Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-08-09
GRAHAM'S RIVALS.
TWO BUPFALO MsS SUCCESsFULLY
nun NIa8sRss wBIRLPOUL.
Fifteen thousand People witness Two More
Coop, rs Glide Through tho Rough water
IN = Cask--onc smoking q cigar
During the Rough voyage.

George Hazlitt aud William Potts. two sd
ventuous coopers of Buffalo, on Saturday
succeeded in riding the whirlpool rapids of
Niagara river in a hsrrel-shsped boat Both
were companions aud fellow-workmen OF
Cooper Graham, OF Philadelphia who few
weeks ago successfully made the trip.
The barrel-boat, as it may he called, is ten
feet long, but the barrel proper extends but
six feet double oak head four feet from the
small end dividing it The smaller end Is
again divided into air-tight compartments by
two heads set at short distances apart while
the front head on the smaller end is made
double and protected by sheet OF iron Sc
curely fastened TO the keel. The barrel is
made OF slaves of l',-inCh oak, the heads
being of 2-nch oak, On the lower side of the
barrel a strong oak keel has been fastened the
upper side of the barrel being slightly flat
tened. There is an opening on top, on which
is also circular turret with glass-covered
peep. holes. This il fastened from the inside
by an iron clamp. The main heads of the bar
rel are "A inches in diameter at the smallest
part, and the heads At the pointed end are but
o inches in diameter at the smallest part
\ Finch propeller-wheel on the stern can
be worked from the inside by its occupants.
A sheet-iron rudder affords control of the
boats course In smooth water.
The two men towed the boat down the
river Saturday night to Chippewa where it
was entered in the customs office an
American boat intended TO navigate the
Canadian waters. 1t was intended at first to
start on the trip sunday afternoon at
O'Clock, buttheir preparations delayed the start
nearly two hours. 1t had been publicly an
nounced that they would go through, and an
impatient crowd which filled every train on
the way to the falls waited anxiousy for the
start Not less then l5 600 people were at the
old suspension bridge at the time announced.
1t had been planned at first to have the Maid
of the Mist tow the barrel-boat out into the
current and down to the bridge but her Mas
fap afn 'nff ftts x-ftNex hat hA
should feel as If he we're party to a suicide
A boat was procured to pull them out, and at
4:45 O'Clock, with a small American Hag
hoisted at the stern, the oarrel. boat was
towed into the river, with the two men in
side and the manhole open. Two boats with
friends on board accompanied ii as TAR as the
cantilever bridge, when 1t was cast of, at i:io
p. m.
The barrel rode the water gracefully. Just
above the suspension bridge, which was
reached at i:AS p. m., 1t was caught by the
first eddy and hurried down into the rapids,
turning about and passing under the bridge
stern foremost Then the blllows tossed it
about, first on one side and then on the
other, dashing up against its sides, now
submerging it completely, and, at the in
clined railway station on the Canadian shore,
turning Ii over in complete somersault 1t
came up buoyantly every time, and the
little flag foated triumphsutly from its
stick. Around the turn she struck the
heaviest waves, and was out of sight more
than half the time, the brown hull bobbing
up serenely now and then, and the
tisg defantly shaking the water from its
folds In two minutes after passing the
bridge the boat had successfully navigated
the rapids and was in the W hirlpool, entering
II nearer the Canadian shore than did Gra-
ham. The craft made the circuit of the mael-
stom once, and then shot out down the river
toward Lewistown. In the whirlpool the
man-hole was opened aud eacn man in turn
showed his head out for breath of air. Potts
waived his hand on making his appearance.
Those on the bank who saw them shouted
encoursgingly TO the men, and the man. hole
was shut down preparatory to the plunge
thro ugh the lower rapids. They were past
the most critical points in their journey and
the end was soon reached.
At about 5:l5 p. III. two or three boating
parties from Queenstown and Lewistown
who had been out looking for the ad nturers
saw the barrel tossing in the rapids above the
Catholic college ground. She was tossing
pitching and rolling, but alwsy y, righting her.
self after each lurch. The boat was pick ed
up by Sam Hazlitt, a brother of one of the
OCCUPANTS Chester Wadsworth and Archie
Gilmore, and towed into Queenstown. Dur
ing the latter portion of their voyage the two
men climbed out on the deck OF their craft
and rode astride Of it for several hundred
yards.
The me N were not inclined to talk after
they landed, not having fully recovered from
the excitement OF the trip. They show but
little soreness, while the barrel has no marks
except where some paint was scratched off
by the powders. The men have returned to
Chippewa and will be placed on
exhibition with the barrel in the principal
cities OF the country. They intend to have
the barrel patented tor use as life boat. The
men are both young, Potts being 25 and Haz-
lett = years OF age The former is married.