The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-24
TRAGEDIES of NIAGARA.
An Intellectual Effort to Snatch Man from
Death-A Double Tragedy.

|
| New York Times
TO think that 1 should have left Niagara
| Falls twenty years ago, after having been Il wit
ness of two terrible tragedies of the falls, and
! then upon my first visit to them in that time be
| there in the midst of the excitement of the
! Nedder Pearson horrorI
The speaker was an old man. who said his
name was Andrew DalrympIe, of Camden He
! was passenger on an Erie railway train yes
! terday, returning from visit to Niagara Falls
where he said he was a haekman and guide for
| ten years.
II was greatly surprised to see the old tree
| trunk still rising in the American Rapids, be
! tween the small islands off of Goat Island and
| the American shore guess no ore remembers
| when that tree lodged there, but | remember it
| for thirty years. and it never entered my mind
| that it could be there yet. But there it was,
and as | stood on the Goat Island bridge last
week and looked down at the gnarled trunk the
thought Of that early summer morning, over
twenty years ago when | was one of the first
people at the Falls to discover a man clinging to
the log, came back to me with a vivid
knew how he came there or who he
was, but it was supposed that he had been row
ing across the river somewhere above during the
| night before, and losing control of his boat had
been swept down into the rapids, and the boat
striking the tree trunk he had, by some miracle,
gained a foothold upon it. News never spread
so rapidly that of the discovery of this in
his perilous situation. Word telegraphed
came on a special train to try and rescue the
man. Before 10 o'clock thousands of people
were gathered at every available spot where
sight of the unfortunate man and the efforts to
save him could be obtained All the railroads
| ran special trains and people came in convey
ances of all kinds from the surrounding country.
No one seemed to know at first how to 90 to
work, but the man chung to the tree watching
every movement that was made. OF course it
was impossible to make him hear or give him
any direction. Finally, life boat attached
| to cable and let down from the bridge toward
him. 1t was drawn toward the log by ropes at
| tached to it and handled by men on the island.
| The boat was making directly for the spot, and
| hope that the poor man would soon be safely
| drawn ashore began to be felt by the assembled
multitude. Suddenly, however. it was caught
! in a swirl of the rapids, the cable parted like
| kite string, and the boat rushed past the man
| like fash within two feet of him, and was car
ried over the falls
After this the life-savers were all at sea
! again. Several plans were suggested, and one
was adopted which it took until late in the after
noon to get in readiness. In all those long hours
of suspense don't believe one of the spectators
ever moved from his tracks. Everything else
about Niagara Falls was forgotten except the ter
rible scene Of fellow being hanging on the verge
| of death and patiently awaiting the success or
failure of the efforts that were being made to
| rescue him.
The plan adopted was to fasten strong cable
securely to the American shore attach stanch
raft to it, carry the loose end of the cable over
to the island and let it belly down with the raft
| to the tree trunk. By this means it was hoped
that the raft could be drawn steadily to the
small island between the man and Goat Island.
from which no trouble was anticipated in taking
him. Some food and a glass of brandy were
placed ON the raft, and ropes were fastened to it
| by which the man was to tie himself fast. The
raft moved down and reached the man in safety.
As he stepped upon it, dashed himself fast, and
then eagerly seized the refreshments, such a
shout as went up from the thous
| ands of people that had watched
the proceedings with beating hearts
! and bated BREATH was never heard before. 1t
could be heard about Niagara. Fhe raft was
moved toward the island Everything seemed
to be working to a charm. The tension that was
put upon the feelings of the spectators was so
great that many tainted away. 1 was a strong
man, but know l wept like a child Suddenly
| the raft stopped. The cable drawn as it was be-
meath the water caught on some obstruction
All efforts to loosen it were unavailing. One
groan of agony arose from the great crowd.
Finally the man sprang to his feet undid the
fastenings that hddhim secure on the raft and
kneeilng for moment as if in prayer, sprang in
to the raging water and pulled bravelv for the
island, but a few feet away At first he gained
v1slbly, and the thought that he would be saved
found uttePance in another joyful shout
from the spectators. But when he was
almost within reach of the shore his
strength began to fall and steadily the distance
between him and the shore increased. Then
every one knew that all hope was gone. He
made a few more desperate strokes, but the
wild waters seized MIN, and pitching and tossing
and whrling him, hurried him over the great
cataract As he reached the edge of the falls
he was thrown upward from the water until his
whole length came in view standing upright and
he disappeared as if he had made a voluntary
leap over the brink. As he was dashed to and
over the falls not sound was made by one of
the vast crowd, and, terrible as the scene,
not an eye was turned away as he was carried
along to his destruction. AS he disappeared in
the face of the cataract one heart-rending shrek
went up from the crowd. The poor fellows
body was never found nor his identity ever es-
tahliShed.
THE other agonizing scene that I was doomed
to witness was the carrying over the Falls of
young Charles Arlington and little Eva De For
est. That happened five or six years before the
incident have just related. The Addingtons
and De Forests were prominent families in Buff
falo in those days, and young Charles was en-
gagged to be married to Ada De Forest Miss De
Forests mother and her little sister Eva, accom-
panied by young Arlington and herself, came to
the Falls one day in the summer to spend the
day. While they were on Goat Island little Eva
went away by herself, and Mrs. De Forest sent
the young man after her. He found her stand
ing the shore. He thoughtlessly stole
up behind her, and, grasping her UNI
der the arms, held her out
over the water. She suddenly threw up her
hands and slipped through his arms into the
water. He instantly sprang in after her and
reached her before the swifter rapids had caught
her. He succeeded in getting her back near
enough to the shore to throw her the bank,
but she had not strength sufficient to hold on I'M
til her mother could grasp her and fell back into
the water. They were both carried over the
falls in sight of their beloved ones. For years
] afterward Addington's father visited the falls
once week, and would sit for hours gazing at the
water where they were lost He finally ceased
coming and we learned that he had died griev-
ing for his boy, who was his only child"