable to professional performers.
An impromptu match in boxing was got up. The selected antagonists having been unavoidably prevented from appearing, Messrs. Moore and Barstow were induced to favor the audience, and gave a very lively display of the manly art. Mr. Barstow has received some instruction from Colonel Monstery, (though the Colonel is not at present regularly engaged as teacher of boxing for the Club,) and used his points to good advantage. Mr. Moore gracefully acknowledged the hits of his adversary, and endeavored to return them appropriately. The audience clamored for an encore, but the broadsword combatants were hurried in, as the evening was growing late. Messrs. Mel and Johnson had a very spirited engagement with the broadswords, which was, however, too brief to suit the audience, who wished to see more of them in their quaint canvas armor and mammoth iron masks.
The closing and crowning part of the exhibition came next—the Flying Trapeze, (the Zamplilaeros imitations of the Hanlons.) One after another of the gymnasts flew across the Hall by the aid of the suspended bars—some varying the performance by suddenly twisting round in the air, between the bars, and returning to the starting point; others jumping from sitting and swimming positions to catch the next bar; others preferring to revolve once in the air before coming down on their feet. Mr. Russ even did the best feat of William Hanlon, by turning a complete revolution in the air after letting go his hold of the first bar before catching the second, and turning again, after letting go the second before catching the third, and then landing in the alcove at the south end of the hall. Mr. Lawton next tried the feat, but his nerves were not rightly attuned and he could not accomplish it, though twice he missed by only a finger’s thickness. The writer has seen William Hanlon fail four times consecutively at the Metropolitan Theatre, and even the great Leotard himself does not always accomplish it with unvarying certainty. Mr. Russ seemed to be affected by the failure of his associate, and in his second attempt, in obedience to the calls of the audience, he also failed to hold the third bar when he grasped it.
The band then gave “Home, Sweet Home,” and the audience retired from as pleasant an exhibition as has been given in this city.
