The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-10-08
IN NIAGARA CANTON.
An Exciting Adventure which Befcl
Three Schoolboys-A Good Place for
Tlmid People to Avoid.


!; Three schooIboys-A Good Place 70,
Tln,id People to Avoid.
The canyon of tho Niagara river is al
most az terrific sight as the fails them
selves. and the three gentlemen who re.
Gently undertook to sound the depth ol
the water below the falls found the task
of climbing up the steep walls of the
canyon difficult and DANGEROUS. The
printed account of their adventure has
brought out the following letter from 6
New York Evening Post correspondent
| The letter to the Syracuse Standard
concerning the canyon of the Niagara
calls to mind an incident that happened
near the same place three wears ago
when was a teacher at De Veaux Col
lege. The mem ,ers of that engineering
party spoken of in the Standard could
not have been familiar with the canyon,
or they would have found way OF as
cent sooner. About mile. by the road,
below De Veau1 College. in wild, ro-
mantle gorge, is rather deep cave
known as the Devils Hole. Here, by
means of stairway and Path. the de-
scent from the top of the hank to the
Niagara river is comparatively easy and
safe. This place used 10 be visited by
the tourist, but as the hacklnen got no
extra fee for carrying persons thither
the place now is scarcely known. palf-
way between the Devils Hole and the
Whirlpool at De Veaux there is a place
called the Ladders. where by means of a
rickety ladder and the roots of trees a
good climber can get from the bottom to
the top without much difficulty. BY re-
mcmbering these three places - the
Devils Hole, the Ladders and Il e
Whirpool-as the only means of commu-
nication between the neither and the
upper regions in this canyon, the Incl
dent which I have to tell will be better
understood.
Saturday is a half holiday at De
Veaux, and unless boy has greatly mis-
behaved he can go off bounds on that
day. It is generally enjoyed in excur-
sions to the falls and the romantic spots
around the river. One Saturday that
autumn i was master of the day, and
when the report of absent ones was hand
ed to me at the supper table I noticed the
names of three of the smaller boys,
Kelley, Park and Very. They were new
boys, all three of them, and sat Mt my
table. asked the boys near me whether
they knew anything about them or not.
It was thought that they had gone down
the road toward the DEVILS Hole. Sup
per 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 80 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 been down to the river near
the DEVILS Hole to play and to hunt
fossils, and that at the suggestion of Kel-
ley they had undertaken to return by the
river along the rocks to the Whirlpool
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 up the
Ladders. They did not know whittier
this would lead them; but so rejoiced
were they to get little higher that they
clutched the rotten rounds up, up, up,
and then the roots of the trees, sill
higher and higher. not daring to look
back. and with hearts full of JOY they at
last recognized the woods and the level
lands. They could not rejoice in their
own escape without thinking of poor
Kelley. Then they lived over again all
they had gone through the two or three
hours before. Without Kelley they
feared at first to go back to De Veaux,
but the dark night and their bruises
hurried them along.
But where is Kelleyp"
II don't know!" they both cried.
Here came a sobbing pei iod.
He went down"
Into the water?"
II don't know. We could not see
WAS it very steepP Did he 60 into
the riverp"
"Yes-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 60 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 roar
ing river should allow him to hear the
horn. The night was too black to at
tempt descent at either of the three
places mentioned.
Park and Very washed off the blood
and dirt, and after supper they looked
better and felt better. but were not
disposed to talk as much rs they usually
were. There was not much study in
school that night. There was no dispo-
sition to talk or "cut up." Kelley's
empty seat made every boy think of
him. Some of the small boys who sat
near Kelley had to be sent out. they
were so restless. In the dormitories the
masters were asked: "Do you think
he il dead?" is he drownedp" Have
they found him?" II can't 20 to Sleep"
were crying. At ten o'clock the three
large boys returned, but without
clew. At eleven o'clock the clouds
broke, the moon ca ne up, and 1t was
almost daylight. The president, who
had returned from Buffalo, gave orders
to have the upper school turned out to
scour tie rocks, the boys in the lowest
dormitories to remain in bed. The hunt
ing party was divided into three squads,
each under the command of master.
One squad was to descend the rocks by
the Whirlpool, another Mt the Ladders
and the other at the Devils Hole. They
STATED off rather hopefully under the
bright sky. With each party was some
refreshments for the lost boy. chicken
and little brandy. The Devils Hole
party took a wagon down the road with
q litter, mattress and blankets.
one. Within a few feet of the loud and
terrible river, under the shadow of an
immense rock, they found Kelley, who,
when night set in. had huttoned his coat
tightly, coiled himself UP and, taking
things calmly, had gone to sleep. The
note of the bugler awoke him as from
dream. With happy smile lie 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 treacherous shale bed, and,
legs foremost. had slid down the seventy
three feet. landing at the bottom with
scarcely bruise. The Ladder squad re-
turr ed with the hero of the night and
made the whole household happy. The
other squads did not return till nearly
daybreak. The next day was joyful
Sunday. A week later two strong, large
boys and myself undertook to walk from
tho WbirlDOo1 RI tho DEVILS Hole over