Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1888-07-28

BY WILLIAM o. sToDDARD.

SNct ~ D6lttr tIllp parrel u suit
OF hlown-up lndia-rubbcr, or than any kind
otdlving armor, He intended to use oars,
and he rugged Il mast and sail forward, for
he meant 10 make the trip on some day
when the wind should be blowing strongly
down the river. What he most relied upon
90 steady the boat was his drag board
1hls was made OF two boards, each twelve
teet long and ono foot wide, nailed to-
gether at the edges so that 1t all looked
like four yards OF Il wooden gutter. He
utted two iron rings into the edge of one
board. They were six feet apart, and when
rope was put through the rings and fast
ened to the stern of the boat, II was plain
that the drag board would drag tremend-
ously.
You don't mean to take along any pro-
visions, do you!" asked jim Hooker.
"Of course not" said Rob. 1T is one
of those things that don't take great while
to do"
"And you won't need any lantern" said
jim, unless you drift into the cave under
the falls after you get down. DO you spose
You Wilt"
No." said Rob, there isn't any danger
OF that. All | went is to go over steady,
and come down right side up. It's too
misty there to see anything, lantern or no
lanterG. The river runs right along, and
1
I'D take a lantern if L was going" said
Jim. Everybody ought to have candle
or something when they're going into a
strange place."
Rob thought about il, and concluded
that, after ali, no had better have some
lunch put up. but that there wouldn't be
any place around the bottom of the falls
dry enough to scratch a match on, and so
candle would be of no use. 1t was better,
TOO, to so harefooted than to wear rubbers,
ana TN dlpper was worth more than a
sponge to bail the boat with, If any water
should come in.
OF Course everybody knew that Rob was
going over the falls, and some people
talked against it, and said there was too
much risk in it. Rob himself thought
That there might be some, and he expected
to get wet, but he had great deal OF con-
hdence i'll his drag board. When the day
came, and tue trip was to be made, all the
boys were ut the landing, Just as Rob eX-
pected 1t was perfectly natural that they
should come, and that all Of them should
teel disappointed because he would not let
them have seats with him i'll the boat; but
they ought not to have called him stinGy,
nor to have said that he wanted to have his
Tide and the falls, too. all TO himself.
What he really was afraid of was that If
Hooker, he might be all the while med
ding with the drag board, and disturbing
The balance of the boat, SO that she would
not so over the falls we'll.
AS for other people, it was Just as Jim
Hooker had said that it would be: every
body that lived within twenty miles was
there. Both banks of the river swarmed
with them -men, women, and children.
hob co4,nted fourteen Sunday schools,
banners and all, and some Turnvereins,
am" Schutzenfest, and free-l labor pro-
cesSlon, and an association for the i'm
provement of general information, besides
militian regiment and some fire COM
panies. All along the bank of the river
people had built great wooden stair plat
forms, to lot out seats at ten cents each,
and they We're all full, and Rob wished that
they mad to divide the profits with him.
Considering that he was the boy that was
to 60 over the falls, it would have been en-
actly the fair thing, and would have given
him no end of pocket money.
The moment Rob set the boat loose and
pulled out from shore, people began to
cheer and wave their handkerchiefs, and
the militia regiment fired salute.
Rob threw over his drag board, put up
The sail, and began to row hard right down
stream. The rapids carried the boat along
so swiftly that everybody cheered again.
At the same time the sail and the rowing
kept the boat going little faster than the
rapids, SO thatthe drag board away out be-
hind, more than six feet from the stern of
the boat, had Il fair chance to drag and
keep things perfectly steady.
Rob had never before felt so proud in all
his life, for he knew he was beating all the
men that ever jumped over from anywhere
into anything. 1t would surely make him
ind ha
is anxious to become great man, and
have all sorts of things said about him,
and have his name in the papers.
The boat swan splendidly, and the wind
blew harder and harder, and tho falls
roared louder as they came nearer; that is,
as Rob and his experiment came nearer tc
them.
The crowds along the shore took deel
interest and cheered great deal, and sew
eral boys tried to see if they could throw
stones as far out as the boat was. Two OF
them succeeded, and the stones they threw
came right into the boat, but they didn't
happen to Lit Rob. He knew that all
great men have stones thrown at them,
and he didn't mind it.
The falls roared louder, the wind blew
harder, the water ran swifter, the drag
board worked better and better, aud Rob
was sure he saw a rainbow in the mist
ahead OF him.
"There's the edge he shouted, as he
took IN his oars ana turned around. -
must be looking ahead when | 20 over, OF
shan see what's coming"
Ii was the last chance for the boys on
shore, and some of them throw stones
with all their might, but they missed THEN
aim and had nothing whatever to brag of.
Now for it," shouted Rob, ms the boat
shot clean out from the edge of the falls
with the impetus she had gathered all
the way, and with the force of the wind
upon the sail.
1t was Just as he had expected. The
water kept hold of the drag board, and il
took the boat down nicely all the way, with
the face of the great falls behind the stern.
If it had not been for the drag board the
boat would have either tipped over OF gone
down endwise and spilled Rob out. As it
was, she came down into the water at the
bottom steadily and evenly, as buoyant as
cork, and shot away down stream. Rob
felt prouder than ever for Just one mo-
ment, while he thought of how great q
man it would make him; but the drag
hoard began to pull little too strongly.
and there was so dark fog he wished he
had followed Jim Rockers advice and
brought a candle or lantern. 1t drew and it
drew, aud it was pulling him in under the
falls. The water began to come down right
on his face and into his mouth, and Just as
he was gasping and choking he heard jim
Hooker exclaim:
well Rob Norris the belrs inst RING TO