The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-08-02

NIAGARA FALLS, July 25.-Up to
10 o'clock tonight nothing more has
been learned as to the fate of Capt.
Webb, who was drowned in the whirl-
pool yesterday.
In reply to inquiries before starting
on the fatal swim he said he first
thought of swimming the rapids at
the time Capt. Paul Boyton was talk
ing of doing so. However, it was
only lately that he had resolved upon
attempting it. He arrived at the
falls on the LIST of July and after ex-
amining the course made up his mind
to attempt swimming the rapids.
When mention of a rumor was
made (the rumor stated he would go
over the falls in rubber balD he gave
a merry laugh and said the man who
made the statement should be put in
rubber ball and sent over. He said
in going down he would be
carried under by the current. and if
he could hold his breath until
he came to the surface he would be
all right. He could easily, he said,
hold his breath under water for a
minute and half, but would have to
fight to keep at the top. If he could
not do so, he said, it would be all up
with him. When asked if he had
fully considered the matter, he said it
was a serious thing, but he didn't
bother much about it. He was 60
ing to chance it. 1t was all luck.
He said he had made proposition
to the railroad companies to
have an excursion, but they would
not come to terms; they thought
he was going to commit suicide,
and they would not encourage it.
When asked if there was anything he
wished to have said on his behalf, he
replied that the only thing was he
was not going to make anything out
of it, but he wanted to show people
he could doit. Speaking of his weight,
he said he weighed 190s pounds and
was too fat. His proper weight was
175 pounds, but the extra weight did
not hamper him, as his work was not
like racing; on the contrary his extra
flesh helped him, because it assisted
him to resist cold.
BUFFALO, n. Y, July 25.-The in
tereSt in the fate of Capt. Webb is
unabated. The belief is almost gen.
eral that he persisted in a whirlpool.
His manager telegraphed Mrs. Webb
to-day: "Poor Matt has not turned
up yet. Hope to find him before
morning." Kyle said possibly Webb
was alive in some inaccessible place.
Bets. it is said, have been made that
he is alive. and one gentleman said he
believed it was a dummy that went
down the rapids. and that Webb will
be found somewhere below the whirl-
pool. Eye witnesses attempt, and
insist, there is no ground for such
talk or for hope that he is alive.
NIAGARA FALLS, July 26.-There
are some who believe Capt. Webb sue
ceeded in his foolish undertaking, and
that he is concealing himself to fan a
fam of excitement, when he will
make his appearance for fresh trip.
A great many wagers have been made
on the American side that he will be
seen alive inside of five
days, and bets have been made
by some of two to one that such
will be the case. But the general be-
lief among the oldest residents is that
Captain Webb is no NOR 1t is also
the general belief that life was ex-
tinct before he had cleared the rapids,
and that when it reached pool, the
.lifeless body was swallowed by an i'm
mense eddy, and that it is all over,
and will never be recovered.