The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-07-16
SHOT THE RAPIDS.

A VentursOme Buffalo Cooper Makes the
Passage of the Niagara whirlpool Rap
ids, Where Captain Webb Came to His
Death, Encased in a Barrel-He StiH
Lives, and Proposes to Do it Again
BUFFALO, N. Y, July I2.-VeFy few
of the thousands of persons who visited
Niagara Falls yesterday had any idea
that another adventurous man would at
tempt to pass the whirlpool rapids in
which Captain Webb lost his life. For
some time past c. D. Graham has been
making preparations for the attempt, but
few persons really believed that his
courage would hold out long enough for
him to make it. Such, however, was
not the case, and at four O'Clock in the
afternoon Graham started on his perilous
voyage, which he successfully accom-
plished. Graham had told a reporter all
about his plans, and stated that he would
carry them out at the time he did, but re-
quested that the time be not given in
publishing the article for fear that the
authorities would prevent him in his pur-
pose. Accordingly, very few were among
the spectators. Graham kept the cask in
which he intended to make his trip in
saloon in this city. About elev-
en- O'Clock Saturday night he loaded it on
wagon and, accompanied by
several friends, started for the
falls. They arrived there about four
O'Clock yesterday morning and unloaded
the cask at a point on the American side
of the river below the falls and about
three hundred rods above the cantileyer
bridge. A policeman arrested him
on suspicion of being TOnawanda horse
thief, but his Buffalo friends secured his
release on bail. When every thing was
ready Graham got into the barrel and
closed the man-hole at the top. At this
point of the river the current is very
slight. A small boat towed the cask out
into the river to point where the cur
rent would catch 1t and where Graham
was started on what might have been his
trip to eternity.
The towing process took only few
minutes, and then the stream caught the
cask and started it SGTard the whirlpool.
At first it moved slowly down, then faster
and faster, until the mad current dashed
it on with its full force. The cask bound
ed up and down over the great waves and
several times turned a complete somer-
sault, but the wider portion remained
around like top. The cask
kept pretty well in the center of
the river until it reached the whirlpool
when it struck a strong side current and
was carried swiftly through, reaching the
waters beyond in safety. From here the
| journey was comparatively quiet. The
cask was picked up at Lewiston, about
| five miles below the starting point, and
Graham crawled out of the barrel with
only a slight bruise on the arm. He re-
marked: "When I struck the eddies, it
was one continued round of jerks, but
| am not hurt a bit.''
Graham is a native Oh Philadelphia,
thirty-tfree years old, and "A cooper by
trade. He is poor man and did this
thing for glory.
The cask is seven feet long, thirty-three
| inches in diameter at the widest portion,
| twenty-three inches at the top and eighteen
inches at the bottom. 1t is bound around
with iron hoops which weigh 250 pou IDS.
| The ballast which was attached to the
cask to keep it in position weighed 25C
/ pounds.
Graham will probably repeat the trip,
| He says he will yet 60 over Horseshoe
falls.