The Indianapolis journal., 1883-07-30
The Story of the Attempt.

Ine story OF the
Buffalo Express.
1t was fifteen minutes to when CAPTAIN
Webb, Mr.. Kyle, the Express representative,
and a few others stood together on the ver-
anda of the Clifton House. The cloudy, OPP
pressive morning had given way to bright
afternoon. There was little hustle or stir
more than usual on a bright afternoon.
A few people from Buffalo and handful of
strangers at the falls occupied the veranda,
and regarded Captain Webb, for the most
part, with mute wonder. Presently he
looked at his watch. ut is nearly A. L
must start" said he. Two or three of the
group asked him hasty questions as to his
plan of entering the river With q general
and hurried answer he moved down the path
to the foot of the cliff alone He had re-
moved his vest and linen shirt and his collar.
His gray frock coat was buttoned across his
chest, handkerchief was knotted about his
neck, and felt hat, we'll pulled down over
his eyes, replaced the Derby. An officous
hackman not knowing him, pulled up at
the side of the road and hailed him mo"
said Webb quietly, Il don't want a carriage"
With this he went alone down to the ferry
at the foot of the cliff where McCloy was
waiting for him with the skif He quickly
undressed, tied a red cotton breech-clout
about his loins-the same, bv the way. that
he wore when he swan the English channel
and wearing only this stepned into the
boat and was rowed ont into the stream. a
short distance above the upper bridge.
On the lower suspension bridge unOn the
cliffs on either side and below, at the foot of
the elevators. at the whirlpool RAPIDS. and
the whirlpool, spectators had gathered. All
told they probably did not number over
500 A freight train pulled out from the
Canada side and stood on hebridge, waiting,
Old river men, laborers everybody had bnt
one comment: ''If he goes in he never will
get out alive"
McCloy had dropped down stream with his
passenger to within q few wards of a point
abreast the old Maid of the Mist landing. 81
talked to him some coming down the river
said McCloy 81 asked him if he had fam
ily, and asked how much money he made
when he crossed the channel / got S25. .0OO'
said he Have YOU got any left? said /
Well | guess $4,000 is gone said he.
Well said l. if | was you I'd go ashore
and keep the rest He didn't say ANYTHING.
nor ask anv questions. 1 went as far as |
dared and told him so. Then he stood up in
the boat. and in minute he was gone and
pulled in to the landing"
This is the ferryman's story. The people
on the bridge and lhe cliffs close bv saw the
dive-a clean, graceful plunge head first. as
any swimmer would He came to the sur-
face in a second, squarely in the middle of
the stream With slow sweeping strokes.
swimming straight ahead, he was borne down
and under the bridge. For the first few
hundred feet below the bridge the water
shoots ahead like an arrow in the middle of
the stream, while its retardation at the sides
throws the surface into long waves pointing
ahead from each side. and gradually increas.
ing into billows that break many feet high.
Down this last little stretch of seemingly
smooth green water Webb was clearly seen
to shoot The strokes of arms and legs could
be discerned through the clear green waves
as through glass. 1t was 400 o'clock when
he entered the river from the boat
At 4:15 o'clock he entered the first huge
wave of the rapid; entered it with a straight
ahead Strickland this was the last that
most of the Snecrators cow of him Tboso