West-Jersey pioneer., 1883-08-02
CAPT. wEBB,s LAST SWIM.

N. T., shortly before 10 o'clock on We'd
nesday of last week, and took the noon
train on the N. Y. Central to Niagara
Falls. They were driven in the Clifton
House omnibus to that hotel, on the
Canada side. Here they passed the time
very quietly, Webb affably conversing
with whoever chose to address him.
His manner was genial and exceedingly
gentlemanly. He responded freely to
all questions that were asked him, and
MS pleasant, hearty manner instantly
won the favor and good will of all who
approached him. He chatted pleasantly
until the dinner hour at the hotel.
Strange to say he declined partaking of
the meal, saying that he preferred not
TO eat, adding, in hearty English way:
Il can keep my wind better, you know,
on an empty stomach" He smoked a
cigar, and sat quietly on the veranda of
| the Clifton House. So the time passed
until 4 o'clock, when Mr.. Kyle took him
| aside and said few words to him. He
then left the piazza, walked short dis
tance along the road, and turned off
down the steep pathway leading down
to McCloy's ferryboat house, which is
several hundred yards above the new sus-
pension bridge on the Canada shore. Nc
| Cloy and Webb had a brief conversation.
| The latter also spoke to Mrs. McCloy,
who asked him whether he would see his
wife and children again. He replied
confidently, 81 hope to-" He spoke
| about his baby, seven months DID, his
wife and other child, and said that he
expected to meet them in few days at
Nantasket McCloy got the boat,
small scow painted bottle-green, in readi-
ness with two pairs of oars, and Webb
stepped steadily and cheerfully into it.
| ''Time is up," he remarked to Cloy as
the latter rowed the boat carefully out
| through the rocks into the stream. Ar
rived in the centre of the stream, Nc
Cloy slowly pulled under the new sus
pension bridge, on which only few
persons were congregated to see the
| daring man-fish start out on his venture
some journey. In utter silence, save the
hoarse murlnur of the cataract, the scow
made its way. Gradually the current
grew stronger, and the speed became
| correspondingly greater. Very few
words passed between the two men, save
that the ferryman asked Webb whether
he had swan often before, to which he
replied, MANY times. ''Have you ever
seen the rapids?" asked McCloy. Webb
! answered, GIVE had a glimpse of them"
In answer to McCloy's questions he said
he had made $4,000 by swimming the
English Channel, and he had SIS, 900 left.
McCloy states that he advised him to go
ashore and spend it and not risk his life
in the rapids. A few moments later
McCloy told the hardy swimmer that he
had brought him as far as he could with
| safety to the boat and himself. Webb
| promptly removed his hat, handkerchief,
coat, and all his clothing save pair of
short red cotton trunks around his loins,
and without word of farewell, plunged
boldly into the water at point opposite
the Maid of the Mist landing. A mo-
ment later he rose gracefully to the sur
| face, and swimming with infinite ease
and power, struck out boldly. It was
at 4:24 o'clock, New York time, when he
dived into the river, which seemed to be
flowing placidly onward, giving on it's
| surface few indications of the awful
dangers beyond. He cleared the water
with strong and steady strokes, swim
ming on his breast with his head clear
from the surface. He kept in the centre
of the stream, and the strong eddies
which occasionally swirled past him
| seemed in no way to impede or swerve
him from his course. AS he approached
the old suspension bridge the flow of
the current increased with remarkable
rapidity. There were about two hun
dred spectators on the bridge who saw
the intrepid swimmer glide toward them,
pass swiftly beneath them, and ere they
could reach the east side of the structure
he was fifty yards down the current.
He was carried along as fast as the eye
could follow him.
| Onward he was swept like a feather
in the sea. High on the crest of huge
boulder of water his head and shoulders
cleaned for an instant and then was
lost in dark abyss of turmoiling water.
Again he appeared, his arms steadily
moving as if balancing himself for
plunge into another mighty wave. The
tumbling, rushing, swirling element
seemed to give forth an angry, sullen
roar as if sounding the death knell of
the ill-fated swimmer. Once more away
| down the rapids he was seen still appar-
emily Drawing fate and stemming the
seething waters with marvellous skill
and endurance. Instead of being hurled
hither and thither as might be expected,
he was carried on with furious rapidity
onward almost in a straight course.
| For nearly mile he was hurried for
ward by the tumultuous rushing waters,
and still he seemed to be riding the
| awful pillows in safety. In four min
utes after he had passed under the sus-
| pension bridge he had been hurried
through the terrible rapids and arrived
at the mouth of the great whirlpool.
Reaching what seemed to be less troub-
| led and dangerous waters, he raised his
head|well above the surface, gazed for an
instant toward the American shore, and
then turned his face to the high bluff on
the Canadian side. A second later he
dived or sank and was seen no more.
There were very few who witnessed the
tragic disappearance, as the passage was
completed in an almost incomprehensi-
bly, brief poriod. Mr.. Kyle ana a few
others were on the banks of the whirl-
pool below the cliffs, but they waited
and watched in vain for the foolhardy
victim of the perilous, and, as it proved,
fatal venture to reappear. There can
be very little doubt that he was drawn
down into Of tlao