Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-09-02
APIunge for Glory.
Graham, the Barrel Man, Takes
a Fearful Ride.
A SHOOT OVER THE NIAGARA FAILS

Ratc-The Peat Performed for Pure
ReckIsssncss ApparentIy-H Comes out
OF His Barrel Only slightly Hurt, But
Satisfied.
NIAGARA FALLS, n. ", Sept. 2.-Carlisle
u. Graham, the Philadelphia Cooper, shot
ov the brink OF the great Horseshoe falls
at 7:lO o'clock yesterday morning. He was
tightly cased in his barrel-boat, and twenty
i've minuies later was picked up in Bass
Rock eddy, comparatively unharmed The
venture. never before accomplished, was
witnes ed 10y not less than fifty spectators.
Tho friends OF Graham had become well nigh
discouraged by the frequent and dispiriting
failures that had marked his early efforts.
A Successful Experiment.
The gallant hero OF the rapids, by untiring
efforts, collected money and at last sue
ceeded in building small barrel that went
over the falls intact This sank at the bot
tom, owing to the msnhole coming opsn, but
this was regarded as preventable accident
and funds were quickly turned over TO
Graham by secret admirers in Buffalo to
build him another barrel The craft was
,ron constructed of Chinese tulip ON lines
Identical with its predecessor, and on Aug
s5 Graham rode in it through the whirlpool
and Devils Rapids down from the foot of
| the falls to the village OF Lewiston, a dis
| lance Of five miles through the ugliest water
on earth.
Drank tn ~ Perilous Venture. xasr
The barrel had hardly been scratched, ard
| the party were so pleased that then and
there solemn vow made TO use il to go
over the falls in at the earliest possible date.
| Standing on the head of the submerged bar
rel, which shifted about on the uneasy
water, Graham lifted glass of liquor to his
lips, and said: IL drink to the health of
greater venture than this which, God help
ing me, shall be accomplished before the
leaves turn" His companions were almost
frightened at this solemn vow, which looked
to them very like health drunk to certain
death.
Difficulties Overcome.
There were difficulties in the way however.
The police officials on both sides of the falls
| had given it out in dead earnest that the
| bastile would be the fate OF any man who
| attempted the apparently suicidal piece of
business, and consequently Graham had to
go about it very slyly. He made the ar
rangements, however, and got himself and
| his barrel inside OF a hack about a. IN.
Yesterday, and his friends following, pro
ceeded to a point about three miles above
| the falls and prepared for the trial A
policeman came up To the carriage in which
| the barrel was ensconced and was told that
| 1t was going SO be sent over the falls as an
experiment. but assured that Graham was
| not along At this time the subject of
conversation was speeding along behind
board fence leadign toward the
hotel doubled up like jack
knife in n frantic endeavor to keep out II
sight The brief colloquy over, ths party
went ON around the curve, out of the
| officials sight and took Graham aboard.
He Enters the Barrel
Arrived at the point of departure Garry
X Staley now appeared in row boat, IN
which ne had come down from LaSalle, and
the men quickly embarked, and taking
the barrel in tow, pulled out into the river.
perhaps three hundred yards from the shore.
There the manhole was opened and Graham
entered the barrel He was dressed in the
tights in which all of his famous feats have
been performed, in addition to which he
wore a heavy outer shirt. He first placed a
| coat in the bottom of the barrel on top of
| two thirty pound bags Of sand. Then he
knelt down, thrusting both legs aud arms
| through broad belt of webbing stretched
across the barrel
The NJ snhole Secured.
The little craft is so small that even then
his head projected, but he bowed it, and two
thickuesses OF tarpaulin were thrown over
the manhole which was then battsned down
and fastened by two iron clients an inch and
a half wide These were locked with brass
snap locks. Fifty feet OF inch rope was at
tached TO the topof the barrel to keep it up
right acting as a drag. To help effect the
same purpose 100 pounds Of railroad iron
was fastened to the bottom. When all was
secured Horn raped on the end of the bar
| rel and asked: Are you all right, era
hamf'
Yes was the mufiied response: 'but get
me of as quick as possible, or shall smother
| before the trips begun"
| Speeding Tor the Plunge.
He was ut once started on his downward
| journey, aud in IA moment whirling
toward the line OF foam that marked the
| first rapids This was at 6:l5 o'clock. The
| long drag rope retarded the progress of the
barrel, and 1t was fully fifteen minutes be-
| ore IL was hidden from the view of the aux
ious watchers in the little boat. They saw II
whrl over as it went down the fall of fiji
teen feet mt the second rapids, and ther
right itself as the slack Of the rope wa.
drawn taut This, IT subsequently appeared
nearly cost Graham his life. At a minute Of
two past : o'clock three men waiting on the
brink of the falls the red upper end Of
the barrel GENE into view over the line o
breakers due north of Goat Island.
Over the Terrible Brink.
Then it shifted toward the Canada shore
and at precisely 7:lO o'clock ran up on
| linz of on, ba M the ppnt ar n
the Horseshoe, topped gracefully backward
and disappeared over the brink The mel
shouted hoarsely at each other and ther
started ut break-neck for the Maid of tn
Mist landing The newspaper men OF
Table Rock also saw the plunge, and watche
in hand waited for Graham to emerge
'One minute, a minute and quarter
half-he is lost, f" shouted a woman, VINO he
gan sobbng
Ale is not lost" shrieked q bystander, il
| reply TO the woman, and the next instan
every eye was riveted on fifteen inches Of
diameter represented by the neck of the little
barrel
Il Moment Of Hope and Fear.
II had come up twenty rods down iron
the foot Of the falls and was floating abou
uniuiured apparently. For twenty fiv
minutes it circled about in Bass Rock eddy
Just about where Almer Jones was waitin,
to recover it. Then it drifted down Il
within ten feet of the shore and then Jone
plunged in and swan to it. Are you alive
Graham he shouted, pounding on the bar
rel. There was no answer, and his hear
sank. Then he pounded and shouted agai
and heard an inartioulate reply. He could
not open IL so no towed it ashore.
The voyageur Only Slightly Hurt.
Once ashore dozen willing hands phi et
hammer and chissl, and tho cover wa
quickly wrenched off and Graham pulled
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