The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-10-03
A Niagara Canyon Adventure.

A Niagara Canyon Adventure.
Saturday is half holiday at De Veaux
College, Niagara, and unless boy has
greatly misbehaved he can 60 off bounds
on that day. 1t is greatly enjoyed in
excursions to the Falls and the romantic
spots around the river. One Saturday
three years ago writes former student
at the College, l was master of the day,
and when the report of absent ones was
handed to me at the supper table l
noticed the names of three Of the small
est boys, Kelley, Park and Very. They
were new boys, all three of them, and
sat at my table. I asked the boys near
me whether they knew any thing about
them or not. It was thought they had
gone down the road towards the Devils
Hole. Supper was over and they did
not appear. The boys marched into
evening school, and three of the larger
boys were just starting to hunt the
missing ones when two of them came in,
Park and Very. Parks clothes were
torn and muddy. Very had . horrible
looking face, bruised black and blue,
and very bloody. They were so tired
and frightened that neither of them
could say word. "Where is Kelley?
Where is Kelley?'' This only made
them the more excited. 1t was only by
degrees that we found out that they had
gone. down to the river near the DEVILS
Hole to play and to hunt fossils, and
that ut the suggestion of Kelley they
had undertaken to return by the river
oil kn he 70 fhA
stairs. They got along well at
first. Then it grew darker. After
a number of serious falls down
the rocks, and eager crawling up again,
they came upon the Ladders. They did
not know whittier this would lead them;
but SO rejoiced were they to get a little
higher that they clutched the rotten
rounds up, up, up, and then the roots of
the trees, still higher and higher, not
daring to look back, and with hearts full
of joy they at length recognized the
woods and the level land. They could
not rejoice in their own escape without
thinking of poor Kelley. Then they
lived over all they had gone through the
two or three hours before. Without
Kelley they feared at first to 60 back to
DeVeaux, but the dark night and their
bruises hurried them along.
I" But where is Kelley?''
Z" don't know! l don't know!"
they both cried. Here came a sObbing
period. aft'i
ssHe went down.
"IntO the water?''
81 don't know. We could not see
him. t
"Was it very steep? Did he go into
the river?''
"Ycs-I don't know
This was all we could learn about poor
Kelley. The larger boys then started
with lantern and horn, and were to go
along the top of the bank blowing the
horn and swinging the lantern to give
the boy some encouragement in case he
should see the light, or the roaring river
should allow him to hear the horn.
The night was too black to attempt Il
descent ut either of the three places men,
toned.
At 10 O'Clock the three large boys re-
turned, but without clew. At IL
O'Clock the clouds broke, the moon came
up, and it was almost like daylight. The
President, who had returned from Buff
falo, gave orders to have the upper
school turned out to scour the rocks,
the boys in the two lower dormitories to
remain in bed. The hunting party was
divided into three squads, each under
the command of a master. One squad
was to descend the rocks by the Whirl-
pool, another at the Ladders, and the
other at the DEVILS Hole. They started
off rather hopefully under the bright
sky. With each party was some re-
for the lost boy, chicken and
a little brandy. The DEVILS Hole party
took q wagon down the road with a lit
ter, mattress and blankets.
The ladder squad was the successful
one. Within few feet of the loud and
terrible river, under the shadow of an
immense rock, they found Kelley, who,
when night set in, had buttOned his coat
tightly, cOiled himself up, and, taking
things calmly, had gone to sleep. The
note of the bugler awOke him as from a
dream. With a happy smile he met the
master and the bugler. With hearty
"Thank you," he took the chicken and
with it little brandy, and was then able
to scramble up the rocks, climb the lad
ders and walk to DeVeaux. He was not
hurt at all. 1t appeared that he had
slipped on 4 treacherous shale bed, and,
legs foremost, had slid down for 20 feet,
landing at the bottom with scarcely a
bruisc.