Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-07-22
Two Niagara Heroes.


Joel Robinson, the navigator of the
Niagara rapids" who died some years
since, was in many respects remarkable
man. Of stout frame and muscular make,
he was retiring in his manners, and never
courted the publicity into which his as
| tonishing achievements brought him. He
was at first a "guide" and then a police
man at Niagara, and had become skillful
in handling boat by trips to the fishing
grounds about Navy Island, above the
falls. One day man was discovered
clinging to small projection of rock in
the very midst of the rapids, apparently
inaccessible from the shore. A large
crowd quickly gathered, Robinson among
the rest He stadied the situation for a
moment, then brought his boat to the spot,
and putting right out into the headlong
| current gained the rock, took off the man,
whose life had twenty minutes before
seemed not worth a penny's purchase, and
safely landed with him few rods above
| the brink of the fall. A great concourse
had by this time gathered on the bank,
and Robinson's heroic exploit witnessed
| with fear and amazement, was greeted
with rounds of cheers. The boat with the
WV HUI III IL W IT'S tthtI vi tHt SuOuIucTS
of several and carried about among the
crowd, and contributions of money were
willingly thrown into it. For several
years after this Robinson eXerted his pc
culiar skill in navigating the rapids, and
snatched as many as half dozen
castaways from the jaws of the cat
| aract, He was, personally, most esti-
mable man. never | believe, starting on
| his perilous journeys with the prom
| Use of reward, although very properly ac-
cepting the small tokens Of admiration for
| his daring which were offered him. How
he managed to guide his skif in that
| seething uproar of waters from point to
| point was always mystery to everybody
| but himself The mere task of keeping it
keel downward and bow with the current
is more than my reader or | would wish to
undertake, to say nothing Of calculating
the course and the run of the rapids with
such nicely as to land at a small islet.
Such cool heads and steady iron hands rs
those OF Joel Robinson are rarely given to
human kind. Gallant fellow--the world
has few such as you were; real hero,
in humble life though your lot was cast
No man ever better deserved the medal OF
the Humane Society, which was never Of
fered him. l well remember the modest
and characteristic reply he made me in
spring of 1861, after he had piloted the
Maid of the Mist down through the whirl
pool and the trightful rapids between Sus.
pension Bridge and Lewiston, where
steamboat, or indeed any boat whatever,
| had never passed before, and probably never
will again. This fearful journey of little
| less than six miles was made in seventeen
| h.t,, tl,a
taking the little steamer to Lake Ontario
where it was to be employed. l asked
| Robinson to tell me something about his
novel and terrific trip.
Il can only say" he replied, that I
hung to the wheel while another man
| attended to the engine Sometimes the
boat was on her bottom and sometimes on
her side. Sometimes | had contrO of her
| and sometimes she had contro of me.
But ! hung on and never let go the
| Wheel
Wasn't you frightened 2"
"Well, ! declare was so busy with the
wheel, and the whole thing was over
50 quick, that | didn't think about being
frightened. suppose | should have been
if had had the time, for it was pretty
ugly place, now | tell your
a young man named COnfoy gained
some fame, last summer, by his rescue OF
castawav in the Canadian rapids by
means Of rope with which he was let
down to the imperled one, and which he
fastened about his body, when both were
hauled to the bank by dozens Of willing
| hands. Conroy is still at Niagara and
something more Of this kind may be heard
of him if occasion serves. Amid all the
pettiness, fraud and extortion that have
been charged upon Niagara and its huck-
sters, it is pleasant and refreshing to read
of such unselfish and brave acts AS these