Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1839-08-16

A friend at Niagara Falls gives me 'oo"'ne aeS"u"'
Of most heroic adventure which occurred there ON
Thursday last The ardent expressions OF the WITT
are most natural under the excitement caused by The
scene which he describes National Gd:ue
Correspondence Of the National Ga=e'te.
NIAGARA FAILS, July %.
There is man living within the sound OF ihrse e"'
sious Falls named Joel Robinson, who deserves 10 be
immortaiFzed the hero Of an adSentGre, which, Tor
inlre pid,y and gGllaL.ry, has never been excelet
The new bridge connecting IRIS island with the Anne.
rican shore is you are aware. built ever the Rapids,
scarcely quarter OF mile above Tie oil lhe chah
mel is here filled with rocks, and The current covered
with foam dashes along al The rate OF mare than twenty
miles an hour. A workman named Chapn, engaged
in covering the bridge, this afternoon accidentally slip
ped, aud prsoipa;ed into the whrl below fr
carried with fearful rnpldy towa The stream, ana
destruction seemed inc viiabe notwithstanding hrs vo
lent and well directed exerli"ns in swimming lie did
more than numIru u,u i'y q: Is au6re lhe Fall ard
alter repeated attempts Gained !oong But here a
fate even more fearful seemed 10 await him; fur, how
assistance TO be rendered 20 The middle of thu
river xarrounted by this raging torrent? Crowds o.
course collected numbers of projects formed,
but seemed feasible. For than an hour lie
doomed man stood wistuliy regarding the ihr"ng,ng
thousands, among whom collected his agon'z"d
wife and family; while hope Of his rescue seemed grG.
dually declining IN t:ie minds Of all
At last, this man, joel Robinson, arrived from he
village and looking towards the unfortunate. exclaimed
ale must die if he remains there; think may
him ct least II try. And Try he did. The d,ssuasion
of his friends svaied not, and he asked for boat
LOOKED 81 me mamie appeared nrltfef very large
strong-bul his head, phreno!uscaiy, finely deve
Hoped
observed his woe in sling. end asking the cause
he said that a mill yesterday his thumb had been
accidentally Gu, ell and his fingers badly bruised.
A skif, light and frah. brought from the Canada
side, the daring took his sat, rush all thou y
his destruction As the sk,tl shut a shudd,r RAJ
through The multitude down The currents, rushed with
fearful velocity mad vain seemed his EFF rls stem the
roaring food; but with stout pull he achpd
eddy formed by The rocks, where the bark nde safely
until his strength recruited Tor further action And
again from eddy TO EDDY did he beautifully guide his
bark until The island reached; Shut nvrrpow
ering Siaga7ns told the feeling Of thousands
But, see! as he springs TO land he slips and falls His
boat torn from him No he We, cngs 10 il, but
stem The current impossible onward It dashps and
nears the brink Of the ca'aractauother moment and
IT pauses; On eddy has interviewed TO hun lie
again in the :kf, and pulling tor The island this time
he is successful effects landing and waves his hat
triumph, and is answered by another shout But is he
yet safe? No, yet The moS difficult task is ye, to b.
accomplished; again he pushes of with double freight
IN the fTal boa-manul!y he struggles, RISING in the
eddies, and rry with great effort he gains the
shore
The place where they landed is no, fifty yards above
the Fall The rapids commence three ourls Of mile
above the island hen it s rccoeced that this island
has been aGdf before; the fearful rapdty u
The current; the danger Of deshbg light boat Ii
atoms against The rccas the absence OF any lies of
kindred TO the saved man, and The almost certain prns
pect Of death The attempt. words express
honor due for such act Of heroism.
The boat containing the unfortunate carpenter and
his gallant preserver h"scd upon The shoulders uf
men and carried in triumph through the village. amid
the shouts Of thousands Who had been spectators OF this
thrilling scene.
subscription taken up the spo, when they
landed and the OF two hundred dollars WINS pre-
sented 10 The hero Of Niagaa, who proud To say,
an American.