Climbed the St Lawrence Hotel building in Port Hope July 24, 1924



from The Evening Guide  Tuesday July 22nd and Wednesday July 23rd, 1924 page 2
5 BOYS AND GIRLS WANTED to sell tags during Human Fly performance. Apply in person only, Thursday at 1:30 o'clock. Babe White, Ontario House.

from The Evening Guide  Tuesday July 22, 1924 and page 4
HUMAN FLY HERE THURSDAY
The Man That Climbed The Woolworth Building
Babe White, World's greatest daredevil and famous Human Fly, internationally known throughout the United States, Cuba, Mexico and parts of Canada, is to climb the outside walls of the St. Lawrence Building, with his bare hands, Thursday, July 24, at 2:30 and 7:30 o'clock.

Besides climbing the building he is to perform upside down stunts in midair showing you that he has nerve in the air upside down as well as right side up and it does not make him dizzy to look down. This, and other stunts on the wall.

Mr. White has been a professional daredevil for the last fifteen years having climbed the Woolworth Building, 63 storeys, of New York; L. C. Smith Building, 42 storeys, Seattle, Wash.; Amicable Building, 22 storeys, Waco, Texas; Humboldt Bank Building, 17 storeys; the Historic Cathedral of Mexico City which is 250 feet in height and 256 years old, and built by the Indians, before the reign of Maximilian.

During his exhibitions in Mexico City it was estimated that he had a crowd of 60,000 people daily watching him perform his death defying stunts. This is his first appearance in Port Hope. He has recently shown in London, Windsor, Chatham, Brantford and other cities in Ontario.

He promises the citizens a high class exhibition of nerve, skill and ability, one that you seldom get a chance to see.

A collection will be taken up as compensation for his work. In the afternoon he will be dressed in gay colours and at night in white, also a powerful searchlight will be used so it will enable the crowds that come out to see every movement as plain as day.

"Thrills" will be furnished for one and all.


from The Evening Guide Wednesday July 23, 1924 page 1
HUMAN FLY AT CITY HALL TOP
Gave Two Exhibitions of Wall Climbing to Kitchener Spectators Monday, Thrilling Performances
[Babe] White, an American, the human fly, appeared in Kitchener Monday afternoon and evening. In spite of the terrific heat, he gave an exhibition of wall climbing after having secured a sufficient financial guarantee. Using only his hands and feet, he mounted from the ground to the top of the tower of the new city hall at both afternoon and evening performances.

With spectators crowding the tops of surrounding building's, ignoring the blazing afternoon sun, the human fly began his ascent, starting from the bottom of the hall, stepping dexterously up from window to ledge, hanging from the wall, and with apparent ease gaining the tower, where two chairs were placed. There he began his demonstration, standing on his hands on top of the chair, hanging from the rope by his feet and then by his neck.

While the crowd cheered enthusiastically, the fly crawled up the flag pole, dangling head down from the top making good his offer to climb on hands and feet, "from bottom to top." He then slid down the pole head first.

His wife precedes him from place to place making the necessary arrangements for his appearance at different cities and towns. These exhibitions are his means of livelihood and one must admit, that in one case, life can scarcely be called a daily grind.—Kitchener Daily Record.

Mr. White will perform tomorrow afternoon and evening in Port Hope on the St. Lawrence Building.


St Lawrence Hotel building, Port Hope and Victoria Hall, Cobourg. Babe White climbed both, twice, on July 24th, 1924

from The Evening Guide Thursday July 24, 1924 page 1
CROWD SAW PERFORMANCE
Rain Nearly Spoiled The Stunt
This afternoon, when [Babe] White the Human Fly received sufficient assurance that he would receive enough money from the crowd he climbed the face of the St. Lawrence Building and did several stunts at the top. About five hundred people gathered to see the Human Fly who climbed the front of the St. Lawrence Building this afternoon. Before he started, the rain descended but the people stayed to see this exhibition of nerve. Upon reaching the top he hung, upside down by one knee and then by his neck from a rope three feet below the edge of the roof and four storeys above the pavement.

He next balanced chairs on the very edge of the roof which finished the afternoon's performance. He is scheduled to again do his stunts this evening.


from Historical Review #6 1987 1988 page 11 (Cobourg and District Historical Society)
THE HUMAN FLY
It was July 24th, 1924. Babe White came to town. He was supposed to be headed up to Peterborough, but city officials up there warned him that he would be arrested as soon as he showed up in town.

In Cobourg, people gathered in front of Victoria Hall to see him. Babe White had another name—the Human Fly.

Famous for scaling buildings all over North America, he needed little introduction when he arrived. About 2000 watched the Human Fly survey Victoria Hall and then he began his ascent. Reaching the roof, he did a handstand on the corner of a ledge. A chair was passed up and he sat on it, as three of the four legs hung out into the air. He proceeded to scale the cupola, to the very top and waved at the crowd. He must have had a view that very few would ever get to have.

On the ground, a coin collection was taken up for the acrobat.

It must be pointed out that there were a couple of ‘human flies’ at the time. They had a tendency to have a habit of falling off buildings, so many cities banned them.


from The Weekly Ontario (Belleville) Thursday August 7, 1924 page 1
SCALES FRONT OF 4-STOREY BLOCK, 2,000 LOOK ON AT GAUDY CLIMBER
It took Babe White, the human fly, but two minutes to scale the front of the Anglo-American building this afternoon, in the presence of about two thousand spectators, who were watching from as far south as Bridge Street and from as far north as far beyond Victoria Avenue.

White wore kid boots with soft soles and green stockings, scarlet trousers and a white shirt.

He climbed the front wall of the building with apparent ease for the most part, even the cornice at the top of the main floor, and that at the top of the four storey building failed to defy him.

His climb from one window to another where he had but half an inch of fingering to spare on the bare stone was sensational. During the climb he 'acted' a bit to thrill the crowd and succeeded. Before going over the top cornice he hung by the neck, by the arm and by the knee and swung himself about.

At the top of the building he walked blindfolded, performed on two chairs at the edge and gave a fine exhibition of muscular hand balancing. He repeats tonight. There was a generous collection taken up before the feat was performed.


Babe White walking a wire strung between the towers of a cathedral, which he climbed, in Puebla, Mexico 1922


Babe White scaling the wall of the County Courthouse in San Antonio, Texas April 10, 1925

HUMAN FLY IS KILLED IN FALL IN CALIFORNIA
"Babe" White, Dead at Santa Monica, Climbed Local Courthouse
"Babe" White, a "human fly" who climbed the Scott County Court House on two occasions several years ago, was killed when he fell four storeys while scaling the walls of an office building at Santa Monica, Calif., according to a dispatch received by The Democrat. His fall to death was witnessed by a large crowd. A window frame to which he was clinging gave way, and he fell through another window before dropping to the pavement below.


BABE WHITE 1892-1933
Babe White, age 41, said to have been a circus aerialist years ago, fell four storeys to his death in January 1933 in Santa Monica, California when a window frame, opening outward, gave way as White was pulling himself upward.
He landed head first on the pavement below.