The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-08-19
A WRESTLE WITH NIAGARA,

For tomorrow may settle their doom.
A WRESTLE WITH NIAGARA.
Twas standing about thirty or forty yards
in advance of the Clinton, that is, thirty or
forty yards nearer to the Horseshoe along
the brink of the rocks, and opposite the
American fall. The ground must have
been about the same hight as the opposite
fall, but, owing to the immense hill down
which the rapids rush, it was possible to
distinguish any object of the size of boat
a considerable distance above the fall, so
that, now as it was pointed out to me, l
saw in the middle of the rapid, huge log
of wood, the trunk of a tree, which had
lodged there some year before, and upon it
a black speck. This, after some observa-
ton, perceived to move. 1t was man.
Yes; he and his two companions had, on
the previous night, been rowing about some
distance above the fall. BY some means or
other they had ventured too near the rapids,
had lost all command of their boat, and
been hurried away to destruction. 1t was
supposed that about half a mile above the
fall the boat had upset, and, with two
wretched men still clinging to it, went over
the fall at about nine or ten o'clock at
night, while the third man was driven
against the log of wood, climbed upon it,
and sat astride of it through the darkness
of the night, amid the roar, the turmoil,
and the dashing spray of the rapids.
l crossed the river, assembled the rock by
the railway, and hurried to the spot, where
found him SO near that could almost dis
tinguish his countenance. He was then
lying along the log, grasping it with both
arms, and appeared exhausted to the last
degree. He was evidently as wet from the
spray, as though he had been standing
under water. BY this time people were
assembling, and different plans for his res
cue were proposed and discussed on all
sides; already indeed, one effort had been
made. A small boat had been firmly lashed
to strong cable, and dropped down to him
from the bridge, which crossed the rapid
between the mainland and Goat Island,
about sixty yards above the log.
This boat had proceeded few yards in
safety, was upset, spun round like piece
of cork at the end of thread by the force
of the water, which finally snapped the
cable in two, and the boat disappeared over
the fall.
But now despatch had been sent to
Buffalo "a distance of little more than 20
niles by electric telegraph, desiring that
life-boat should be sent by the first trian,
$50 A. NJ, and this in time arrived, borne
on the shoulders of twenty men, and a
splendid boat she was, -large, built entirely
of sheet iron, with air-tight chambers; a
boat that could not sink. She was girt
round with strong ropes, and two new two
inch cables brought with her. All this
arrangement naturally took up much time,
and the poor wretch's Impotence seemed
extreme, SO that it was thought advisable
to let him know what was going on. This
was done by means of sheet, upon which
was written in large letters in Dutch (his
native language,) "The life-boat is CON-
ing" He stood up, looked intently for a
minute, and then nodded his head. When
the boat was at last launched, the excite
ment was intense. Two cables, each held
by many men, were let down from either
end of the bridge, so that they might have
some command in directing the course of
the boat down the river. She seemed lit
orally to dance upon the surface of the
water like cork.
The rapid consists of a number of small
falls distributed unevenly over all parts of
the river, so that there are thousands of
cross currants, eddies, and whrlpools, which
it would be utterly impossible to avoid and
in which lies the danger of transit for any
boat between the bridge and the log The
life-boat's course was steady at first; she
arrived at the first fall, she tripped up and
swung round with rush, but continued
her course safely, only half filled with
water. Again she descended with safety,
but at length approaching the log she
became unmanageable, swinging either way
with immense force, spinning completely
over, and finally dashing against the log
with such violence, that fully expected
the whole thing, man and all, to have been
dislodged and hurried down the rapid
But, no. it stood firm-the boat had reached
its destination. Yet, alas how useless
was it's position. 1t lay completely on its
side above the log, and with its hollow
inside directed towards the bridge, played
upon by the whole force of the current,
which fixed it's keel firmly against the log
1t seemed immovable. The man himself
climbed towards it, and in vain tried te
putt, lift, or shake the boat; nor was il
moved until both cables being brought tc
one side of the river by the united force OF
fifty or sixty men she was dislodged anG
swung down the rapid upside-down, finally
pitching headlong beneath an eddy, entang
ling one of her cables on the rocks ant
there lying beneath heavy fall of water
until, in the course of the day, one cabl,
being broken by the efforts of the men t,
dislodge her, and the other by the shee
force Of the current, she went over TIN
falls,-the second sacrifice to the poor fel
low, who still chung to the log swaye,
between hope and fear. The loss of thi
boat seemed great blow to him, and h
appeared, as far as VIC could judge at
distance, at times to give way to the utmos
despair. A third boat was now brought
wooden, very long, and tlat-bottomed. 1t
passage was most fortunate, and as sh
tloated down, even alongside Of the To-