The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-08-23
GRAIIANl's LAST MP.

How tho Philadelphia Cooper Went
Through the Whirlpool Rapids.
Cooper Grsham's trip, Gays the New
York Sun, was less eventful to others than
himself. There were about 1000 specta-
tors, and when II YVES known that he was
going through with his head out OF the
barrel old falls guides offered 'wo 10 one
that he would be killed. Long before
o'clock the barrel the same one In which
Graham went in before, was being fixed
for the trip at point several hundred
yards above the Maid Of the Mist landing
Graham arranged the hammock so that
bis neck was above the top OF the barrel.
A canvass cover was fitted around his
neck, tackled to the barrel, aud sswed so
that the occupant could not duck his head
inside the barrel, Aspongs was placed In
his mouth, his ears were filled with cot
ton, and at p. NJ. q roW.boat toWed him
out.
III have to die, said Graham to the
Sun reporter, NJ will not die q coward"
That was the last remark he made, for
he could not talk after the sponge was ad
iusted In his mouth. Tne hlss rapids
were encountered at 4;l0, aud tho trip
was tho briefest on record, occupying only
three and half minutes. The barrel was
submerged much Of the time, and opposite
Buttery's elevators Graham was pro.
nounCed dead by several persons who
thought he had been killed by the break.
ers striking his head and dislocating his
neck. Graham, however, went into the
outer swirl u the maelstrom and CrCled
around tho basin toward the DEVILS
Rapids. When near the shore he shouted
to some spectators 10 pull the barrel in,
tho lower rapids. O.S. Carlton quickly
cut the canvas and Graham was liberated.
He was more dead than alive, aud said
that the lower rapids would have killed
him had he not bsen taken ashore Hi.
body was badly bruised from the shaking
up OF the rapids. At his hotel Graham
drank big glass Of whisky to warm him
us, and said:
II don't geo what else I can do here ex'
Cept to try to swim the rapids, rs Captain
Webb did. No man can do that, and my
exploits here are ended. / would not n
through there again with my head expos
ulpI blIuObs Woo hll iIklt uhtl J tuuGllGAl
tho first elevator, although WAS danced
around some. The second waves took me
up, 1t seemed, about forty isOt and drop
ped me down into mass OF foam, the
barrel grating on rock. From that out
| had nothing but foam and water ]
could hardly breathe, I never knew there
were such waves, although | have crossed
tho Atlantic Ocean eighteen times. Tue
spray almost stranglel me, aud was sc
badly used up that the second rapids
would have killed me-"
odd the barrel get drawn clear under p
at was under water several times, and
once my head was dashed within a foot Of
rock. II could have pulled my heat
into the barrel ! believe | would.
thought OF Webb and the cash he got IL
his head. escaped, and the barrel went
humping along on tho rocks. 1t nearly
broke my neck, and thought once my
head was going to bs aattened out on tbs
canvas cover by the heavy waves, losl
my sponge at the first crack, and the cot
ton came out Of my ears ICould not see
good, but l saw enough to know that the
rapids are worse than | thought when
went through with the barrel closed"