The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-07-09
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.
Graham's Boat Entirely Wrecked
I'm Its Passage Over
the Falls.

| Niagara Falls, y. Y, June 30.-HerC
Cariysle ID. Graham triied once TO Otter
with the ueacherous Niagara torrent to-day
and received a decided set back in hi.
plans for navigating the great cataract. Ii
was definitely decided that he should 20
over the Horseshoe Falls on the morning
of July 4 in his queerly shaped torpedo
lifeboat, but il was not settled whether
Masa Osada, the little japanese of the
Cleyeland.HayerlyM Minstrel troupe, would
accompany him. Manager Cleveland has
received letter from the japanese minis
ter at Washington warning him that he
would be prosecuted il he allowed the dar-
ing little performer to risk his life and
| there was q fatal result. Mrs Graham de-
clined to go, and she also hesitated about
letting her husband take the trip. The re-
suit was that Graham determined on max
ing a trial trip 70 satisfy himself and others
interested that the cigar-shaped craft stood
chance OF going over safely.
For various reasons the experiment was
not announced beforehand, and fewer than
100 people saw il. Constable Andrew
Horn. Engineer Walter Odell, of the Nsw
York Central railroad, and Manager
Cleveland drove up TO La Sale this morn
ing and Mr.. Odell towed the Darrell which
had been ballasted with the weight of
Graham and the Jap. out into the stream.
He let 60 of it near the Canadian side,
three-quarters of a mile above the falls
and In the direct course of the center cur
rent for the Horseshoe Falls. The boat
foated slowly and had hardly struck the
first ledge of the rapids when the party
were in hot pursuit down the
hat 81,
boat was turned tops, tn ", twirled
furious waves FASTENED Its voyage to de-
struction. When near the brink of the
precipice they los; sight OF the torpedo,
and there it must have been DASHED 10
pieces in the surf. Posted on the cliffs
below the falls were Graham, William T.
Burbridge, theatrical man, aud others
including your correspondent, who watch |
ed for the barrel boat 10 come over the |
cataract. In The river below was Almer |
Jones in q rowboat, waiting to catch the |
torpedo and tow il TO the Maid of the Mist |
landing. The watchers waited patiently. |
but the only time they saw the life boat
was with glasses, away above the falls.
Then Jones shouted to the watchers on the |
bank above and held piece of wood up
in the air. The party scrambled |
down the cliffs and found pieces of the boat
iOating fast in the torrent. A few of the
slaves OF the gaudiIy painiel craft were
rescued, and one of the manhole covers,
With the irons all bent, was found. The
slaves showed that the heavy iron bands
lad been stripped of and the heavy
,ak and cedar slaves had been split
nto kindling wood. Nothing could be
lone TO save the debris. Graham, nat
lrally, was much disheartened, for he
lad spent two months time and $1,000
n building the craft, which, from bis
experience during three trips in the
over rapids, he believed it would safely
ide the upper ones and Withstand the
O0-fooi fall in the cataract. Ex-
on the Thames river had prac-
ically demonstrated the safety of the boat,
ut Niagara was not to be trihed with
his time by Graham. He will probably
uild new boat and 60 over in it, even If
!. kills him. Graham said tonight to a
~ had not the least doubt about the
Oat going through safety, but when i saw
he fragments below the falls was glad
was not in her."
The craft was strongly built of oak slaves
nd bound with strong iron bands. 1t
as nearly IL feet long and 40 inches in
Iameter.