The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-08-15
IT'D SWIM THERE MYSELFr.
Captain Webb's Widow Views
tho Place Where Her Hus-
band Met His Death.

"Poor Matt! He must have struck
a rock while taking the overland
str, Ike in the second rapid"
| The widow Of the late Captain
Webb was standing upon the bank
overlooking the whirlpool within
whose seething waters her husband
was last seen alive. she had gone to
Niagara Falls to get the body, which
was cast up by the water last Satur-
day, and before leaving had gone to
look at the scene of the captains fa-
tai swim. Accompanied by Mr..
Kyle she went to the point where he
entered the boat and followed the
river along the banks. She made a
careful examination of the rapids
and exclaimed, "Well! There's
nothing there to bother Matt" A
little farther along Mr.. Kyle pointed
out the place where Webb was last
seen alive. "WhatH' said she, "do
you call that the whirlpool? Why.
I'd go in swimming there myself"
Such was her opinion of the noted
death trap into which so many have
gone only to come out dead. Her
decision was not hastily formed, but
was reached after close scrutiny of
the whirIing eddies and dashing
spray. Neither was it the result of
ignorance or foolish conjecture. for
Mrs. Webb is an expert swimmer
and knows thoroughly how to main
tain herself in the water. Her hus-
bad said that he could successfully
swim through the rapids unless some
unforeseen accident occurred. He
met his death, but the condition of
the body showed that he had struck
the rocks. Mrs. Webb relied implic-
lily ON his good judgment, and, after
looking at the course mapped cut by
him. arrived al the same conclusion
that it could be done.
This was the first time Mrs. Webb
had seen Niagara, and she said that
to her it's violence seemed greatly ex-
aggerated. She had expected to see
something terrible, but was not very
much impressed with its grandeur.
Leaving the river she went to the
Tomb wherein her husbands body
lay. She was strongly advised not
to 60 in, but insisted on seeing him
once more. Up to this time she had
shown wonderful fortitude. She was
very calm while gazing at the face of
the dead husband, but when she
reached the carriage and realized
more fully her loss she broke down.
The body has been buried at the
Falls, where it will remain until cool
It will then be brought to
Hull. The friends of captain Webb
in this city propose to erect shaft of
granite, representing broken col
umn, over his grave.
1t has been a disputed question as
to whether or not Captain Webb was
alive when last seen in the whirlpool.
Many claim that he was already dead
and that the motion of the arm was
caused solely by the force Of the wa
ter. The lady who last saw him sets
at rest all dispute ON this fact. She
says that the Captain was alive and
that she distinctly saw him raise his
hand to his face and wipe the spray
before diving into the next
wave. the theory now is that Cap
tain Webb got through the whirlpool
right and when seen was clearing his
eyes so that he might better get his
bearings; that he then dove into the
water, and swimming beneath the
surface for long distance, struck out
for the lower rapids, and while under
water received his death blow. Cap
tain Webb could hold his breath fora
lrng time and was fully capable of
doing this.