Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-22
HE MET CAPT. wEBB's FATE.
A Fisherman Loses His Life in the
WhirIpooi Rapids.

Whirlpool Rapids.
Two men tried conclusions with the
whirlpool rapids Thursday afternoon at
Niagara Falls, says special TO the New
York Sun. Cooper Graham got through
safely in his barrel with his head exposed,
but James Scott, fisherman, OF Lewis
ton, lost his life while trying to emulate
Capt. Webb. Scott was about Az years
old, ana was an acrobat, rope walker,
and an expert river man. He was
queer genius, and has ior
three years been thoroughly IN
fatuated with the cataract. In July, 1888,
ne offered to attempt to swim the rapids
but was scared out OF it by Policeman
Madigan, who threatened an arrest. ON
July 10. 1885, he got on the dummy Maid
OF the Mist, which was sent through In
celebration OF the opening OF the reserVa-
ton, and could hardly be pulled off. Since
then he has threatened to go through in
canoe. Yesterday he visited suspension
Bridge with a cork life preseryer under
his jacket.
81 am going to beat Graham" he said
to Policeman Madigan, land after L swim
through those barrel fellows will be no.
where"
You are crazy, and Phi run you in"
said Madigan.
Scott repeated that he would swim
through the rapids and then went away.
To-day he died in the attempt. just how
II happened is uncertain. 1t is certain,
however, that soon after noon be got into
the whirlpool and attempted to swim
through the lower or DEVILS Rapids. One
account says that be tried TO row up the
rapids in boat, which was capsized, but
as his clothes were found on thompson
Flats, near the whirlpool, this is not be-
lleved. A man at Whirlpool Park said
he saw Scott jump in, clad in shirt, draw
ers and cork life preserver, swim to the
outer eddy Of the whirlpool and disappear
In the rapids. The body was recovered
at Lewiston.
Cooper Graham's trip was less event
full to others than himself. There were
about 1000 spectators, and when 1t was
known that he was going through with
his head out of the barrel old tails guides
offered two to 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 the point sew
eral hundred yards above the Maid of the
Mist landing. Graham arranged the
hammock so that his neck was above the
top OF the barrel. A canvas cover was
lifted around his neck, tackled to the bar
rel, and sewed so that the occupant could
not duck his head inside the barrel. A
sponge was placed in his mouth, his ears
were filled with cotton, and at p. m. a
row boat towed him out.
III have to die" said Graham to the
Sun reporter. 81 will not die a coward"
That was the last remark ne made, for
be could not talk after the sponge was
adjusted in his mouth.
The first rapids were encountered at
4:l0, and the trip was the briefest on
record, occupying only 81 minutes. The
barrel was submerged much of the time,
and opposite Buffers elevator Graham
was pronounced dead by several persons,
who thought he had been killed by the
breakers striking his head and disloca-
ting his neck. Graham, however, went
into the outer swirl OF the Maelstrom and
circled around the basin towards the
Devils Rapids. When near the shore he
shouted to some spectators to pull the
barrel In. and they did so just as it was
going on into the lower rapids. G. S.
Carlton quickly cut the canvas, and Ora
ham was liberated. He was more dead
than alive, and said that the lower rapids
would have killed him had he not been
taken ashore. His body was badly
bruised from the shaking up of the rapids.
AT his hotel Graham drank a big glass of
whisky to warm him up, and said:
81 don't see what else | can do here
except to try TO ewim the rapids, as Capt.
Webb did. No man can do that. and my
6ADAOlbS utIb are euueus L WOuIQ
not go through there again with
my head exposed for $1,000. l was
all right until reached the first elevator,
although | was danced around some. The
second waves took me up, it seemed,
about forty feet and dropped me down
into mass of foam, the barrel grating
on rock. From that out had nothing
but foam and water. | could hardly
breathe. | never knew there were such
waves, although | have crossed the At
lantic ocean teighteen times. The spray
almost strangled me, and l was so badly
used up that the second rapids would
have killed me-"
''Did the barrel get drawn clear under?"
sit was under water several times, and
once my head was dashed within foot OF
a rock. If | could have pulled my head
into the barrel l believe / would. |
thought Of Webb and the cash he got in
his head. / escaped and the barrel went
humping along on the rocks. 1t nearly
broke my neck, and j thought once my
head was going to be flattened out on the
canvas cover by the heavy waves. l lost
my sponge at the first crack and the cot
ton came out of my ears. l could not see
good, but ! saw enough to know that the
rapids are worse than l thought when |
went through with the barrel closed"