New-York tribune., 1886-08-15
7HE BlrfLE or THE KEGS.

Coopcr Graham in navigating the Whirlpool
Rapids in his cask proved too much for his own
mcrccna.y ends, He dcmonst' aicd that the next
man following in ms wake could do H. much Il
lac had done Coopcis Potts and llaLlctt III
liar, ,cl twice Il, large ~ Cooper Graham's egg
shaped cialt have gone through the rocky gorge
nhal med and have anchored IN safety III the
smooth reaches below the Devils Hole. Then
vcntucSomc attempt having been more freely
advertised attracted larger throngs of sight
sccrs than the first barrel voyage, albeit the
,ailroad authorities scnsiby declined to Issue
excursion tickets and to convert it into vulgar
peep how. Bnt now that they have succeeded in
accomplishing their hazardous feat. they are
in 4 position 10 profit in a small way 10y then
own folly They viii take thclI cigar 'hapcd
craft with it., tul1ct, iron-cOycicd Prov and
glass bullscycs TO Buffalo, and exhibit il there
and in Chicago, crawling III and out the man
hole for the benefit of any one who will pay
20 cents for the >idc-shOw. This is what Cooper
Graham has al cady done at reduced tariff OF
10 cents a ticket; and between 400 and 600
people daily have inspected his bar cl and asked
him how he felt when he was whlllng through
The rapid. The 25-ccnt pc; fomancc Will nat
urally crowd out the lO-oent show. Cooper
G,aham'. occupation will bc gone, unless he can
make a more ambitious effort than his rival
in folly. Those rivals are increasing in num-
every week. Two fresh cranks are advertised
to repeat the exploit next Sunday.
The dimlnuion OF receipts iiCm the dime
novelty exhibition will compel the iginal in
ycntor OF the barrel float to vary hi, performance
or el>c TO abandon the field TO moe cnlcrprising
imitatoIs. Ii is announced that he will speedily
ATTEMPT the moc difficult feat either OF rolling
off the upper suspension bridge lno the eliza IN
mr. of going over the Horseshoe Falls As the
bridge authorities will undoubtedly prohibit the
,,e OF their property, Cooper q aham will ap-
uarcntly have to descend the cataract in oidcr
to viudlcale his reputation as a superior dare
devil. We Judge f. ON Mr.. liolcy's very inter
cstinp letter published in lat Mondays issue
that lj,c.c is something more than Il vague posi-
bilty that this descent can bc made without loss
Of life. The fact that animals and fish have
gone owe, the falls in safety indicates that
barrel with a man inside may take the leap and
float of on the down -stIcam slope of the cur
rent and the watcr-concs fo.mcd at the bottom
Indeed. NJ. Hoey, without aiming 10 encourage
such undertakings, insists that there are better
grounds for supposing that barrel and .cw
can 20 over tie falls than there were twenty
five years ago for thinking that Robinson could
| shoot the Whirlpool Rapids in the Maid of Tie
| Mist.
But unfortunately for tle venture ,onc cooper,
| there is no reason to believe that he can per
mancn.ly better his business position if hc sue
cceds in his pclilolls leap in the cask. II he can
do it, it will only be proof that IIazlctt and
| Potts can repeat the exploit and what the next
| fool is competent to perfom will speedily coa'c
| to furnish market for seekers alter nOtoricty.
In all these enterprises success al once dis
] counts itself and becomes as yalucicss and as