The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-10-11

engines and boiler Ill the Doat. lis
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
ID Judge Addington to complete the
ut, and q mortgage on it for $1,000
given to him. The cid Judge
hit his venture was perfectly safe,
did every one else. One outlet
,pe was blocked by the great cat
nd the other by the boisterous
ol rapids, supposed to he impas-
Buchanan paid his interest reg
"a time, but finally failed to
ne. He was on the verge of
that jnncture some people in
o,wanted pleasure boat to
Kingston and Prescott
$4,000 for the Maid, the
elivered at the dock in
tho Canada side. Then
I'd the idea Of running
ade the mortgage and
g fortunes. I Captain
ne AMI explSS::- Oh Che
'at through it's
Oapiece to you
Jones was the
ing it while
run the risk.
orable trip was
.all never forget
pressure was 130
rip we set the ball
wof at 228 pounds.
he afternoon Robin
o the wheel-house.
down into the fire.
were battened down
st off. She was lying
cent, and had to make
nm, which she JUS fin.
rnck the current The
o working full head, the
nearly red-hot md steam
Ag in the blow-off. The current
% rapids is forty. five miles an hour;
lid we knew that if weicould not make
some headway in it, so the craft would
mind the helm. nothing but IN interpo.
kition of Providence could save us.
am the only man now living who ever
passed through those rapids, and III
IL, yer try again.
"Had you no fear at all ?"
II had no fear at the start, but after
wo got into those rapids / would have
given worlds to get ashore. Had been
able to make land after the first two or
three plunges that boat made, all the
money in the whole United States would
have been no temptation to me to 90
aboard again. The risk was too great.
and l tremble now as in memory live
the scenes of that day over again. 1t
was simply case of nature against M.
I'm / fnl civ hnf
the Intervention of Providence put us
through safely. We shot through with
frightful velocity. OF the speed you can
form some idea when I tell you that from
the lower Maid of the Mist landing,
where wo started. Queenston wharf is
just five miles and we travelled the dis.
tance in soven minutes and forty-five
seconds. The rapids themselves are q
mile in length and two minutes was the
time Of the passage.
'That is pretty fast travelling through
n currentsixty feet higher in midstream
than at the sides, in IN unnavigated
channel. From the time We left the
landing until we made fast at Queenston
every moment was one of expectation
OF death. [ expected every second to
see the hall rent in pieces by the rocks
and find myself tossed about by the cur
rent and beaten to death by the great
waves. lived nv life over again times
innumerable, and incidents which took
years to enact arose in my vision instan-
taneously, and with realism that makes
oi shudder. We felt that we were Oh
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 portfolios and by the different
working Of the engines I could tell when
the wheels were in or out of water.
Down would go the boat until it seemed
she would never stop, when quickly she
would right herself, and with leap
which seemed almost human, go clear
out OF the water. We were tossed about
IN the hold, Jones and /, until it seemed
as If the quick succession of shocks