Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-12-09
DARING SADIE ALLEN.
she Floats Through Niagara's Rapids
And Lands Three-Quarters Ofa Mile
Below, Desperately Sick.
George HazIett, Her Companion, None
the Worse for the Buffeting.

NIAGARA FALLS, November 2S.-FCr L
the first time in the history of the
Niagara Gorge woman has successful
iy passed through the whirlpool ripidS
in which Captain Webb and 81 many
Others lost their lives. Miss Sadie Al
len, pretty young girl of Buffalo, was
the heroine, and she was accompanied
by George Hazlett, who made the trip
with Potts on August Sth. The same
tOrpedo-sha2ed barrel vas used. 1t is
ten feet long, has a double head. a PROV
like battering-ram and turret in
which there is an air-hOe and bulls
eye. The space inside is Just large
enough to hold two persons. The queer
craft was placed at the old Maid of the
Mist landing, where the girl and her
friends repaired soon after two o'clock.
While waiting for the final prepara-
tiOns Miss Allen chatted cheerfully
with her friends. To the Enquirer cor
respondent she said she was not afraid,
and that if others had lived through
the barrel trip she could too. The girl
is of medium height. quite plump. and
isa brunette, with red cheeks, laughing
eyes and thick black hair. She did not
seem to realize her position, and said
she had never seen the Whirlpool or the
rapids. At twenty-five minutes to five
O'Clock the torpedo was towed around
to the steamer landing under the sus-
pension bridge. Miss Allen gave her
hat to her sister, Mrs. Potts, and stepped
lightly on top of the craft. Then she
carefully slid through the man-hole.
She wore thick flannel skirts and a
plain dark dress and waist. Hazlett
jumped in, and then the voyagers were
towed to near the head of the rapids.
The oarsmen narrowly escaped being
drawn into the rapids while adjusting
the man-hole cover.
When the first wave struck the tor
pedo it rode lightly over into the vOr-
tex, where the cOunter-currents pile up
hugh waves. Theabreakers tossed the
little vessel about like feather, some
times throwing it out of the water and
again burying it under crests of foam
The craft shot the three-quarters of a
mile in less than three minutes. The
whirlpool was comparatively calm and
the barrel was not sucked under. Ir
five minutes it safely went into the
DEVILS Rapids, where it was again con
temptuously tossed around by the
breakers. A few rods further down
when near the little maelstrom the
waves threw the craft into IN eddy or
the Canada side, where it floated three
quarters of an hour before some mer
lassooed it. They brought it ashore
and liberated the voyagers. They were
not much hurt, but the girl was terribly
seasck. Both walked over the piles OF
rocks around the whirlpool to the in,
clined railway.
This evening Miss Allen was brought
back to the falls. She was unable tc
return to Buffalo. She says that she
was badly shaken up, but did not gel
frightened. She seeks to belittle hel
achievement. 1.-THE sea-sickness was
the worst of it," she added, "but the
shaking up was bad; we had enough
air. don't think the barrel struck
any rocks" Sadie is willing to go in 6
dime museum. Mr.. Hazlett told the
Enquirer correspondent that the trip
was rougher than the previous one
and added, "Miss Allen is brave girl
| bet her $5 that she would scream be
fore we got through, but she won the
wager"