Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-07-05
FLACK'S FATAL FOLLY.
A LIVE MAN TRIES TO NAVIGATE THE
NIAGARA RAPIDS,

And Dead Man Ia Picked Up Ia the whirl
pooi-6reat Expectations That Ended Ia
Eternity --Miraciious Luck Of an Iiiinoi,
| Aeronaut A Boston Alderman la u Des
pe,nte Situatibn-Cycione la Iowa.
NIAGARA FALLS, N ", July 5.-Robert
William Flack, of ~ Apple street. Syracuse
| N. Y, lost his life here yesterday afternoon
I'm an attempt TO go through the Niagara
| rapids in his life boat, tue Phantom He
came here last Friday with his boat, and put
up at the New York Central house, ON the
| American bank of the river. People did moi
| pay great deal Of attention to him. as at
| tempts Of this KIND have grown common
since Capt. Webblost his life, five years ago,
Yesterday, however, about 9O,OOO people as
| sembled from all over western New York
| many of whom had come for u holiday visit
10 the falls These strangers lined the bridge,
and PERCEPTIONS banks of the river in dense
crowds The boat in which Flack made his
desperate attempt was fifteen feet long,
four and three-quarters wide in the
centre and thhty-four inches deel
and pointed at both ends. The outside
was white pine, half an inch thick, lined
with oak of the same thickness. All air
chambers were discarded, but between lhe
outside and the lining were cushions. which,
he said, We're lighter than cork, and which
gave the boat great buoyancy. lie kept the
materials a secret, saying that hs wished to
have them patented. One-third of the boat
was decked over with half inch white pine
The opening IN the center was eight feet long
by Il yard wide There were seats for five
persons and double cranks for propelling and
steering. The craft weighed 700 pounds, and
F'lack claimed she would right herself in any
sea. His object in making the trip was to
show this, and get his boat introduced by
the different governmental life saving serv
ices He induced Undertaken John Nc Arthur,
Of Syracuse, to loan him $50 to bring the
boat here
Flack made his appearance at 2:l5 o'clock.
He was dressed in a blue flannel sleeveless
suit and wore n white handkerchief about his
neck, which he said had been sent him by
Mrs. Smith, of Oneida, the wife OF a dentist,
who wanted it returned to her as a relic. He
had pint bottle of liquor in his pocket and
acted as it he had taken a few nips to brace
himself II shall make a stop of twenty min
utes at the Whirlpool" said he $50 as to al
low the reporters to get there. | had rather
give $1,000 than to make the stop but | will
do it, | shall then get in and make the trip
through Foste IS flats, where no river navi-
cation has ever been. | hope will turn over
dare to make the trip after me. have per-
feet confidence in the boat, and | think |
have pluck enough for rnything myself"
He entered his boat at O'Clock At two
minutes past he was seen tossing iii the first
rapids at W oodford's new elevator, near the
cantlever bridge His boat took the middle
of the river, and he could be seen working
his steering apparatus. He went out of sight
two or three times, but he rode safely until
after Manning's elevator was reached At
Buttery's elevator, where the three plunges
are located, he was whirling. and entered the
first plunge with the stern of his boat ahead.
There is big rock standing out seventy five
feet, and he struck it when his boat was in
the trough Over he went and took plunge
of twenty feet into the air at the same time
His boat never righted but plunged and shot
from rock to rock in way that left little
doubt in the minds of the spectators that the
voyager was "A dead man. At 3:O5 he struck
the whirlpool, but took course which held
his craft instead of allowing it to shoot into
the Devils rapids below. At 3:09l two boys
went into the whirlpool, but were unable to
make any resistance to the current, and
could not bring the boat in.
The boat, still bottom up, sailed around
four times, and at 4:lO Charles A. Percy,
who last September shot the rapids in his
boat swan out and towed it ashore. Fully
100 men had climbed down to the waters |
edge, and they turned the boat over. Flack's |
body was still strapped to the seat and his |
face was blue showing that he had been
drowned A rope wound around the steer
ing wheel told the story. He had been una
bic to right the boat, and the wheels had |
been clogged The body was taken up to |
Suspension bridge and will be shipped to |
Syracuse Flack left widow and five chill |
lren He was born in Bristol England, 30 |
years ago, came to America when he was % |
years old, and for twelve years lived at Tor
onto. For the past four years he has resided |
at Syracuse.