We all have that one eccentric friend who leaves us puzzled.
Fred Becker, 22, was that individual in 1912 when he leaped off the highest part of the trestle Market Street Bridge on a bet and pushed a single peanut around Public Square.
Becker, who resided at 152 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, worked as an usher at the Nesbitt Theatre and was a member of the Olympic Athletic Club in Wilkes-Barre.
It was his friends at the athletic club that challenged him to dive into the icy Susquehanna River while dining at Sweet’s Lunch Wagon on March 18, 1912.
“He swam down stream to a point opposite Northampton Street and landed on the Kingston side. The daring feat was the result of a wager of $10 and while no publicity had been given to the affair, it was witnessed by hundreds of spectators from the windows of the Sterling Hotel, the shores of the river and from passing street cars,” reported the Wilkes-Barre Record on March 25, 1912.
When Becker reached the west side shoreline, he was accosted by a constable asking what he was doing?
“I’m in for a little swim,” Becker replied, as reported in the Record.
Before jumping off the bridge, Becker met his two betting friends, A.C. McGreevy and William Franklin at Riverside Park where he changed into his running shorts and put on a bathrobe. Walking from Dorrancetown onto the bridge, they reached the highest point where Becker removed the bathrobe and climbed to the top of the trestle.
“For a moment, Becker stood poised and erect at the top of the bridge and then let his body fall outward until he was straight, when his feet left the irons and he quickly dropped to the river,” the Record reported.
McGreevy and Franklin believed Becker would have second thoughts and climb down but instead, the two men were amazed their friend actually jumped, reported the Record.
According to the newspaper story, the bet was for Becker to simply jump off the bridge into the river. McGreevy and Franklin did not expect Becker to climb and jump from the highest trestle.
“The proposition was laughed at and some one offered a wager of $10 that he was afraid to do it,” the Record reported.
After Becker jumped, McGreevy and Franklin ran off the bridge keeping their heads on the river not able to see their crazy friend. As they continued to run along the shoreline, Becker appeared and began swimming downstream.
The river current carried Becker further downstream until he made it the shoreline where a constable had gone due to the excitement.
The Record newspaper learned Becker had been a seaman’s apprentice on board the U.S.S. North Carolina, which in 1912 was a Tennessee-class armored cruiser. Becker would often jump off the cruiser into the oceans and seas whenever deployed, the newspaper reported.
Becker’s bold jump was not his only prank with friends in 1912.
While enjoying a watermelon on Public Square on July 23, 1912, one of his friends pulled out a deck of cards and whoever drew the lowest card had to roll a peanut around Public Square Park.
Among 7 friends, Becker drew a 6, the lowest, and was told to roll a peanut.
While on his hands and knees, Becker rolled a peanut and a large curious crowd gathered, learned about the bet, and cheered him on as he started at the north corner of the square and finished in 2 hours and 40 minutes.
On March 27, 1913, Becker repeated his river jump but this time he earned 20 cents less.
