Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1886-03-04
OVER THE FALLS.
BY E. W. THOMSON.


To cross the Niagara river, opposite
the Canadian village Of Chippewa, in a
skiff for the first time, is an experience
one does not lightly forget.
The falls, two miles down stream,
seem much nearer The great width of
tie river tends to shrink their apparent
distance; the persistent roar of the
cataract, forcing ones voice to strong eff
fort in speaking, appears to originate
very close by.
Having arrived at Chippewa onk June
evening, by mistake twenty -four hours
s oner than my business required, I de-
termined to treat myself to days troll
ing, and with this object, engaged the
help Of Charley Pelton, fine, clear-eyed,
handsome, powerful man of about thirty,
who was recommended to me as the best
boatman in the place.
Bright and early next morning we shot
away from his boat-house under the
Chippewa bridge, down the dirty, slug
gish Chippewa Creek perhaps third of
mile, to the junction of its dull gray
water with the clear green Niagara tide.
Here were two channels leading to the
main river round an island that Pelton
called ssThe Hog. back"
The lower channel was, he said, the
natural mouth of the creek; the upper
channel, or tgap, had been cut to ac-
commodate tugs and barges which had
once Piled regularly between Buffalo and
the tumble-down Canadian hamlet AS
we went out of the gap, I noticed the
strong pull of the current which broke
in s'ripples" along the outer edge of the
s'Hog's-back. f"
1T must have been pretty hard for a
tug to take long tow in here,n re-
marked.
You may well say that, he answered.
''This was an exciting point. I've seem
I thought he was going to tell story,
but here the work occupied all his
breath and attention. He took me from
current to eddy, and from eddy to cur
rent, up the Canadian shore mile or
more, and then shot, by neat diagonal
easily across to Navy island from which
the Caroline was cut loose by the Loyal
lists in 1887, fred, and left to drift over
the falls.
During the morning, Pelton showed
me very fair sport, and at noon, when
after having made the round of Navy
island, we landed on its foot for lunch,
we were in excellent humor for CON
idential talk After eating we fell into
long chat about the dangers of the
river, which he concluded with the fol-
lowing story:
Yes" he said, tive got some cause
to tremble when Hook at the cloud of
spray and listen to that roar. For | was
through them rapids oncer'
And over the Fallsr' / exclaimed. in
credulously.
He looked at-ine little angrily, and /
feared had lost the story. But after
some moments he went on again:
IT'S not likely I'd IA been here to tell,
if I'd gone over But was most over,
and saw him that I loved best in the
world swept away to destruction.
But ia better begin at the beginning.
l amt used to telling the story; don't
know as / ever did tell it right through,
either, because / never talked about it to
stranger afore. 2
-sare he paused while.
They told you" said he, "I was the
best boatmen round here, did they9 Well,
if you had asked them six years ago.
they'd have told you my brother Frank
was. And they'd have told you the truth.
He was six years younger than me, and r
was only twenty-five then, but he was far
the best man.
Myl I was fond Of the boy-and
proud You see, had give him his les
sons in most every kind of manliness
that he could do. I mind taking him in
swimming when he wasn't more than
toddling baby, and me not much bigger,
seems now. Rowing! / can't mind when
my hands weren't used to oars, but
mind well enough teaching him when he
wasn't more than four years old. What q
brave baby he never hanging back,
but always trying to do just what he was
showed How quick he got to be handy
all roundl And what kind chapl Say.
could 60 right on all day talking about
that little boy
Zone day, toward evening, me and
Frank was standing on the bridge Of the
creek, fy-fshing for bass, when up come
the whistle Of a tug from the river
That's the Mixer, says Frank, look
ing pleased. She's got buck soon.
Mother'll be gladF
You see, mother and Sally and Jane
Rolston had went up to Buffalo couple Of
days before, and they was to come back
with the Mixers barges, the Mary Star
buck, Of Chippewa Old man Rolston
was the skipper Of that aeow, and his
daughter Kitty done The cooking for him
! and his two hands. He'd agreed to give
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