Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-08-26
III NIAGARA csANks.
Richardson, Rhodes and Others Who
Talk OF Trying Their Fate.

kAienarotOn, Bnooes anu Otuers "uo
Talk OF Trying Their Fate.
The Niagara Fails correspondent of
the. Sun, has the following: There is a
regular mania-suicidsi, some say-Of
Ren who have q desire to swim the
whirlpool rapids and the apparently
quiet maelstrom itself. After brave
Captain Webb's fatal attempt to buffet
the torrent the first imitator to appear
here was "Dr." w. G. Richardson, of
Washington. He appeared at the In
ternational Hotel on Monday, August
IL, and asked for a room. He did not
register. Soon afterward he returned
and cOnfided the fact to Jack Rogers,
the clerk, that he should ''go over the
TAILS in q rubber balloon and swim
through the whirlpool rapids, dive un-
der tie whirlpool and come up at
Lewiston. Mr.. Rogers laughed at him.
Richardson went out and INDUCED in
some more ~"Onviviality, which he
seemed TO enjoy more than the scenery.
On his return he said: ave seen the
rapids, and (hic) I'll swim them uP
stream" He was then requested to
register, and he tried TO do so. His at
tempt was unsuccessful, and Mr.. Rogers
was compelled to write the name,
which he said was c. Richardson. He
was conducted to his room, but he left
on the first train in the morning and
has not been heard from since.
Captain Paul Boy ton
was here a year ago, and it was re.
ported that he, too, had been seized
with the fever. but it is not so. He
was here a year ago, and after looking
at the tumult of water said: 'No liv-
ing man can pass through that torrent"
Bilbo, the English swimmer, who Is
said to be a better natationist than
Captain Webb, has threatened to try tn
swim through the rapids, but it is
thought here that he simply I y so for
the sake of notoriety. w. S. Camp, of
LCckpOrt, made a very safe proposition.
He said that if any party would take a
boat ait go down the rapids and stake
off a good, safe course, he would swim
over it for $1,000 0OO. Joseph Raven,
another Lockport man, says that he
will swim the rapids il somebody will
raise q purse for him, to be given to his
mother in case he meets with no better
SUCCESS than did Captain Webb. He
claims to be familiar with the water.
James Scott, Of Suspension Bridge,
threatened to emulate Webb until al
unkind citizen said: awe wish you
would; the community would be better
off withOutyou." Mcbride, the Buffalo
hargeman, was going to swim the
whirlpool with the help Of a balloon on
Sunday Last, but he did not try it.
James Duek.
of Montreal, wrote to the proprietor o!
a hotel here, saying that as he swami
the Lachine rapids, he thought he
could safely pass through the whirlpool
rapids. AS a reward for his devotion
to prospective suicide, he wanted 500,
but neither it nUr the nan Vas forth
coming.
CAPT. Rhodes, of Salamanca, visited
he TAILS this week. He walked Over
he ground with a correspondent of the
sun and two men from Buffalo. Going
Gown The Canadian inclined railway T.
be waters edge the quartet looked a.
he turbulent stream. 1t was evIden;
that Capt. Webb had a desperate fight
or life, and that his death struggle
Il ouId be a warning to all adventurous
psIsOHs that lie who undertakes to stem
IL e torrent is simply committing suicide
Great waves were thrown twelve feet
INTO the air, broken into masses of foam.
There was such rapidity to the ever
changing surface of the water that it
seemed utterly impossible for mortal
man to live more than a few minutes
in the current. The correspondent
turned 10.
Capt. Rhodes
and said:
"lf you enter that water you will be
committing suicide"
"Why,l can play with those waters"
he said.
"You will have plenty of water to
play with" said a bystander.
Rhodes pointed out a spot opposite
the American side elevator and aid
THAT is where Webb lost his life. H
got a few drops of water in his lung.
coughed, and lost control of himsel
with the surf dashing in his face. The
shock kill him then"
Walking further down, Rhodes point
ed out a sort of alcove on the American
shore, beyond the first curve Of the
river, where in quiet water he could
make the landing. Some of the tumuli
he thought was caused by sunken rocks
but so far below the surface as not to be
dangerous, He studied the currents
and sought to map out a course.
His Goodness
was exasperating. AT the whirlpool he
watched a log which had escaped the
eddies, and said he could even swim the
poor successfully, although before that
ne had SAID that the malestrom would
engulf all the armOrs in the world. He
thought he might swim down to Lewis.
own. Rhodes is at the international
hotel, aud will stay until he makes the
attempt. Monday he will send through
= weighted salt of armor as an expert
nent.
Magistrate Hill, of Niagara Falls,
mt, REPEATS that Rhodes suall not starr
rom the Canadian shore. Chief OF Pc
lce Garfield here told the writer that
e should arrest Rhodes as a lunatic II
q tried to enter the water.
Suspension Bridge, therefore, is the
ply place from which the captain can
start. There are two police forces
there, a day force and a night force
The day force is James Madigan. HI
>aid: Twill | stop Rhodes? No, sir.
Il he il such a big fool | will help him
tut ms armor on" The night force,
whose name is Jacob PFeister, said he
would not bother his head about
Rhodes.
Captain Rhodes and Herman Burk.
ardt, a Buffalo swimmer, swan five
miles on the Niagara river with the eur.
rent this afternoon. Rhodes time was
37B minutes. Burkhardt was then 30
wards ahead and swan five minute
longer. The performance was good.
Rhodes was sick before he entered the
water, vomiting freely.