Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1871-10-04
Mlist,IIanusous 1sacins.
A Wresle with, Niagara.

/ was standing about thirty or forty
yards in advance Of the Clifton, that i.,
thirty or forty yards nearer the horse
shoe along the brink of the rocks, and
1 opposite the American fall. The ground
must have been about the came height
as the opposite fall, but, owing to the
| immense hill down which the rapids
rush, it was impossible to distinguish
any object Of the size Of a boat a con-
siderable distance above the fall, so that,
now as it was pointed out to me. I saw
| in the middle of the rapids, hinge log
Of wood. the trunk Of tree, which had
lodged there some years before, and up
on it black speck. This, after some OBJ
servation, perceived to move Il was
a 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 com
mand of their boat, and had been hur
ried away to destruction. 1t was sup
posed that about half mile above the
fall the boat had been 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 this log of wood,
climbed upon it, and sat astrde OF it
through the darkness OF the night amid
the roar, the turmoil, and the dashiug
spray of the rapids. .r 4t,4a. .....
I | crossed the river, ascended the rock
by the railway, and hurried to the spot.
where found him so near that | could
almost distinguish MS 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 rescue We're proposed aud
discussed on all sides already, indeed
one effort had been made. \ sm II boat
had been firmly dashed to strong cable.
and dropped down to him from the
bridge. which crossed the rapids between
the mainland and Goat Island, about
sixty yards above the les. .......
The boat had proceeded a few yards
in safety. was upset, spun around like a
piece of cork at the end Of a 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
twenty miles, by electric telegraph, de-
string that a life boa, should be sent by
the first train, $50, A. NJ, and this i'll
time arrived, borne on the shoulders OF
about twenty men, and asplendid boat
,he was. large, built entirely of sheet
iron with air tight chambers a boat that
could not sink. She was girt around
with strong ropes, and two new two inch
! cables brought with her All this ar
rangement naturally took up much time,
and the pool wre,chs impatience seem
ed extreme, go that it was thought ad
visable 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 ma i've language) ''the life
boat is coming He stood up, looked
n,ently for minute, and then nodded
his, head When the boat was at last
| launched the excitement was intense.-
Two cables, each held by many men,
were let down from either end of the
brit;ye, SO that they might have some
command in directing the course of the
boat down the river. She seemed litter
ally to dance upon the surface of the wa
ter like a cork. yia .nslfrss md s-.s9 sa.
The rapid consists of a number Of
small falls distributed unevenly over all
parts of the river, SO that there are thou
sands of cross currents, eddles, and
whirlpools, which it wonld be utterly i'm
possible to avoid, and in which lies the
danger of transit for any boat between
the bridge and log The hfr-boat 8
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 filed with
water Again she descended with safe
ty, but at length approaching the los she
became unmanageable, swinging either
way with immense force, spinning com
pleiely over, and finally dashed against
tie log with such violence that fully
expected the whole thing, ma and all,
to have been dislodged and hurried down
the rapid. But. no. it stood frm-the
boat had reached its destination. Yet,
alas how useless was its position, 1t
lay completely on its side above the log,
and with its hollow inside directed to-
| 4. %
ward the bridge, played upon by the
whole force of the current, which fixed
its keel firmly against the log. Itseemtd
immovable. The man himself climbed
toward it, and in vain tried to pull, lift.
or shake the boat nor was it moved