Morning journal and courier., 1881-08-02
Four Dogs in the Rapids.
How the Business of Exciting Sympath,
 is Being OverdOne at the Falls.

How the Business of Exciting sympathy
 is Being Overdone at the Falls.
 From the Rochester Express.l
 The summer resort man is never so happy as when he has devised new and ingenious method of advertising his place. The open ing of each season is marked by the appear ance of sea serpents at various fashionable resorts-in fact no respectable watering place can afford to do without this dim and uncertain curiosity nowadays, especially if business should become dull Is it to be marveled at, therefore, that Niagara Falls, in order to keep pace with her rivals, should adopt measures of a slightly similar kind? Of course, sea serpent at the falls would be an absurdity; if he approached from above he would be carried over the cat aract and dashed to pieces if he approached from below he would be hurled to his death in the whirlpool rapids. But Niagara is equal to the emergency-she now has her i'm prisoned and starving dogs-three or four canine Selkirks, who have one by one, been mysteriously deposited upon a small barren island in the great rapids, to be wept over in ] the distance by crowds of sympathetic tour ists. It may be that Niagara Falls has re- ceived this hint from Rochester. Here, last winter, a dog who had floated down the river and become lodged upon ledge at the foot of high cliff excited & perfect furore and crowds watched the daily attempts at rescue. The belief that Niagara Falls has gone into the dog business for the purpose of drawing visitors to the point where the imprisoned canines yelp is supported by those who have observed the exhibition. Concerning the dogs and an attempt at rescue, the Niagara Falls Gazette says:
 s"The colony of dogs on Taylor Island has been lately increased to four, ,and the interest in their fate has not by any means abated. Various schemes for their rescue have been put in operation, but so far without any suc- cess. For some days past the Vokes family have been stopping at the Clinton House, and Fred Vokes has sworn solemn VOW to ob- tain one of the animals. In accordance with this idea he has had peculiar shaped box constructed with lids at each side, the whole to be worked with cords from the top of the cliff. Yesterday he made the first trial of the apparatus in the presence of large crowd of spectators. The box was worked by a man engaged for the occasion, while Mir. Vokes took up position on the bridge and issued his orders. The apparatus was plen- tifully baited with beef and beef bones, and it was carefully lowered the cliff Reaching the rock below, the lids were let down, and the spectators breathlessy watch ed events. rush was made for the beef, but the bull dog showed himself master of the situation, and fought off the other ami mals when they approached it. He then in- serted his body into one side and was making good square meal when the signal was giv- en to hoist. Raising the business few feet from the ground it was discovered that the box too small, and the dog was half in and half out. Under these circumstances it was feared that he might fall and get killed, so the signal was given to lower. The dog then extracted himself, and the box was drawn up empty. An examination showed that about four pounds of the beef had dis appeared, proving that the bull pup had not lost his appetite by his long confinement. A hoy yvill Ina do o1,d of mt will be renewed this afternoon. Mir. Vokes is bound to get one of the dogs if it takes all the season to do it."
 The hidden meaning of the exhibition is laid bare in the following communication found in this mornings Buffalo Courier:
 Arriving here as a stranger desirous of visiting all the principal points of interest in the vicinity, was shown among other curi- osities an island in the whirlpool rapids upon which was informed three unfortunate dogs (victims of accident or human cruelty) had been stranded. It was with much pleasure that I noticed during the last two days the humane efforts of some gentlemen-Mr. Vokes and Mir. Windham-to rescue the un- fortunate prisoners. To-day, however, just as their efforts seemed likely to be crowned with success, they were disturbed by crowd of discontented 1uffians, and the result of the disturbance was that not only were their humane efforts to effect rescue interrupted, dbut their expensive machinery was destroyed. MT. Vokes' approximations were openly met by the leader of the gang, who told him with out concealment that the dogs were specially placed there and carefully fed as lure to the public and fraud upon visitors. As member of a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, have to ask you, Sir, whether it is allowable that these helpless an- imals should be imprisoned on 8 barren heap, bereft of all the liberty and domesticity to which they have been accustomed, and brought to the verge of madness, in order that set of showmen, guides, and hack drivers may reap benefit from the credulity of defrauded public"