The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-09-15
4 THRILLING EXPLOIT.
The Feat Which Cost Capt. Webb
His Life Accomplished.
Swimming Through the Rapids at
Niagara Falls

William ]. Kendall, q Boston e14policemau,
has successfully swum the Whirlpool Rapids
ct Niagara Falls, where the intrepid Captain
Webb, and reosntly the fisherman, Scot, lost
their lives. A Niagara Falls dispatch gives
the following accountof the thrilling exploit:
The heroes Of the Niagara whirlpool who
have gone through the rapids With their
heads n and ont OF barrels had their laurels
wrcoted from them this afternoon by o Boston
police officer who swan through the Rapids
protected by nothing but small cork life
preeerver. William J. Kendall, tall, we'll
built muscular man, standing over i1 feet
two inches in height, came hre from Boston
named William Walker, that he was going
to swim the rapids on q wager. ls!, -
you're joking about 1t, !" said Walker.
mo, am not, responded Kendall, oand
don't want any talk about It. ] am q Boston
man and know what am doingn y
II guess you must be crazy, said the hack.
man, but he arranged to drive Kendall down
to the "Maid Of tie Mist" landing. Soon
after they started, together with Mr.. Sauit,
two o'clock when the wharf was reached,
and preparations were made for the
trip Kendall quickly stripped Of his
clothing, and the Gfe-preseryer was buckled
on him by Walker and Sault. After tax
ing long drink Of whisky from a. fask,
Kendall plunged into the current and.uas
carried by an eddy back in the. direction Of
the falls. he swan toward the Canada
side and quickly got into the feeder OF the
rapids which took him down to the
breakers inside Of five minutes. The
stalwart swimmer padded easily into the
big wave and rode it handily. A couple
OF hundred people on the bridge cheered and
Kendall steered to the second wave, which
handled him roughly. The rapids are three
quarters Of q mile long and the passage oc.
cupied only three minutes. During that
time Kendall was tossed about like play
thing by the surf His arms wers thrown
around aud the people on the bank said that
the man was dead. Finally the last breaker
he disappeared from view for q couple
Of minutes, arising near the centre
The swimmer lifted his arms up, and
the folks at the Whirlpool Park cheered him.
This seemed to give him more LIE, and in 3
moment he began swimming slowly toward
the Canadian shore. he was In the outer
swim of suckhole and at first made little
headway. From the shore the chances 0e lie
and death seemed about equal Randall
reached the rock at last and ciung TO IL
desperately: He did not have strength
rock. Thomas Riley, hack driver, and
George Toby, q New York Central Railroad
engineer, ran down to the bank and pulled
the swimmer out. he had little vitality left,
and had to be carried up to Frank LAwson,s
place, where he was given brandy and rubbed
by willing hands A crowd collected before
the hackman Walker drove down with Ken-
dall's clothea They went to the WayerIy
House at Suspension Bridge, where; the
swimmer was put to bed he became vio-
lently seasick, DR.. Hunter, who saw the trip,
was called. No serious injuries were found.
This evening Kendall came over to the West
ern Hotel he has q wife and baby at home.
Mrs. Kendall knew nothing about the trip
until her husband sent her q telegram telling
her about it. Kendall is not now on the reg
ular police force, but is working fora priv ate
detective agency -..-. 80 T. ~ -. Z. .