News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-09-20
THE MAID OF THE MIST.
THE ONLY SURVIVORS, STORY OF
THE FAMOUS FEAT.
Why the steamer was Run on and How
She Managed TO go Through.


THE FAMOUS FEAT.
Why the Steamer was Run OF and How
She Managed to go Through.
The story Of the famous passage ofthe
Maid of the Mist, istold by Dewitt @. Nc
Mrtry, the only one of her passengers
on that occasion now living. The old
mans story is as follows:
81 think it was in 1851 that James W.
Buchanan, of Toronto, Can, went to live
in Suspension Bridge. The original
Maid of the Mist had just been destroyed
and Mr.. Buchanan, who had means,
thought that it would be a good idea to
build new one, better than the other
and more durable. She was 15Ox16 feet
over all. Buchanans money held out
only until the time came to place the
engines and boiler in the boat His
plans were too expensive. Captain Joel
Robinson, who was to command the
boat, demonstrated against using old
machinery because it was not powerful
enough. Mr.. Buchanan went to Buffalo
and borrowed sufficient money from
old Judge Arlington to complete the
boat, and a mortgage on it for $1,000
was given to him. The old Judge
thought his venture was perfectly safe
and so did every one else. One outlet
for escaep was blocked by the great cat,
aract and the other by the boisterous
whirlpool rapids, supposed to be impas-
sable. Buchanan paid his interest reg
ularly for a time, but finally failed to
come to time. He was on the verge of
ruin. At that junctUre some people in
Toronto who wanted pleasure boat to
ply between Kingston and Prescott
offered him S25, 900 for the Maid, the
boat to be delivered at the dock in
Queenston, on the Canada side. Then
Buchanan formed the idea of running
her through to evade the mortgage and
save his fast failing fortunes. Captain
Robinson came to me and explained the
situation. He said:
"'If we run this boat through it's
worth $500 to me and 800 apiece to you
and Jones
81 was the fireman and Jones was the
engineer. After considering it a while
we made up our minds to run the risk.
"Ihe day for the memorable trip was
June 81, 1859, and I shall never forget
it. Our usual steam pressure was 40
pounds, but for this trip we set the ball
so that she would blow off at 22S pounds.
At half-past two i'll the afternoon Robin
son was dashed to the wheel-house.
Jones and [ went down into the fire
hold, the matches were battened down
and the hawser cast off She was lying
PROV into the current, and had to make
a semi circular turn, which she just fin
ished as she struck the current. The
engines were working full head, the
furnace was nearly red-hot and steam
was missing in the blowout The current
in the rapids is forty-fi five miles an hour;
and we knew that if we could not make
some Roadway i'll it, so the craft would
mind the helm. nothing but an interpO-
sition of Providence could save us.
am the only man now living who ever
passed through those rapids, and I'll
never try again.
Had you no fear at all %
81 had no fear at the start, but after
We got into those rapids I would have
given worlds to get ashore. Had been
able to make land after the first two OF
three plunges that boat made, all the
money i'll the whole United States would
have been no temptation to me to go
aboard again. The risk was too great,
and | tremble now as i'll memory [ live
the scenes of that day over again. 1t
was simply Il case of nature against ma
ture. [ tell you, sir, that nothing but
the Intervention of Providence put us
through safely. We shot through with
frightfuI velocity OF the speed you can
form some idea when / tell you that from
the lower Maid of the Mist landing,
where we started, Queenston wharf is
lance in seven minutes and fOrty-tiYe
seconds. The rapids themselves are a
mile in length and two minutes was the
time of the passage.
"That is pretty fast travelling through
4 current sixty feet higher in nidstream
chan at the sides, in an u1anaEigated
landing until we made fast at GaueenstOn
every moment was one of expectation
of death. [ expected every second to
see the hull rent in pieces by the rocks
and find myself tossed about by the cur
reLt and beaten to death by the great
waves. I lived nv life over again times
inuumerable, and incidents which took
years to enact arose in my vision lnstan-
taneously, and with a realism that makes
one shuddcr. We felt that we were on
the verge of death. When we struck
the first rapid our boat plunged down
ward maybe thirty feet Then with
greatly added impetus she was thrown
out of the water. Through the heavy
glass holes and bv the different
working of the engines could tell when
the wheels were in or out of water
Down would 90 the boat until it seemed
she would never stop, when quickly she
would right herself, and with a leap
which seemed almost human, go clear
out of the water. We We're tossed about
in the hold, Jones and I, until it seemed
as il the quick succession of shocks
would kill us. Ifelt my strength oOzing
away, and I chung to the hand-rails for
dear life. There was barely time to
catch ones breath between the concus-
sious, and the force felt inside the close
lv-fastened tire-hOle was so great that
escape seemed impossible. Our course
was in the center as near as we could
make if. We got through the whirlpool
rapids all right enough, but the boat
was wreuchcd and racked so that she
took water freely, and when [ climbed
out of the hold at Queenston the water
was waist high. [ suppose yOu want to
know how we avoided the whirlpool.
At the entrance the Maids stern ground
ed lightly on rock, she swung round
and shot down the stream instead of
following the current into the whlrl-
pool. 1t all happened quicker than L
1on toll ~ -