Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1879-09-06
A REM1NlsoENoE or NIAGARA.


| remember when | was u boy TINT
" man got into the rapids here, hay
ing been carried down In u boat,
which WINS broken to pieces. He Ind
the good fortune to be dashed on u
rock, to which he chung. It was vt
the height Of tho season August, II l
recollect-and he chung there for fully
thirty-six hours. Everybody streamed
out Of the hotels md the village; the
banks Of the river, particularly on this
side, were thronged with people anxi-
ous to do something to save. Dozens
ofplans were suggested; attenlp-
ted, but they MI failed. BIZ
Thousands Of dollars were offered
to anybody who would rescue him.
The desperate situation Of tho man
had been telegraphed over the coun-
try ind every train brought crowds Of
passengers hitler to witness II with
their own eyes. lie was encouraged
by shouts from tho bnnks, but wheth-
or he could understand anything Is
doubtful. Tho world ia said to be
sympathetic. II Ia, or 1t appears to
be, unsympathetic because the object
for which sympathy Is asked Is nh
stract. When II rs tangible, visible,
MI IL changed. There was IN ex-
empliIlcation. This poor wretch could
he seen. He was an ordinary, uned-
ucated man; but he was u man, and
the brotherhood and sisterhood of the
race went out to him In pity ind in
tense eagerness to rescue him.
Women Of fashion, blase club men,
selfish worldlings grew pale as they
watched the unhappy wretch, 80 vivid
was their sympathy. Many persons
sat up all night looking across the
seething, roaring waters ut tho small +,
dark figure, still clinging to the rock.
Tho morning came; renewed efforts
made, but they all miscarried. The
crowd had increased, 1t was immense.
Everybody was excited. Tears were
IN the women's eyes; the pallor
cleaned through the rouge Of some Of
their cheeks. Can't something be
donei Must tho poor fellow perish
before our faces9 Ia there no way to
rescue hint Such questions were in
ccssantly asked, but alas! no reply
could bc given. The man had good
courage ind great strength. He clung
to tho rock with the desperation Of a
dying soul. TO lose his hold was To
be dashed over the cataract. Appar
atus and cOntrivances arrived from
Buffalo.
New experiments and new failures
lloarse shouts still rang across the
rapids to hold onto be Of good heart
The stoutest heart that ever tllrobbed
could not grippe that rock forever. 1t
was wonderful how he had endured.
A fresh idea had come to tho minds
of half u dozen mechanics. They were
laboring TO throw out u hawscr; every
muscle was strained; every eye was
bent upon their work. Suddenly the
man slipped away. He was exhaust
cd; he threw up his arms; no dashed
toward the cataract. A low groan,
as from one breast, quakcd through the
tlrong; the thousands shivered with
terror.
A black object for moment longer
in the hell of the waters, and ther
disappeared forever. There was al
|
agony Of relief. No one moved; NJ
one spoke for awhile. All looked il
the direction where the figure had
been swallowed up. 1t was the en-.
chantment of terror it was tho chill
Of tragedy distinctly wrough@ which
froze every one for the moment to tin
spot. The old resident--he has LIVED
there forty years--says that on NJ
average about six persons are carried
over the falls every year, and tina
four out of the six are wholly or par
italy intoxicated and lose their livc'
by carelcssncss or recklessness in row
ing above the rapids, going bcyon,
the line of danger. But for liquor no
more than two lives, he says, would
be lost annually.