Great Farini

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Great Farini was born William Hunt. He invented the cinema flip-up seat and was the first white man to cross the Kalahari Desert and survive. He was also the first man to cross the gorge below Niagara Falls on a tightrope in a wheelbarrow. He was thought to be the first man to shoot a woman out of a cannon but this turned out to be a trick — he was actually the first man to shoot a man dressed as a woman out of a cannon. Farini also had something of a competition with Blondin doing stunts at Niagara Falls. He even rappeled down a rope to a Maid of the Mist boat, then climbed back up it and completed his journey across the gorge.

William Leonard Hunt was born Lockport, New York in 1838. Hunt was raised and educated in Port Hope, Ontario. He had dual citizenship.

During the early summer of 1860, a young 22 year old Hunt watched intently from the shore of the Niagara Gorge as Blondin made his way across the Niagara Gorge by walking across a rope strung from side to side. Hunt turned to his girlfriend and proclaimed that he could do what Blondin could. That night, Hunt and his girlfriend returned to Lockport, New York. Hunt was working for the father of his girlfriend as a store keeper, gave notice to his employer that he was quitting to pursue his career dream as a rope walker in order to challenge Blondin. His girlfriend immediately broke off their engagement.

During the summer of 1859, Hunt was offered $100 to perform at a local fair in Port Hope. Hunt demanded $500 on the condition that he would stand on his head above the Ganaraska River. Hunt carried out this performance with a borrowed rope. He walked back and forth across the river without a balancing pole. In addition, he stood on his head, did somersaults and walked blind folded as he had promised. Hunt was an extremely strong young man and had won a tug of war over six other men single handed.

William Hunt changed his name to Signor Guillermo Antonio Farini. He would quickly become known as "The Great Farini". Farini left his home in Port Hope after his father accused him of being a disgrace to his family by becoming a circus performer.

Farini moved to Minnesota and for a short time worked at his uncle's general store. Farini then joined the Dan Rice's floating circus on the Mississippi River. Farini was reunited with his family after buying his father a farm.

Farini issued a series of challenges to Blondin but they remained unanswered. Blondin was a more polished acrobat however Farini was a much more powerful performer and a much better businessman. Blondin usually took a collection at the end of each performance while Farini marketed and packaged his performances to ensure a larger audience and financial success.

Farini's first performance at Niagara Falls occurred on August 15th 1860. Farini began the tightrope walk while carrying a balancing pole and an additional coil of rope strapped to his back. When Farini reached the mid-point he tied the pole to the tightrope and using the coil of rope he carried with him, Farini lowered himself to the deck of the Maid of the Mist boat 200 feet below. Getting down was relatively easy. On the deck of the boat, Farini drank a glass of wine before ascending back to the tightrope above. This task was much more demanding than Farini anticipated. Farini was near total exhaustion and nearly fell on several occasions. Farini did make it back to the tightrope, and continued to the shoreline. After a brief ten minute rest, Farini made the return crossing blindfolding and wearing baskets on his feet. This was the first and only time that Farini tried lowering himself from the tightrope to the river below. Blondin did not try to equal this feat.

In the weeks that followed, Farini matched or surpassed each of Blondin's performances. Farini balanced himself on his head, hung from the tightrope by his toes and carried a person across the Niagara Gorge on his back. On September 5th 1860, Farini carried an Irish washer woman across the gorge on his back to counter an earlier performance by Blondin. When Blondin took out a stove on the tightrope and cooked an omelette, Farini carried a washtub out on the tightrope. He then lowered a bucket to the river below to retrieve water in order to wash a dozen handkerchiefs. Farini had a driving desire to be the best.

Farini performed at Niagara Falls twice each week. Although his acts were more daring and drew larger crowds, he never achieved the fame that Blondin did. Blondin received most of the attention and most of the press.

For Farini, tightrope walking was but one of his many interests throughout his life. During his life he was an inventor, an explorer, writer, secret service agent, painter and sculptor. In 1862, while performing a tightrope walk above a bull ring in Havana, Cuba, a female he was carrying on his back fell to the ground below. The female died several days later.

On August 8th 1864, Farini returned to Niagara Falls and attempted to perform another death defying feat. Farini wearing a pair of specially made stilts waded out into the cascading water just above the American Falls. Farini planned to walk to the brink of the Falls but one of the stilts he was wearing was caught in a crevice in the riverbed causing it to break. Farini suffered a badly injured leg but was still able to reach Robinson Island which is nearest the Luna Falls. Here he was rescued. Farini left Niagara Falls defeated and deflated.

In 1866, Farini took his tightrope and circus act to England, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. During the years that followed, Farini did many other things with his life. He was an explorer and during the American Civil War, Farini was a member of the Secret Service for the Confederate Army, The Great Farini returned to Canada in 1899. He took up the art of oil painting. He remained active in his later years as well.

William Leonard Hunt, aka: The Great Farini died in January of 1929 at the age of 91 years. Farini is buried in Port Hope, Ontario. The Great Farini was one of the worlds greatest tightrope walkers to ever conquer Niagara.