The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1880-08-08
THE ROMANCE OF NIAGARA.
Frequent Occurrence of Tragic Acct.
druts-'rvo Memorable Ones

drns-Two memorable Ones.
John Paul's very interesting letter from
Niagara in recent 7i7bpne has doubtless
given enjoyment to number of readers. In
IL he sketches with dramatic force some Of
those tragedies whose recital adds painful
fascination to the grand scenery of the Falls.
lie traces the frequency of such accidents
numbering no fewer than seven last year
TO the carclcssness growing out of familiarity
with the river above the rapids on the part
of boatmen who are accustomed to cross and
recross daily, and to the great promoter of all
manner ofcalamitics--lig uor--which, he SAYS,
Is plentiful and cheap on the Canadian side.
lie describes, with striking effect, two acct
dents which occurred last summer--onc at
tributablc to carclcssness and the other to
intoxication--to illustrate his theory, and
adds to these the story of suicide to show
that all who meet death at Niagara do not 60
over the falls unwilingly.
More than twenty years ago Niagara wit.
messed a tragedy, which, while of heart
rending character, was marked by an act of
true herosm seldom equaled in grandeur.
Mr.. Charles Addngton, a young man about
twenty-thrcc or twenty-four years of age.
was affanced to Miss De Forrest, both being
residents of Buffalo, One day happy party
comprising Mrs. De Forrest, Miss De Forrest,
young daughter, Eva, a beautiful child
five or six years old, and "Charley ~ Adding
ton, as his friends were accustomed to call
him, visited the Falls. They crossed the
bridge to Goat Island. and, while resting
under the trees, little Eva strayed away from
the group and, approaching the bank of the
narrow but deep and swift stream that
rushes between Goat Island and the small
island lying between it and the main American
rapids, was amusing herself by casting sticks
into the water and watching them as they
were whirled swiftly away. Mrs. De Forrest,
alarmed for her child's safety, requested
Charley Addington to go after her and bring
her back. Charley at once proceeded to the
bank, and, thinking to give the little
one fright, approached her stealthily from
behind, and, catching her under her arms,
held her over the stream. The startled
child threw up her little arms over her head
and instantly slipped through young Adding
tons hands and fell into the rapids. The
realization of the horrible calamity must
have come home to Addington's brain with
| the rapidity of the lightning's lash lie saw
| that his rash act had cost the child's life
that only one desperate chance of saving her
| remained-that the world was at an end for
him forever. Tearing off his coat he rushed
along the bank until he had passed little
| Eva, who was kept afoat by her clothing,
then plunging in ahead of her, he seized the
child and desperately attempted to throw her
up on the bank. AS he made the effort he
fell back into the rapids and was whirled
over the small fall that intervenes between
the American and Horse Shoe Falls. Little
| Eva struck the top of the bank, but all
power had apparently gone from her and she
rolled back into the strean and was hurried
| to her dreadful fate. The mother and sister
| stood powerless and paralyzed with horror
| while the tragedy, almost instantaneous in
| its action, passed before the eyes leaving
its dark cloud hanging over all their future
| lives. Charley Addington had made herO's
| attonement for his thoughtless and reckless
act. His father-he was an only son-was
| in the habit of visiting the Falls once week
for years after the tragedy, and would sit for
| hours gazing at the spot where his son and
| little Eva had met their deaths. lie became
well known at the Falls, and there were
many who believed that he would one day
voluntarily seek the same fate that his son
in his heroism had c0Uried. But his sad
pilgrimage had no such ending.
An accident with very dramatic accompani-
ments occurred some few years after the sad
event that cost Charley Addington and Eva
| ID. Forrest their lives. One morning, soon
after daybreak, the early risers at the Falls
discovered something moving on huge old
log or trunk Of q tree which for years had
shown itself above the boiling rapids on the
American side, having been caught by and
become firmly wedged into the rocks on its
way toward the Falls. Looking downward
from the bridge, this log was and still is in
full sight, in the iiercest part of the rapids,
| considerably nearer to the small island on
the American side of Goat Island than to the
American shore. The moving object was
| soon found to be man, and it was evident
that his boat had been carried over the Falls
during the night, while he himself had mi
| raculously been cast against the log, by which
!:e had managed to stop his fearful rush
toward death. Dispatches We're Immediately
sent to Buffalo, to the Coast Life Saving Sta
ton, and Capt. Dorr fastened to Niagara by
n special train, carrying with him two metal
lie fe-boats; and plans to save the man were
concerted. But before the arrangements were
completed the news had been spread abroad
and many thousands Of persons had reached
the Falls by special trains. Goat Island, the
windows of all adjacent buildings and the
branches of trees We're covered with anxious
and Mortified spectators. The first attempt
at rescue was by means of a Francis metallic
life-boat, attached to. n cable which was
Stacked of from the bridge opposite the log,
and guided by side ropes. Tho boat had not
got far from the bridge when the fierce rapids
seized it, turned it round and round, and ap-
peared TO be eRdeavoring to crush in its
sides. The strong cable snapped like whip.
cord land the poor fellow who had been watch
ing the effort made for his rescue saw the
boat whirled past him and carried over the
Falls, as if in mockery of his would be res
cuers. Considerable time was then consumed
in celebrating on n new plan, and it was
proposed to fasten cable to some building
on the American side to carry it over to the
island until it would sag near the log, and
then to rescue the man by means of basket
hung on the cable by rings, and to DE let
down and pulled in by means of smaller
ropes. The materials for this experiment
could not be procured, 80 at last it was de-
ciied to send down a strongly constructed
raft in the same manner as the life boat had
been launched and il IL reached tina man I'm