Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-07-13
THE WHIRLPOOL.
COOPER GRAHATs rERIIous FEAT
ATNIAGARA FALLS.
Passes Safely Through the Rapids and
the DEVILS Hole in
Barrel.

Il
A Buffalo telegram to the New York
Times says: Carlisle ID. Graham, OF
,ufJalo. this afternoon got into . bar
81. which Was towed to the middle OF
he Niagara river, below the falls, and
et 90. he went safely through seven
niles of the river, including the Whirl-
,ool Rapids, the whirlpool itself, and
he Deyil's-Hole Rapids, below the
" hirlpool, and was taken out OF the
liver at Lewiston alive, and at least
"a sensible as when he went in. Except
IN the trip Of the Maid OF the Mist, in
1861, when Captain Robinson and two
companions survived the passage, no
living being is known to have made the
passage. :, 49,
1.-THE papers are all calling me
crank" said Graham this morning to the
T;mes,s correspondent at the Mineral
Springs Hotel, Suspension Bridge. "You
wait and see. IfIget killed this afternoon
' GU may call me 3 crank, but il | get
through all right you'll ell talk dill
ferent." :.
Graham was born in Philadelphia
thirty-one years ago. From boyhood,
by his own account, he has been
rover. lie has crossed the Atlantic
eighteen times, and has seen good
luck and bad in nearly every
European country. He was in
England when Webb tried to swim
the whirlpool. The talk about
Webb set me thinking" he said. VI
came to this country and to Niagara.
I studied the river, and, seeing as am
a cooper by trade, naturally thought
of barrels. | decided that l could
build a barrel that would take me
through the whirlpool. I've had hard
luck, and I thought | could do this
thing and make money" Graham is a
slender, spare man, with an almost
bald head, a thin face, and long black
moustache, whose ends curl around and
meet under his chin. He doesn't look
at all like an athlete, though he says
he is a good swimmer, and that few
wears ago be swan through rapid IN
the St. Lawrence below Ogdensburg,
which the river-men told him was i'm
passable.
He worked at his trade in Buffalo
few years ago, but went OIL. Eight
weeks ago he came back, and in little
cooper-shop on Seneca street began
building his barrel. lie worked over
1t nearly two weeks. When done it
looked like an enormous carrot. II IS
seven feet lopg, the bottom head is
seventeen inches across, and the top
head twenty-three inches. The bulge
or widest part is twenty-four inches
from the top, and is thirty-three inches
in diameter. The slaves are of heavy
oak. lie hoped them with twenty.
four iron hoops. riveted like oil.barel
hoops. To make it stand upright in the
water he weighted it with iron, a sand
bag fastening into the little end. Three
hundred and sixty pounds of ballast
sunk the thing, when in still wa,er'
about half its height. Graham HIM
self weighs l47 pounds, and when he
got into the "barrel" it floated up
right, with about three feet out OF
water.
Through the top, or biggest head, he
cut a manhole, closed with water
tight cover, which buttoned on the in
side. Within the barrel he rugged a
canvas sack just long enough to hold
his body. Short ropes at the top and
bottom Of the sack held it taut to the
inside Of the slaves. There were two
armholes in the canvas. Through
these he put his arms, and with each
hand clutched an iron handle screwed
on the inside Of the barrel at its widest
part. This device held him firmly,
vet free from the sides Of the ca.k.
Directly opposite his right hand, when
in this position, he bored an inch hole
and fitted a wooden plug. Another
smaller hole was bored through he
staye over his face and plugged. Then
be painted the outside red which made
it look like q carrot more than ever. Ii
was water-tight, and, with the plugs
in. nearly alright. Two or three
tests were made in still water at Bat
fslo day or so ego, and Grshim
found that he could stay inside he
barrel fifteen minutes without any
sense Of sufiocation.
Last night ut 10 o'clock the spindle
shaped barrel was put on a wagon, and
Graham and some friends drove about
twenty five miles to the old Mald'of
the-Mist landing, below Suspension
bridge. They got there at 4 O'Clock
This morning. Graham and a compin
ion Law down on a horse blanket nsal
the edge Of the river to sleep and guard
the barrel. About o'clock a mai
went down to take a bath aud saw them
lie ran up the hill and woke up Consta
bic Ned Mshoney. There are tx'
horse-ibieyes down by the river" h
said. They've hid the horse, anC
are sleeping on the blanket" Consa
Die Ned went down. ~ want you,
he said, and without explanation the.
followed him TO the station.
Graham was frightened, for b
thought that the law would thwart nj
attempt. But when he explained wha
be was about to do the constable lie
him eff. BY noon the thing was noise'
about. Regular excursion trains frOn
Buffalo took down 1000 or 1900 pee
pie. The river banks and the bridge
grew black with the crowds. Grahar
alto a hearty dinner, drank beer, an
smoked a cigar, and about 3 o'clock b
walked down to his barrel.
President Brown, of Suspension
Bridge village, and some Of the trustee
talked it over. The thing was sur
death, they said, and they would sto
it. An officer was sent TO arrest Ora
ham. Graham walked by him withou
being known and hurried TO the edge 0
the river, where the barrel and a boa
waited. lie stripped, wearing onl
tights. crawled into bis barrel, and wa
lowed out into the stream before ID
officer got to the rivers edge. Grahar
was towed out to the middle Of the rive
| .Lnnt nno.tn. Of mia .kovn .