Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-11-14
Capt. Paul Boyton's Voyage Dawn the Cen
necticut.

=, makes the notoriety pay hlm snmettilni
,s i'll one way or another, and We notice
IA statement that he is soon to 60 10 Ciiifor
t MIA, for 80 days at $50 Il day, which vii
! keep him in pocket money for some time
to Readers of the FREE Press will remem
Is Der n thrilling description by CORES
.e pondent of this paper of Boyton's leap
g ing overheard from an ocean steamer, oi
,s which he was then common sailor, IL
d mid-ocean and in Il gale. to save 4 mai
5, who had fallen overheard He is..evidentll
Il a man of very great physical endurance
and ability TO handle himself III the watel
e qualities which were severely tested IL
II his swim down the Connecticut. As {
= spectacle, it is said that the captain in his
d rubber suit ia not much more exciting
d than a log floating down stream, but .
II sight of him padding along inspires q
/ good deal of respect for the rubber outfit
9 which makes the thing possible.
9 BOTTOMS RUBBER SUIT.
This consists of tunic and trousers.
with Il rubber coat inside the tInic, and
lighter rubber trousers inside the suit
= proper for better protection from wafer.
:. In the tunic are three air chambe:s-one
in the chest, one i'll the back and one be-
hind the head, from the neck upward,
which raises the head and tightly incloses
. the head piece around the face. The
chambers are between the lining and the
outer rubber. and are inflated easily, by
means of rubber tubes, through which
air is blown. The trousers contain four
compartments. with air chambers extend
| fr.,,, ha T. ln artE Elaa i,
leg of the trousers has chamber front
and rear There is also a stout leather
lapel over the ridge of the metallic band
on the waist of the trousers TO prevent
the breaking of the band when coming
in contact with rocks The lower part of
the tunic is so constructed as to fit, or to
be mortsed into. ridges in the metallic
waist Of the trousers, and heavy rubber
belt is then drawn over all to keep the
tunic and trousers together and render
them perfectly water-tight The suit is
used III the lile-saving service, but Boy
ton SAYS he has not made enough from its
sale To- pay for even one of his trips. The
Captain Was born in pittsburg, Pa, but
for - Years has been roaming over the
world.
HIS CoSEEcTIcJT RIVER VOYAGE.
He began his voyage down the Connect
ticuta week ago Thursday Oct. %,
and found it, he says, the toughest i'll his
experience, with the exception Of his voy-
age down the Tagus river in Spain, a dis
tance OF $50 miles. Though the captain
went down the Allegheny river when the
temperature was three degrees below the
freezing point, and when ice formed all
over his suit, he says that le never suffer
ed from the cold rs on this trip. Then
the fearful shaking up which he re-
celved III the rapids and the knocking
about on the rough stones i'll the bed of
the river told ON him frightfully. In 10
days he lost over 10 pounds Of flesh, a
thing which never happened to him
before, and his strength became we'll
nigh exhausted. His hair-breadth es-
capes in his struggles, with long stretches
of rapids and flights OF rushing water
falls have, however, furnished many in
teresting notes for the book which he pro-
poses to issue III time. The captain com !
plains OF the inhospiiality of the people !
along his routc above Windsor, Vt, say
ing that they seemed 10 take no special .
interest i'll has comfort, but were merely |
bent ON seeing the show" When he had .
struck on rock and cut his suit,
letting i'll large quantity of water, and .
the intense cold had benlmbcd him, he .
could not obtain anywhere the stimulant
which he needed. But, after getting into
the more civilized regions, where railroads
run and the telegraph penetrates. and
wliskey is more plenty, his treatment i'm
proved. At every considerable place
throngs OF people congregated, and
wherever the yoyager landed he had 4
warm reception, the people i'll several
cases taking him on their shoulders car
rying him to hotel and calling for a
speech.
The voyager was subjected to a CON
stant shower of questions from people all
along the shore and in boats, some Of
which were amusing for their stupidity.
The query, Are You cold ~ naturally
came to he rather irritating, when put to
II man who was stiff and numb by every
one who met him. One old fellow above
Northampton wanted to know, Have Won
got machinery in you, honest?'
One Of the most exciting episodes is
described as follows:
SHOOTING BELLOWS FALLS.
The banks of the river are nicely adapt
ed for spectators, and the bridges made
fine point of view Full two thousand
men, women and children stationed them
''INto at liit btSt l'li'tH anu Nulttu lpf t ,
over fOur hours for the appearance of the
Captain
The undamtcd swimmer first went
along the shore and selected the best
channels, and stationed men with ropes
at the dangerous places One rope was
strung across the channel, with men at
either end, and men with ropes i'll coils
were stationed at intervals under the :
bridges. From the preparations it was ,
evident the. Captain was preparing for no
common undertaking.
On the bridges and bank, were the people. ,
who had by this time grown 80 nervous
that a vote WIS taken and unanimously I
carried To ask the Captain to desist from
his proposed undertaking, but it was too
late, for up and around ihe curve came IL ,
shout, and soon ''Th" Captain is coming, :"
was heard ON all sides, and i'll less time
than IT takes t. record it he was through I
the first RAPIDS which of themselves were I
as dangerous as any he has thus far been
over. He Is IN the eddy now. which car |
RES him round and round. and it seems as
II IT will be impossible for linn togct into
the main current again. \ deep boonng i
sound is heard, and hug, log, Is inches /
through, comes grinding down the rocks :
warning shout To the Captain, and he |
Just escapes it as it goes by This for I
moment causes him to lose command of |
himself, and it is lucky he is in II whirl-
pool aud not in the main channel, for if he
had been before it, II would have been u
the last Of Capt. Pml Boyton Word !
soon ~ passed mp from below that the log
Is through and out of the WAY, and the {,
pa'iil" is applied vigorously, but ii seems , :
rs n he WIS held ia tLat charmed circle +,
wilh grasp of iron. lie waves IL few or :,
I"ra with his hand t. have the rope drawn .
more taui across the channel, and this
time he makes an extra effort and hc is III !;
tn" mann current. He applies the paddle =
briskly and strikes the brink of the falls n
Just where he wishes to. Not word is il
spoken as lac hangs there, perhaps on the h
brink of eternity. Many on the bridge b
nye shut their eyes to the scene. and the e
Captain hanCs an instant and gocs down h
He is tossed about on the current and now a
sinks, and he is where the dreaded under 81
tow will take him, if at all One, two, r.
three and five seconds by the watch and
Il" Captain 3; but there Is the paddle, soon Ii
III arm, then Il leg, and one vast shout Ii
rings along the sides of the river as he "
shakes himself like dog and goes feet n
foremost through the last rapids. The Il
Iced Is done and shouts 90 up from the II
'pcctators, and Capt. Boyton is taken u
'apidly to Towns Hotel On examination II
, brnisc on his head and water IN his suit a
81 all the damage sustained, and lac is v
congratulated on all sides d,
There is no record of n like attempt n
.ince August, 1876, when,hrec boats, with
wo log drivers III each, passed over, but :,
he water was very low then. r,
Boyton walked round the great dam at II
iolyoke. He reached Springfield ON cI
Monday, much exhausted and much in ii
lined to give up the rest of the voyage h.
'ut after n nights rest at the hotel he Vi
,lt so much better that he continued on la
lis trip down the river ON Tuesday. ex- ST